College Athletics Construction Round-Up: April 2023 Part I
By Darian Kelly
Last Updated on April 18, 2023
The “College Athletics Construction Roundup” is a monthly series on the construction of intercollegiate athletics facilities. We’ll provide a bi-weekly list of announced, in progress, and recently completed athletic construction projects nationwide. You can view previous editions of the “College Athletics Construction Roundup” here.
Hat tip to D1 Ticker as a resource we pulled from for this roundup.
Softball
Maine recently opened its new Softball Stadium; the 90,000 sq foot facility includes an artificial turf playing surface, bleachers that can sit up to 500 fans, and a 3.500 sq foot two-lane batting Pavilion. A generous donation of $240 million from the Harold Alfond Foundation made the state-of-the-art softball complex possible.
Multi-use Facilities
The Pittsburgh City planning committee has approved the University of Pittsburgh Victory Heights sports complex. The multi-use facility will host 16 of 19 Pitts athletics teams. In addition, the $240 million multi-use sports complex will contain an arena accommodating up to 3,000 patrons for volleyball, gymnastics, and wrestling events.
Football
Charles Barkley contributed $1 million to Bethune-Cookman University for their new on-campus football practice facility. Bethune-Cookman’s Athletic Director Reggie Theus is also working with the City of Daytona Beach to improve their football stadium facility. In addition, Barkley has donated $1 million to several HBCUs, including Alabama A&M, Clark Atlanta, and Tuskegee University.
SMU’s Weber End Zone Complex at Ford Stadium has received a $3 million donation from Richard Ware 68’. The commitment is the latest in the drive for the Weber End Zone Complex. The Weber End Zone Complex will connect gate entries on the east and west sides of the stadium, meeting rooms, and a spacious auditorium within the complex three levels.
As part of the University of Minnesota partnership with Daktronics, the electric scoreboard company will install seven LED displays at Huntington Bank Stadium, the home of the University of Minnesota football team. Additional upgrades include a 9,500 sq. foot digital display.
FIU was gifted a $2 million donation from four donors, the largest one-time donation that FIU has received. The cash donation will support building a new Ocean Bank Convention Center weight room facility and a football locker room refurbishment in the R. Kirk Landon Fieldhouse.
Wyoming’s War Memorial Football Stadium will be receiving massive upgrades. The $95 million football stadium project will include premium lodge seating and a new press box. The University of Wyoming, Athletics Difference Maker Campaign, hopes to raise $20 million and an additional contribution from the state of Wyoming.
Track & Field
USC alumna and Olympic Track Gold medalist Allyson Felix returned to campus to unveil Allyson Felix Field. Felix is the most decorated track and field athlete in Olympic history, so to have the track at USC named after her is one of the highest honors. USC’s Athletic Director Mike Bohn expressed tremendous support towards Felix and her impact on USC by stating she has inspired athletes to be “champions on and off the field and to stand up for what is right.”
Baseball
The University of Utah has started fundraising for a brand-new on-campus baseball stadium. Utah received approval from its board of trustees to take the following steps in constructing the stadium. The newly built baseball stadium could open as early as 2025.
Former Texas State All-American Baseball Player Tyler Sibley donated $1 million to support construction upgrades to Bobcat Park. Sibley’s initial gift is part of an $8 million renovation project, including three full-size batting cages, a pitching laboratory, and a new box office.
Men’s Hockey & Women’s Field Hockey
Binghamton University Athletic Director Gene Marshall hopes to welcome men’s hockey and women’s field hockey teams during the 2024-2025 school year. In a FOX40 interview, Marshall gave further context as to where the field hockey team will practice, “We’re also working on as part of a major renovation over in the East Gym area. We’re going to have an additional track, throwing areas and we’re going to update the track and we’re going to put the hopefully the women’s field hockey field right there.”
Basketball
Renovations to the University of Kansas’s legendary Allen Field House will occur this summer. The upgrades will include more comfortable chair-back seating for fans, interactive video boards, and a state-of-the-art sound system. In addition, concourses in the field house will also get upgraded to accommodate additional fans for seating. This remodeling project is set to be finished before the 2024-2025 season.
