Business View Magazine | November 2019

202 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2019 Also, we were looking for more revenue and a better experience for fans. So, when I became AD in 2006, we started a discussion about our football options – we could renovate our existing stadium or we could build something new on campus. There were a lot of feelings, this way and that way; some people were fond of Kimbrough and the memories that had been made there, but there was also a certain segment that could see the upside of having football on campus and being able to have 10-15,000 people on campus to see what had changed. “Finally, about 2015-16, our student government simply said that they wanted a football stadium on campus and put it out for a vote to see it the students would fund it. They came to me and asked if I’d be supportive of that. I said I would be and, long-story-short, the students passed a referendum to fund a new stadium on campus. And here we are in 2019, in a $40 million stadium; the students funded $32 million of it through an increased athletic fee and the Athletics Department raised $8 million through sponsorships, naming rights opportunities, and advertising to fund the difference. And since we opened, it has been better than we ever imagined it would be to have football back on campus.” The new Buffalo Stadium opened just in time for the 2019 football season. It is located east of the university’s current soccer/track stadium on a north/south axis with easy access to campus. On its west side is a multi-story building that houses concourse-level suites, elevated club seating areas, and a modern press box. There is a grade- level entry to the stadium with bowl seating split into an upper level of pre-engineered metal grandstands and a lower level of cast-in-place concrete surrounding a below-grade, artificial turf playing surface. Turf berms on the north and south ends of the stadium provide space for additional general admission seating and a concourse provides full circulation for patrons around the stadium. A new building provides locker rooms for the home team, visiting teams, and officials. The 8,500 stadium seats were constructed in long arcs along the west and east sides, with an estimated total capacity of 12,000, with overflow rsmbuilderssupply .com Doors • Frames • Hardware • Building Specialties • Accessories & Home Decor Committed to Serving your Commercial & Residential Needs, giving you quality products at competitive prices, prompt delivery & courteous service. 1800 West 8th Avenue Amarillo, Texas 79101 P: (806) 372-8322 F: (806) 372-3819 5726 40th Street Lubbock, Texas 79407 P: (806) 785-3363 F: 806-785-4443