For the first time in five years, the Jayhawks improved to a perfect 5. There is a time and a place for this.
Plans for renovations to Memorial Stadium, the Anderson Family Football Complex and other facilities were announced by the University of Kansas.
The school has studied ways to improve the aging stadium, one of the oldest in major college football, but support has beenlukewarm as the Jayhawks struggled through years of losing seasons. The old concrete bowl has only been upgraded a few times and has been mostly cosmetic.
The school decided it was time to make public the behind-the-scenes discussions that have been taking place for the past few months.
The Jayhawks athletic director said that the project was unparalleled in its vision to benefit a broad range of Jayhawks. The project will ensure our football program has the facilities it needs to compete at the highest level and provide the best possible game day experience for student-athletes and fans. We are very excited that this project will benefit the entire university and the region.
On Saturday, the Jayhawks face off against the 17th ranked team in the country. The school has sold out for the third year in a row, and College GameDay is on campus for the first time.
The project comes during a time when the appeal of schools in college sports has been dictated by football.
The lead architect for the project is HNTB. The renovations to the football complex are designed to improve the student-athletes experience, along with appealing to potential recruits, and will begin early next year.
Private donations, economic development funds, premium seating sales and future development opportunities are some of the ways in which the project will be funded.
The intersection of 11th and Mississippi streets is a main entrance for prospective students. It's the perfect location to develop a new gateway with multi-use facilities to better serve these audiences, generate revenue for academic programming, and drive economic growth in the region.
The renovations to Memorial Stadium are going to get a lot of attention. In the lower bowl, where fans are far from the field because of the athletics track, the school is promising improved sight lines and seating.
Once fan focus groups and feedback from influential donors are conducted, the school and partner will be able to give a better idea of what the stadium will look like.
College athletics are critical to the health and vibrancy of our entire university community. In partnership with the KU Endowment, we will be reaching out to our benefactors and supporters to ensure this ambitious vision becomes reality, as there is tremendous excitement for this project among donors and partners who believe in KU's mission.
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