Lincoln, Neb. — A proposed extensive renovation of Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium has been scaled back for now, meaning the south end of the stadium will not be demolished as originally planned after the 2024 season, athletic director Troy Dannen said in a statement Friday.
Former athletic director Trev Alberts announced an estimated $450 million project to update the 100-year-old stadium in 2022. The first phase would temporarily remove around 25,000 seats for the 2025 season while a new south-end section was built.
Dannen’s revised plan would address the east and west sides of the stadium, and work would not begin until after the 2025 season. Bleacher seating will be replaced with chairbacks in some, if not all, sections and other amenities will be added. Renovations to the south end are in the long-range plan, but there is no timetable.
“We are all united in the need to modernize our aging stadium,” Dannen said. “But as we’ve said, we must follow our guiding principles for anything we do. First, it must help us win. Second, it must advance our goals for talent acquisition and retention. Third, and equally important, it must Certainly protect our financial stability — one of Husker athletics’ greatest assets.”
A comprehensive funding plan has not been announced, although Alberts said he expected private dollars to be used for a significant portion of the project.
Athletic department budget projections are in a holding pattern as the NCAA and major college conferences consider a possible settlement of an antitrust lawsuit. The proposed settlement in House v. NCAA would require Power 5 schools to spend $20 million per year to compensate athletes.
The Cornhuskers have played in Memorial Stadium since 1923, and have made incremental improvements over the years, including luxury suites in 1999 and an expansion to more than 85,000 seats in 2013.
