The Old Lady Gets a Face Lift

April 3, 2006 by Darren K. Carlson

Venerable Memorial Stadium -- that grand old lady -- is having some work done. The resulting face lift will make her even more beautiful, and intimidating. While construction might limit Spring Game attendance to 57,000 (think about that for a second..."limit" to 57,000) that will be the first time many fans see just how much things will change for this fall’s season.

What's New?

1. For starters, NU's new practice facility -- the Hawks Championship Center -- is pretty much complete, and fabulous. (Thank you, Mr Hawks). Weather being what it is, NU needed to have the best indoor facility in the country. This one includes a full-sized exact replica of Tom Osborne field inside. And, it can be a mixed-use facility to help other sports (baseball, volleyball) practice.
2. They are adding 5000 seat on the north side of Memorial Stadium to create a capacity of over 80,000. While it isn't one of the monumentally large Big 10 stadiums (Michigan, Penn State), or SEC monoliths (Tennessee, LSU), 80,000 plus red-clad fanatics clearly puts NU near the very top of the heap in the Big 12.
3. Here's the really cool part. NU is putting in a new video screen replay board. And it is....wait for it...the largest in the country! NU was very much on the cutting edge when it put the first two replay screens in. They were one of the very first college teams to get them. Get a good look at the space for it, folks. You thought the Tunnel Walk was powerful before? You ain’t seen nothing yet.
4. The infrastructure for all of the North Stadium development is the Tom and Nancy Osborne complex. This is where it all happens. The new epicenter for NU football features a world-class fitness and athletic training facilities, a recruit-wowing locker room, coaches’ offices and meeting rooms, as well as creates a new concourse for fans to use during the game. It is second to none, just like the name on the front door.

What Does It Mean?

Simply put -- NU can and should have the best home field advantage in the conference. I've been to Texas and Oklahoma games, and their crowd noise doesn't surpass Lincoln on game days now, and they are at the 80,000 mark. Don't even get me started on the other North schools. KSU has an erector set (nice folding chairs, guys); CU can't sell out their 50,000 seat stadium, even when they are playing big-time opponents. ISU's stadium is like what kids in Texas play in for high school games, and Missouri fans show up late and leave early from their cute little place.

Steve Pederson may not be the most popular person in NE, but he sure knows that there is an arms race going for facilities across the country and in this conference. And when he arrived, NU was behind Texas and Okalahoma. And now Kansas and Oklahoma State are committing dollars to football. Hello, Mr. Pickens. So, Stevie P is putting NU's digs back on the map - big time. Say what you want about him. There’s no denying the vision.

Now the fans have to keep up our part. The sell-out streak is the most meaningful record in Huskerdom, in my opinion. That will never change. But, the game day environments need to be absolutely charged with emotion. Many Husker fans are knowledgeable, even cerebral, about the game. It creates a willingness to sit back, scrutinize, and even criticize. I’ve been guilty of that. But, football isn’t golf. It’s a visceral sport for fans. We have to stand up, shout and believe we can affect the outcome. I guess another 5000 lunatics and the biggest audio visual setup in sports ought to help fuel that fire.

Lady, you never looked better.

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