Since opening in 1923, Memorial Stadium has served as the home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team for the past century.
Now - Switching Sidelines:
It may have been lost in the shuffle last week, but it was announced that the Nebraska football team will be switching from the east to the west sidelines for gamedays. This is just
a further illustration of Coach Matt Rhule’s attention to detail. The small things. Attempting to always give his team the competitive advantage.
Admittedly, it is funny that the change comes when electronic communication is now allowed. We have just spent the past decade or so broadcasting a bird’s eye view of all our signals to the opposing teams’ coaches stationed in the press box (looking at you Michigan). However, it will finally get the Huskers out of the blazing sun on those fall afternoons, especially in the months of September and early October. Finally! Let the visiting team cook on the sidelines. With the new tunnel walk now entering from the northeast side of the stadium from the new Tom Osborne Legacy Complex, it only makes sense to run to the opposite sideline. Sure, the Huskers will sacrifice a bit of room, but it is a minor inconvenience to lower the temperature on the sidelines. Plus, the squeeze on the sideline could only be temporary. Stadium renovations are still on the docket.
The Future of Memorial Stadium:
Husker Nation quickly recovered from the departure of Benedict Alberts. After removing the knife from our collective backs, installing Troy Dannen as the Athletic Director, and getting the program back on steady ground, we were left with this approved half-billion-dollar stadium renovation plan.
The stadium is 100 years old. It needs some TLC. Dannen has stated that thus far, the plan is to move forward with the renovations as planned, but you must imagine that once he gets his hands around the full breadth of the project, plans will change. So, the question is Husker Nation, what do we want to see done to our beloved Memorial Stadium?
I think we can all agree changes need to be made to the restroom and concession situations throughout much of the stadium. Add to the list the desire for most fans to have seatbacks. And we must not forget that fat-bottom girls make the rockin’ world go round. Those asses need more room, and I’d love not to be straddled by an overweight middle-aged man all game long. All this, plus the South Stadium needs an almost total revamp.
It is going to be interesting to see what ultimately becomes of the project and how it will be funded. What kind of modern amenities will be added on top of the usual suspects? And will Husker fans be willing to sacrifice to see this project completed? We’ve been told that the project will last at least a full year, which means sacrificing home games in the 2025 slate, including games against Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, and USC. Sacrificing a year of the Dylan Raiola era.
Improvements are needed. That is for sure. But will it be affordable? Now more than ever, fan amenities and overall fan appeasement is at a premium. The landscape of college athletics is changing. Revenue sharing appears to be on the horizon. Lots of things to consider for Dannen and crew, but it one thing is for certain…winning cures all.
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