Husker AD Troy Dannen recently announced modifications to Memorial Stadium, including additional red on the field.

Current Events and Future Plans:

More Red on the Field (Short-Term): Troy Dannen, athletic director, just announced that Memorial Stadium’s field turf will have more red in 2025. This comprises:
Red End Zones: The end zones will now be primarily red, much like the Hawks Championship Centre practice facility’s new design.

Black Team Boxes: The sidelines will have black team zones.
More “Flare” on the Sides: “A little more flare on the sides” and a uniform “one solid colour” look for the turf, as opposed to different shades of green, were other things Dannen noted.

The “intimidation factor” of Memorial Stadium is one of the reasons for these modifications, according to Dannen, who specifically mentioned that Nebraska has “underutilised red a lot” as an intimidating colour. He even proposed, in jest, that I-80 should have red road signs.

Video Board Upgrade: The old panels on the Memorial Stadium video board are being replaced with newer, brighter, and more vivid panels. This is a noticeable improvement that fans will see right away.

Practice Field Reconstruction: The grass practice fields are being completely redone to provide high-quality surfaces for training. Long-Term Renovation Plans (2026 and Beyond): This is a much larger, multi-phase project with an estimated cost of $450 million.

The goal is to modernize the 100-year-old stadium for another century. Key elements include: South Stadium Demolition and Replacement: The South Stadium, built in the 1960s, will be torn down after the 2024 season and rebuilt over the next two years. This means no seating in South Stadium for the 2025 season. Chair-Back Seating: Chair-back seats will replace benches in the South, East, and West Stadiums.

In essence, Nebraska’s athletic department, under Troy Dannen, is making bold moves to modernize Memorial Stadium and enhance the “Husker” brand. While some changes are broadly accepted (like the video board), others, particularly the visual changes to the field and the short-term impact of renovations, have ignited considerable debate and passionate discussion among the loyal fanbase.