Niwot High Sports Complex named for Art Stapp

Niwot resident Art Stapp supported many causes during his lifetime, and at the top of his list was the St. Vrain Valley School District, and specifically, Niwot High School. Stapp died suddenly July 19, 2023 at the age of 74 of a heart ailment.

Stapp was best known for Stapp Interstate Toyota, a business he and his father started in 1974 as Longmont Toyota. Stapp never sought recognition for his many charitable efforts in Niwot and beyond, but it is hard to find someone who has not been touched by his generosity and commitment to making his community better.

On Sept.13, the St. Vrain Valley School District Board of Education, upon the recommendation of Superintendent Don Haddad, unanimously approved a resolution naming the athletic fields and facilities at Niwot High School the Art Stapp Sports Complex.

Haddad, who spent several years as principal at Niwot High School before becoming the top school district administrator, first became acquainted with Stapp at Niwot High. Haddad spoke of the contributions Stapp made throughout the school district and beyond at Stapp's memorial service in July, where the idea of naming a school facility for Stapp was first mentioned.

"Don and Dad had been partners for a long time," Brion Stapp, Art Stapp's oldest son, recalled. "They could converse, lean on each other, and they admired one another." Brion recalled how Haddad had spoken at his father's memorial service, touching on the many aspects of his father's life, and what he meant to the broader community, and especially the Niwot community. That's when Haddad briefly mentioned the possibility of naming a school facility in Art Stapp's memory.

"I originally raised the topic with some people in the office," Haddad said. "We started talking about all the different things he's done – the scoreboards, the weight room at Niwot, the tribute to teachers, the gala, the annual contributions, supporting the robotics team, all with the expectation of nothing in return. All of those things add up. Then I had a discussion with the board members." He said everyone he spoke to supported the idea, and although Stapp's contributions spanned the entire district, Niwot was the most appropriate place.

"He was such a big part of the Niwot community," Brion said. Debbi Stapp, Art's wife, recalled that Haddad called Brion the day after the vote and left a voicemail. "That's the first time I heard about it," she said.

She recounted the many projects that she and her husband had been involved with in the school district, and in the larger Longmont-area community. "Eight years ago we started Stapp Inspires," she said. "Art wanted to do something for the district." According to the Stapp Interstate Toyota website, "The Stapp Inspires Spotlight shines brightly on many organizations within the community that share the vision of helping, highlighting, and enhancing people's lives. From educators and a therapeutic horseback riding center to homeless individuals and animal shelters and welfare, each organization has a focus that benefits the community as a whole.

Debbi Stapp said Art was so proud of the school district, and wanted people to be recognized for the important work they do, which led to the Stapp Inspires Educator awards. Each month a staff member at one of the district's schools is recognized for their work.

Art Stapp also believed in supporting sports programs throughout the school district, not just at Niwot High, where he helped lead an effort to build a badly needed weight training facility. Modern scoreboards at athletic facilities throughout the school district have been donated by Stapp Interstate Toyota, and the communities have expressed their appreciation.

"Mead, Longmont, and Niwot all did halftime presentations, including a video, at their football games," Debbi recalled. Each of those schools has a current or past connection to the Stapp family.

Debbi continues to carry on the Stapp family legacy. "We do about 65 sponsorships a year," she said. "When we sell a car, a percentage goes into a sponsorship fund (through Denver Region Toyota Dealers Association). We get to decide where it goes. Art and the boys fought long and hard [for the program]."

Debbi still lives in Niwot, where she and Art moved in 1991. While she coordinates sponsorship efforts, including the feature "Arts Student of the Week" in the Left Hand Valley Courier through the Niwot High Boosters, she is particularly interested in a small non-profit known as Roberta's Legacy, where she serves on the board of directors. The organization was formed to support women who are suffering from cancer. Women can ask for anything including help with rent, car payments, food, medical bills and other complications the illness brings to their lives. "No one is turned away. The only thing we ask for is a letter from an oncologist," she said.

Brion lives in Niwot with his wife and family, and where his son, Drew Stapp, plays golf, basketball and baseball. Brion's daughter, Maddi, was involved in theater and music at Niwot High and wrote for the Left Hand Valley Courier before she graduated and headed off to college. But Brion grew up in Longmont, where he was a quarterback at Longmont High School, graduating in 1994, before playing college football at Holy Cross. After two years of working in the automotive business back east, he returned to Colorado and joined the family business.

Clint Stapp, Art's other son and Brion's brother, is a 2005 graduate of Niwot High School, moving to the community with his parents when he was in grade school. Clint was also a quarterback at Niwot High, and went on to play football at the University of Montana after graduation. He now lives in Mead with his wife and four children, and is the offensive coordinator for the Mead High School football team. "I have three boys and one girl," he said, "and the boys are football fanatics," though none are yet in high school.

Art was a quarterback in high school in Lakewood, where he also played basketball and baseball. He went on to a successful football career at Colorado College, and earned a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys. Brion noted that quarterbacks seem to run in the family. "Even my mom's dad was a quarterback at DU when they still had a football program," he said. Brion also reflected on how his father knew what an important part athletics plays in the lives of young people, and the leadership skills they develop.

Though athletics were important to his father, his father's charitable efforts extended far beyond sports. "He had the perfect balance of everything - education, community and athletics," Brion said. Clint echoed his brother's sentiments, saying, "He saw the value in sports and the impact it has on kids, even beyond the game, and in life.

As for the sports complex being named for his father, Clint said, "He would have appreciated it, but he would have been humbled by it." Art's son, and many others who knew him, recognized how much of Art Stapp's charitable work was done behind the scenes, with no expectation of anything in return, including any public acclamation.

That is about to change. Specific plans for signage are still under discussion, and the district will consult the Stapp family in the process, with a dedication ceremony planned for the spring.