NU North Stadium Expansion Project Update

Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center Ready for Roof Installation
The Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center is located just north of the outdoor track and north of Memorial Stadium. Sampson Construction has completed assembly of the steel walls and roof frame and will begin installing the steel roof as soon as the steel arrives on site. The roof installation will take approximately two months. Some of the concrete block walls of the fieldhouse are beginning to take shape. The Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center will greatly benefit the Husker football team during inclement weather, as well as at least 10 other Husker teams. Upon completion of the Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center in August 2005, Nebraska will have two full-length indoor workout facilities to support its 23 varsity sports.

Soccer Team to Have New Offices in Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center Championship Wing
The first stage of the Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center construction is to complete the indoor practice field, while a multipurpose wing will be built on the west side of the Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center in the second stage of the construction process. The new wing is large enough to seat 1,700 for clinics and events and can be divided into three separate rooms, all of which will be wired for audio and visual effects. The Championship Wing will feature an international-sized sand volleyball court for off-season training. At the same time the football team works out in the Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center, the new wing could also host a volleyball workout, a softball clinic, and a baseball hitting practice concurrently. The Championship Wing will also house the Husker women’s soccer team’s new offices and locker rooms. Currently, Coach John Walker and his staff make their offices in the NU Coliseum. In the Championship Wing there will also be a visitor’s locker room and an auxiliary locker room that the Husker Yell Squad will utilize.

Baseball and Softball Teams to Benefit from Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center and Championship Wing
The Husker baseball and softball teams are headquartered at Haymarket Park, and have daily access to a newly-renovated hitting facility off campus (20th and Y) when inclement weather forces the teams inside. When the Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center Championship Wing is completed, plans are in place for new hitting and pitching cages to be utilized by the softball and baseball teams. The Championship Wing portion of the indoor fieldhouse is scheduled to be completed in August of 2006.

Half of Pilings of Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex are Poured
As of Nov. 1, half of the 360 pilings for the Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex have been poured. These holes, filled with cement, will support the Complex which will include new football locker rooms and offices for the coaches, Athletic Medicine Headquarters, the Strength Complex and athletic administrative offices. A retaining wall has been installed on the east end of the Osborne Complex, which will help protect the Ed Weir outdoor track as pilings are drilled for the Osborne Complex. The completion date for the Osborne Complex is scheduled for August 2006.

Memorial Stadium Expansion Project to Benefit all 23 Varsity Sports
Each of Nebraska’s 23 varsity sports and some 550 student-athletes will benefit from the Memorial Stadium Expansion Project. The first-floor Performance Center Strength Complex and Athletic Medicine Headquarters are available for all sports. The Athletic Medicine Headquarters will house water therapy pools for use by all 23 sports.

Fund-Raising Continues for Project
Former Husker baseball and football standout and Anaheim Angel first baseman Darin Erstad and his wife Jessica announced at a press conference last week that they are committing $1 million to the Memorial Stadium Expansion Project. Fund-raising continues for the $50 million project. For more information on gift giving or to see live construction updates, please see Huskers.com.