Memorial Stadium groundbreaking ceremony set for September 23

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Courtesy Tarleton Athletics

Special to The Flash Today
TheFlashToday.com

STEPHENVILLE – It’s been over 65 years since Memorial Stadium was completed to serve as the new home for football at Tarleton State University and on Family Weekend in the year 2017, the shovel will hit the ground to begin the largest renovation in the stadium’s storied history.

In a meeting of the Board of Regents for The Texas A&M University System Wednesday afternoon, the board scheduled September 23 as the official date of groundbreaking for the Tarleton State University Memorial Stadium Renovation Expansion.

“I would like to thank the President of Tarleton State University Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio and his administrative staff for all of the hard work they have done with this project,” said Reisman. “I would also like to thank The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents as well as Mike Myers and all the other generous donors who are helping us complete this project. Their generosity and commitment to excellence at Tarleton State University is truly appreciated.”

The groundbreaking will take place in a pregame ceremony before kickoff between Tarleton and West Texas A&M on Family Weekend, September 23 in Stephenville at 7 p.m. A complete schedule of events will be announced at a later date.

“This is a day that we’ve been waiting on for a long, long time,” said Reisman. “I think everyone at Tarleton State University, the athletics department, the football program, our boosters, our fans, and our alumni is extremely exciting about the start of construction on Tarleton’s Memorial Stadium. It’s exciting to see our stadium being put on a level to allow us the ability to compete and recruit at a higher level.

“In addition to the benefits it provides to our football team, we’re excited about the benefits a brand-new stadium brings to the Stephenville community,” he continued. “This is such a great thing for the Stephenville community, Stephenville High School, and football teams across central Texas. It gives Tarleton State University the opportunity to bring in high-profile high school football playoff games, which will in turn benefit the Stephenville community and economy with tens of thousands of fans coming in and purchasing food and gas, shopping and staying in our hotels. It’s a thrilling time for athletics here in Stephenville and at Tarleton State University and I couldn’t be happier. People have been looking forward to this for the 30 years that I’ve been here. It’s been a vision of ours for many years and it’s finally becoming a reality.”

For more information about the Tarleton Memorial Stadium Renovation and Expansion project, visit TarletonFootballRenovation.com.

ABOUT THE PROJECT
On September 10, 2015, Tarleton State University President Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio and Athletic Director Lonn Reisman announced that the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents authorized $24 million to begin planning, designing and financing the project. Initial plans include expansion of seating and conversion of the west-side stands to seating for home fans. Huckabee and Heery Sports were selected to provide architectural and engineering services for the renovation and expansion of Tarleton State University’s Memorial Stadium. In addition to the approved amount, the project has also received private gifts including a $2.4 million donation from Tarleton Hall of Fame member, Mike A. Myers.

ABOUT THE 2017 SEASON
No football games will be affected by the construction and are scheduled to be played at Memorial Stadium during the 2017 season. Tarleton State University and Stephenville High School will be competing at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville. The east-side bleachers, which currently holds the home fans, will remain intact throughout the renovation. The west-side bleachers, which is currently for visitors, will be removed for construction purposes beginning in late September 2017. Temporary bleachers will be brought in as needed for games in the 2017 year.


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