Memorial Stadium Construction Update

Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex
The Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex is nearly completely enclosed, allowing workers to continue at a steady pace regardless of the weather. Windows on Level Seven, where the new 13 Skyline Suites are located, are scheduled to be installed in February.

The lower brick portion around the base of the building, which gives the complex the same beautiful and distinguished look of the previous Schulte Field House, is complete and the walkway connecting the Osborne Complex with the Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center is also in place. A cast iron window transom, that features a football in the center of the crossbar, will begin being installed into each of the 10 large windows on the north this week. These transoms were saved from the windows of the original Schulte Field House and weigh approximately 350 pounds each. Originally installed during the construction of the north field house between 1941 and 1946, the transoms are a preserved Husker landmark. Each of the transoms have been sand blasted and cleaned and will be a stunning addition to the exterior of the complex.

Inside the Osborne Athletic complex, workers are completing the sheet rock on the administrative level (three). When this is complete, the crews will focus on finishing sheet rock on level two (football offices). The interior curved wall overlooking the strength complex will be the first wall completed on this level so that glass windows may be installed. Sheet rock installation on Level one (Performance Level) is scheduled to be completed in February.

Crews are installing steel columns which will support a new concourse that will connect the East Stadium to the West Stadium. They are starting on the East and working toward the West. The process will include laying metal down on the steel grid followed by mesh wire and poured concrete for the concourse floor. In the north stands, crews are finishing pouring the concrete wheelchair ramps which will take NU’s handicap patrons to their new seats across the front of the North Stadium. Ninety new seats are being added.

Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center
Husker student-athletes of all sports have already been making good use of the Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center. Featuring a field that is an exact replica of Memorial Stadium, the football and soccer teams utilized the indoor field all fall and particularly in December as they prepared for postseason action. The softball and baseball teams have enjoyed working inside this week as they each opened their seasons. The lighting in the Howard and Rhonda Hawks Championship Center is of television broadcast quality and enables softball and baseball to improve their accuracy. The new batting cages for baseball and softball will be installed by October. The soccer coaches and staff are expected to move into their offices within the Championship Wing of the indoor center in late February.

Stadium Replay Boards
The Huskers accepted Mitsubishi Electric’s bid for the new Diamond Vision? LED video display screens in Memorial Stadium. Soon, crews will begin removing the old scoreboards and replay boards in order to install the new screens. The one above the North Stadium will be world class and the largest big screen installed into any college stadium in the United States, as it measures 33 feet high and nearly 40 yards across. In addition to the large screen at the north end of Memorial Stadium, Mitsubishi will also install two new video screens on the southeast and southwest towers of the stadium, which will be slightly larger than the current screens which were installed in 1994. The replay boards project will be completed at a cost of $4.537 million, nearly $500,000 under the initial $5 million budget for the project.