Wednesday, August 12, 2009
What is new for 2009 college football season?
The 2009 college football season is less than a month away, and it is a good time to check out what is new with college football stadiums.
The most significant change is the move of the Minnesota Golden Gophers from the off campus Metrodome to the on-campus TCF Bank Stadium. The new outdoor stadium promises to bring a more collegiate atmosphere to Minnesota games this season. It will be interesting to see the effects of Mother Nature during any November games.
The University of Akron also moves from an off-campus facility to an on-campus facility. The Zips are abandoning the Rubber Bowl and making their way to InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field. The new stadium will seat 30,000 and will have a synthetic playing surface.
Rutgers is completing renovation of Rutgers Stadium with construction of a new set of seats enclosing the south end zone. Seating capacity will increase by 12,500 to a total of 54,000.
The University of Texas transitioned from natural grass to FieldTurf at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium.
Spartan Stadium, home of the football team from San Jose State University, has also moved from a natural grass field to one made of Field Turf.
Construction has completed on Indiana University's Memorial Stadium. The renovations have enclosed the north end zone and include enhanced training facilities under the stands. Club seats are now present in the new addition.
Another venue at which an extended array of construction has ended is Boone Pickens Stadium on the campus of Oklahoma State University. This dramatic renovation started before the 2004 season. The latest phase has finished off the west end zone, pushing capacity to 60,000. The field is now ringed by over 100 suites and 4,000 club level seats.
The University of Michigan is in the middle of a three year renovation of Michigan Stadium. The project started following the 2007 season and is scheduled to be completed prior to the 2010 season.
Another venue in the middle of a renovation is Papa Johns' Cardinal Stadium in Louisville. Construction continues on a second deck on the east sideline of the stadium.
The most significant change is the move of the Minnesota Golden Gophers from the off campus Metrodome to the on-campus TCF Bank Stadium. The new outdoor stadium promises to bring a more collegiate atmosphere to Minnesota games this season. It will be interesting to see the effects of Mother Nature during any November games.
The University of Akron also moves from an off-campus facility to an on-campus facility. The Zips are abandoning the Rubber Bowl and making their way to InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field. The new stadium will seat 30,000 and will have a synthetic playing surface.
Rutgers is completing renovation of Rutgers Stadium with construction of a new set of seats enclosing the south end zone. Seating capacity will increase by 12,500 to a total of 54,000.
The University of Texas transitioned from natural grass to FieldTurf at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium.
Spartan Stadium, home of the football team from San Jose State University, has also moved from a natural grass field to one made of Field Turf.
Construction has completed on Indiana University's Memorial Stadium. The renovations have enclosed the north end zone and include enhanced training facilities under the stands. Club seats are now present in the new addition.
Another venue at which an extended array of construction has ended is Boone Pickens Stadium on the campus of Oklahoma State University. This dramatic renovation started before the 2004 season. The latest phase has finished off the west end zone, pushing capacity to 60,000. The field is now ringed by over 100 suites and 4,000 club level seats.
The University of Michigan is in the middle of a three year renovation of Michigan Stadium. The project started following the 2007 season and is scheduled to be completed prior to the 2010 season.
Another venue in the middle of a renovation is Papa Johns' Cardinal Stadium in Louisville. Construction continues on a second deck on the east sideline of the stadium.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Papa John's Cardinal Stadium
On a recent visit to Louisville, I had the good fortune of visiting Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, the home of the University of Louisville Cardinals. This stadium, situated adjacent to the Louisville campus and only a few hundred yards from Churchill Downs, is one of the newer stadiums in the NCAA. Having opened in 1998, the stadium is already going through a renovation that is to expand the capacity from 42,000 to approximately 64,000. The success of the Cardinal football program and the enthusiasm of the fanbase motivated this change.
The stadium is situated among a host of athletic facilities for the university. Additionally, a large parking lot is adjacent to the venue, with an industrial part of the city lying beyond the lots. A unique feature to the exterior is the Cardinal Express, a set of trains on which serious tailgating likely occurs on gameday. Otherwise, the exterior is tidy but relatively nondescript.
The stadium currently is a single-tiered horseshoe configuration, but the renovations call for an extra deck to be placed on the east side of the field. Construction was underway during my visit, as can be seen in some of the pictures. For now, the clean look of the stadium is accentuated by the red chairback seats that fill the entire stadium. Louisville is proud to express the fact that their stadium is the only on-campus stadium in which all seats have backs. The red seats contrast nicely with the green FieldTurf playing surface. A sleek pressbox with luxury suites lies above the west side of the stadium, and the 
Howard Schnellenberger fieldhouse fronts the open north end of the stadium. It is clear that the designers were planning on future expansion of the stadium by setting the field house a good distance from the playing field. The stadium lacks any quirky features, but the venue certainly presents very good views of the playing surface and an intimidating environment for the Cardinals.Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, University of Louisville
Visual Appeal: 7
Fan Friendly: 8
Settings and Surroundings: 4
Quirks: 5
Blend of Classic and Modern: 5
Total: 29
