Initial Phase Of Stadium Renovations Set To Go Before OU Regents

The initial phase of the proposed Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium renovations is set to go before the university’s Board of Regents when they gather to meet next week. The final regent’s agenda including some details of the project was posted Friday afternoon.

According to the agenda, the initial phase of the project includes the following:

Adding new seating at the southeast and southwest corners of the stadium to complete the seating bowl, expansion and improvements to football and other sports programs’ team facilities, improvements to game day facilities and amenities, an expanded concourse, additional restrooms, new concession areas, two large fan plazas within the south bowl. Work will include the creation of offices and support spaces for the football coaching and support staff, a new football team locker room, restroom/shower facility and therapy pools, new football team meeting rooms, new football team equipment room, new strength and conditioning and sports medicine facilities.

Also included in the south end zone project is the construction of 22 new suites, 58 new loges boxes with seating to accommodate approximately 300 persons; approximately 2,000 new club setas; two new clubs for patrons seated in the new suites, loge boxes, and club seats; a new Sooner Vision video board and sound system serving the entire stadium; and a new Legends Lobby space.

Again according to the agenda, the $160,000,000 estimated cost for this initial phase of the project “has been identified and is available from Athletics Department capital funds; bond funds; and other sources.”

So it would appear, pending the regents’ approval of course, all things look to be a go for this first phase of the renovations.

49 Comments

  • JR says:

    Wonder what the start date will be.

  • Randy White says:

    Great news! Now, where are all the naysayers who felt the donors were not showing up because of the football teams record. Such BS!! Sooner proud no matter what!

  • Jed says:

    Sorry to be dense, but this $160 mill includes bowling in the South end (including adding boxes, club seating yadda yadda), a new weight training facility, assorted new restrooms, concessions stands, general sprucing up, tucking some offices here and there and a new jumbotron with speaker system.
    That sounds like the whole project as I remember it. What’re the other phases and how on earth could they come to another $200 mill?

    • Jordan Esco says:

      Updating the seating throughout the entire stadium, the press box, more suites, and a bunch of work that was to be done on the north end.

      • Jed says:

        Thanks, I’d forgotten that, and having waded to page 176 of 196 or whatever in the report, they weren’t saying. (as one wouldn’t if he wanted the best shot at approval.)
        That said, this sure seems like more than half the total project. Maybe they’re talking about knocking down and rebuilding the parking garage. Now THAT would be a lot of ‘seement’.

      • blaster1371 says:

        A switch to seats instead of bleacher benches?

    • Stephen Dale says:

      new press box on west side, new suites, etc ……………terrific news if the BOR approves it.

  • Robertson / Robertson 2016 says:

    Screw throwback uniforms. I’m thinking throwback stadiums. Let’s take one Saturday rumble to a cow pasture and see what happens.

    • Stephen Dale says:

      with you on the throwback unis, all black unis, all white unis, any combination other than the classic unis the team uses now………

    • paganpink says:

      They used to break their legs in gopher holes though!

  • Sooner Ray says:

    Let it happen.

  • akryan says:

    It’s amazing that stadiums like this are made for just 5 or 6 games of football a year.

  • j l says:

    There was debate going on if the stadium capacity is set to increase. Unless they are removing seats to do some of this, it appears to me like we will gain a few thousand seats from this portion of the project at the minimum.

    Is that correct?

    • SoonerfanTU says:

      They are removing some seating. The south endzone will lose several seats at the top (not sure how many rows, exactly). And then on the west side, they’ll lose some as well for the new boxes. I wouldn’t be shocked if capacity increased a bit, but I don’t think it’ll increase more than a couple thousand.

  • SoonerinLondon says:

    Not adding new seats. The capacity could be slightly less or slightly more. They have to remove seats in various places, then add in others. Also, they are standardizing seat size to 18″ or some such, which also will impact capacity.

    I’m moving to a 6 seat box in the West loge. (They haven’t had 6 seat boxes, but there have evidently been so many requests that they are changing the design to accommodate.) I can’t wait for the 2017 season.

  • J J says:

    Get it done

    • SoonerGoneEast says:

      If there’s a possibility of eliminating some seats, I’m offering up the ones the drunks behind me sit in.

      • J J says:

        Damnit stop talking about me!! I am right here!!

        For reals tho, I am all for making the 24 (or whatever it is) seats in my row down by 4 people. I think they expect all the asses to be about 8 inches wide. Hahaha.

        • SoonerGoneEast says:

          I know, right? The guy next to me sells his seats pretty often. I hafta go alpha on his customers sometimes because they apparently think it’s first come first serve.

          • J J says:

            Say it ain’t so. I tell them I pay for 2 seats for 1 ass so to move… Or I’ll get security. Lol.

          • Travis Coyle says:

            That gets old fast. I went to OU Texas and sat by some fat old guy. We about got into a fight over a stupid seat that he was hogging!

      • steveinok says:

        Yes can we please take a vote by row on whom to eliminate and send to top of SE corner? Pretty please? I vote for “lady to my left who thinks every ref hates OU and that we haven’t actually committed a penalty in 30 years.” At least watch the replay first, lady.

      • Buster Rhymes 4 says:

        Anyone over 60 years of age unless doctors note for being able to get heart rate over 180! 🙂

  • blaster1371 says:

    Well, the price of oil made a raging come back. Here in central California gas is quickly approaching $4 per gallon.

    • roygbell says:

      Unleaded regular at the corner of 63rd and Meridian in OKC was $2.13 yesterday.

      • blaster1371 says:

        Sigh…….. Here in the People’s Socialist Republic of California we have been hit with a double whammy: a refinery shutdown and switching over to the CA summer blend which screws with supply for awhile and is more costly to produce.

        • paganpink says:

          Well- that and 71.3 cents a gallon fuel taxes compared to Oklahoma’s 35.4. The oil companies take about 7 cents profit to do all the work while the state and federal government take many times that to support not only roads but everything from passenger trains and green energy failures, to the 25% Texas takes for education, and millions that Kansas uses to subsidize Medicaid and schools. Most of the fuel tax money goes to paying all the debt States have taken on. 1.4 billion dollars was paid from fuel taxes of 2 billion in debt service New York has taken on. In New Jersey 516 million of 541 million taken in was spent on interest alone. EPA rules add billions more to the price at the pump but much of it is NOT used for roads and bridges.

          • blaster1371 says:

            It’s ridiculaous. They create all these laws (CA) to require vehicles to be more fuel efficient and then when everyone complies they talk about a new tax on gas or cars (per the mile in addition to gas pump tax) because their revenues are dropping . I swear they think we live just to keep thier programs alive and the lazy and inept fed.

          • ND52 says:

            Lol! That’s exactly how they think @blaster1371:disqus

    • John Garner says:

      $3.29 for unleaded in Apple Valley, CA. The upside is that it’s almost always sunny here. Wearing shorts in winter.

      • blaster1371 says:

        $3.55 for Shell in Visalia. It climbed one dollar since late last week.

        • John Garner says:

          Pretty much did the same thing here. No complaints though. Wouldn’t trade this weather for any other place.

          • ND52 says:

            Had I not spent two glorious years of my life in San Diego I’d agree with you @disqus_7bA4sqebtR:disqus 😀

  • Brad Warren says:

    That’s good news. Thanks for the update Jordan. Hard to believe spring ball is already here!

  • SoonerfanTU says:

    But, but…..I thought we were gonna have to delay?!

    Figured this would get done on time. OU made too big of a fuss about it to turn around 6-9 months later and say they were delaying it.

    As a south endzone season ticket holder, color me excited.

    • LXXIV says:

      I am a little concerned about ours in the upper deck on the west side. We received notification that some seats will need to be moved. It was pretty general and nothing specific, but I like where we sit and I don’t want to wind up in a corner at the top of the stadium. Lol!

      • SoonerfanTU says:

        I’m about 5 rows from the top, middle of the endzone. My seats will definitely be gone. Just going to have to wait and see what they offer me. My seats may not sound like much, but I’ve had them for 16 years, and I’ve grown to love the view from up there. And my neighbors.

        • LXXIV says:

          It is funny how we settle into an area and become comfortable with where we are and with those who sit near us year after year. Years ago we sat on the east side, a couple of rolls from the top, enduring some serious sunburn from time to time, and always looked forward to the next game. We still mention people we met and knew from that side of the stadium. For the most part, Sooner football has always been a good experience.

  • Mysterio1 says:

    It sure does look nice.

  • Hollerback says:

    I hate the current sound system, glad they are addressing that. And the mens’ restrooms that have 500 urinal spaces but on 54 places to wash hands.

  • AdamsHall says:

    It always made sense to me that OU would approach the planned expansion/updates in multiple phases instead of all-at-once. I suspect the price of crude dictated a phased approach.