Lincoln -- Athletic Director Steve Pederson officially kicked off the Husker Nation Championship Drive...Building on Tradition, Investing in the Future. The drive began minutes after Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman announced three major initiatives for the University. That initiative includes a major athletic building project.
The Nebraska Athletic Department, which receives no state funding or University fees, launched a $40-million drive that will raise funds for new athletic facilities and will expand the average attendance in Memorial Stadium to more than 80,000. Pederson said the Drive will require support from Husker fans across the nation.
"I know that the entire Husker Nation will want to be a part of this championship drive," Athletic Director Steve Pederson said. "We will need 1.7 million Nebraskans and more to get this project done, but I am positive that together, we can make this happen."
The building project will feature a new Athletic Complex on the north end of Memorial Stadium, where many Husker traditions, including the tunnel walk, began more than four decades ago under the leadership of Hall of Fame Coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. Pederson said the new Athletic Complex will be named in honor of former Nebraska Head Coach Tom Osborne, and his wife of more than 40 years, Nancy.
Pederson said it was an easy decision to name the Athletic Complex in honor of Tom and Nancy Osborne.
"It is fitting that our new athletic facility should be named after the greatest college football coach who ever coached the game, Tom Osborne, and his wife, Nancy," Pederson said. "Coach Osborne led Nebraska to back-to-back undefeated seasons and three national championships in the 1990s, an accomplishment that only he can claim. The first tunnel walk began from the North Field House to the northwest corner of the field, and I am so proud that we will be able to preserve our traditions and yet build for the future. Our future begins with our past."
Osborne was a member of Devaney’s staff from 1965 to 1972 and was handpicked by Devaney to be his successor. Osborne posted a 255-49-3 career record at Nebraska from 1973 to 1997, and is the only collegiate football coach to retire as a reigning national champion. He led Nebraska to three national championships in the 1990s (1994, 1995 and 1997) and retired with the nation’s best winning percentage at .836.
Even before Tom Osborne took over the football program in 1973, Husker fans packed Memorial Stadium. Nebraska has now enjoyed an NCAA-record 262 consecutive sellouts (counting Kansas State) in Memorial Stadium . It is an impressive feat that will likely never be reached by any other school as it dates back four decades to 1962, Devaney’s first year. To satisfy the demand for more seats, an additional 5,000 seats will be added on the north end of Memorial Stadium, taking the average attendance to more than 80,000. In addition, much-needed new restrooms and a concourse will be added, along with improved traffic flow in North Stadium. A new HuskerVision replay screen, among the largest at any stadium in the country, will be positioned at the top of the North Stadium.
"We wanted to build a new facility that was both efficient and effective," Pederson said. "This project allows us to add more seats and some much-needed fan amenities for the greatest fans in college football. It gives us a state-of-the-art workout facility for our student-athletes, and provides our football program with year-round facilities and a home that is second to none."
While no architect has been hired, conceptual plans include a ground-level Performance Center that will be built within the current North Field House, where architects will preserve the beautiful and historic Field House window frames. In addition to strength training and conditioning facilities, reconditioning and rehabilitation stations, a nutrition center and the base floor of the state-of-the art athletic medicine center will be housed in the Performance Center. Field level will include the athletic medicine headquarters, a spacious locker room and football equipment room. The third and fourth levels of the four-story Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex will house the football coaches and administrative offices, respectively.
"This project is focused on the people we care about the most?our student-athletes and our fans," Pederson said. "With this project, we will expand seating and improve game-day amenities for our fans; provide the best facilities for our coaches and student-athletes to teach and train; and will present a beautiful and unique front door to recruits. It will be the finest facility in college football, and will impact our program for decades to come."
Not only will the Husker football team benefit from the new Performance Center, but the new Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex will enable the Huskers to recruit the nation’s top athletes for all sports and prepare them for championship competition. The Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex will be attached to a new indoor workout facility, the Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center, which will be utilized by football and at least 10 other Husker varsity sports. Two natural grass fields will be conveniently positioned between the Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center and the Cook Pavilion, Nebraska’s shared indoor workout field that was built in connection with the student recreation center in 1987.
"Champions are made when no one is watching," Pederson said. "History has shown a distinct improvement in the performance of our outdoor sports ever since the first indoor workout facility was built in 1987. It was clear to me that this facility would enhance our preparation, perhaps more than any other aspect of this building project."
After moving the Athletic Department offices to the Tom and Nancy Athletic Complex in North Stadium, the current South Stadium office building will be donated to Computer Science and Engineering. Valued at approximately $10 million, this is the second athletic department gift of $10 million or more to UNL academic programs. The athletic department also contributed $14.9 million to the recreation center in 1987 and has given $1.5 million each year to academic programs.
"The athletic department has been a valuable partner in carrying out the academic mission of this university," Chancellor Harvey Perlman said.
While the estimated completion date has not been determined, Pederson said he hopes to have the additional seats in Memorial Stadium completed before the 2005 season. Fans currently seated in the North Stadium will not be inconvenienced or relocated because of the building process.
Pederson and his team of fund-raisers, Paul Meyers, Assistant Athletic Director for Development; Boyd Epley, Associate Athletic Director for Performance and Facility Development; and Assistant Director of Development Tommie Frazier will canvass the state seeking donations for the athletic project and will ask each and every Husker Nation fan, "Are You N?" Husker supporters may follow the building process and donate on line at Huskers.com; call for more information and donate by credit card by calling 1-800-8 BIG RED; or send a personal check to Husker Nation Championship Drive; P.O.Box 880154, 117 South Stadium, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0154. Everyone who gives $100 or more will have their name proudly displayed as a contributor and will receive a commemorative lapel pin that says "We Are N!" Fans may spread out their donation over a three-year period. Donations are 100 percent tax deductible when priority points are not assigned, and 80 percent deductible when priority points are assigned
"We have had great players at Nebraska, great coaches, and most of all, great fans," Pederson said. "Nebraskans across the board have a reputation for hard work and outstanding performance, and I expect this project will only prove the determination of our great Husker Nation."
Fans may also view the architect’s conceptual renderings and go inside the North Field House before the Kansas State game on Nov. 15. A short virtual tour will be shown within the North Field House and also at the Husker Nation Pavilion, beginning three hours before the game. Athletic staff members will be on hand to answer questions and donation cards will also be available.