Pete Thamel: Kansas to begin hundred million dollar stadium renovation, commitment to football
Something of a football renaissance has taken hold in Lawrence, Kansas, as Lance Leipold and his Kansas Jayhawks are 5-0, ranked and hosting ESPN’s College Gameday on campus for the first time ever this weekend. Now ESPN’s Pete Thamel has reported the cherry on top: A massive overhaul to the football stadium.
According to Thamel, the 102-year-old David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium will be getting a facelift that’s expected to run a bill north of $100 million. The football complex — where players spend most of their time practicing, training, recovering and just hanging out — will also be renovated. Construction is set to begin early in 2023, Thamel reported.
Kansas announced the move shortly after Thamel reported the news on Friday morning, tweeting a video narrated by alumni Kevin Harlan along with a link to a website detailing the endeavor, dubbed the “11th and Mississippi Project” in reference to the intersecting streets where the stadium is.
To cover costs, “the project will be funded primarily with private donations, economic development funds, premium seating sales in the stadium, and future development opportunities that will be created on the site,” according to KU.
According to the initial details provided by KU, the Anderson Family Football Complex will be where renovations begin, along with site prep work across the board, in 2023. The various firms hired by KU will consult with Leipold to ensure the new facilities prioritize recruiting and the experience once players are on the team.
“This project will have a profound impact on the future of Kansas Football and the entire community,” Leipold said in the release. “It will specifically impact our current and future football players, who will now have a state-of-the-art facility to train in. With an up-to-date facility and a commitment to improve Anderson Family Football Complex, our day-to-day operation will be more efficient and effective. This is an exciting time for Kansas Football, and this certainly adds to it.”
As for Memorial Stadium itself, there’s a lot in the plan.
Per the site: “Goals for a reimagined David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium include upgrades to the in-game experience such as seating bowl design with improved sightlines that increase fan comfort and bring fans closer to the field; expanded concessions, restrooms and accessible seating locations; improved concourse circulation; and new premium amenities such as club seats, loge seats and ledge suites. Stadium design will include multi-use spaces to augment any convention and conference facilities that may be part of the project.”
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Memorial Stadium currently has a capacity of 47,000 people, according to the KU athletics website. And, per KU athletics, Memorial Stadium is “recognized as the first stadium built on a college campus west of the Mississippi River.”
The KU athletics site also outlines the past infrastructure investments and improvements made at Memorial Stadium:
- “The installation of permanent lights in 1997;
- Infrastructure repairs and a new concourse throughout the lower level with new restrooms and concession areas in 1998;
- A new home lockerroom, a pressbox which is three times larger than its predecessor, an elevator and the addition of 36 scholarship suites in 1999;
- A new MegaVision video board and the resurfacing of the track in 1999;
- The addition of a new artificial surface in 2000 and an upgrade of the surface in 2009.”
Memorial Stadium has been sold out for the third-straight week ahead of the ranked matchup with TCU this Saturday, the school announced earlier this week. Not a big surprise when the team is on course for its best season since 2007 and the offense is downright fun to watch — quarterback Jalon Daniels in particular.
If Kansas keeps it up, they should be selling out the new-and-improved Memorial Stadium with ease when the renovations are finally wrapped up.