Video board on north side will triple in size
NORMAN—Fans in the south end zone of Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium figure to have a bit better experience beginning with the 2018 season.
The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents approved an upgrade of the video board on that end of the stadium that triples the size of the existing board and is higher resolution as well.
“It’s a fan enhancement,” OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said.
The project was approved for $5.3 million, though Castiglione said he hoped the project could be completed for less.
The new video board is part of the continued implementation of the master plan for the stadium that was approved in 2014.
The south end zone renovation was the first major projects of that plan. It included enclosing that end of the stadium in a bowl and building a massive video board as well as complete renovation of team areas and strength and conditioning areas.
Castiglione said it was important to keep the exterior look of the stadium with this project. The new board will fit entirely within the profile of the exterior clock tower on the outside of the current board.
It will just take full advantage of the space that tower provides.
“We want our facilities to feel like they are a part of the campus, not just look like add-ons,” Castiglione said. “Everything we’ve done — even restoring or renovating other structures — have included a move toward making the architecture itself look more like a campus facility.”
The board with be 2,356 square feet (38 feet high by 62 feet wide). Although it isn’t as big overall as the board on the north end, the portion of that board that is currently used for video during games will be similar.
New LED boards, one each in both the southwest and southeast corners of the concessions plazas, will be added as well.
Funding for the project will come from the Athletics Department capital fund and private sources.
The board also approved an adjustment in the spending for the new Griffin Family Strength Training and Performance Center at Lloyd Noble Center.
The budget was increased by $700,000 to $7.7 million to account for infrastructure upgrades, utility work and other improvements at the site. The facility is expected to be fully functional by August.
Also Wednesday the board approved the contracts of assistant football coach Shane Beamer and football strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie.
Beamer was named Tuesday as the Sooners’ new assistant head coach for offense, He will coach the team’s tight ends and H-backs as well as working with Jay Boulware on Oklahoma’s special teams.
Beamer will make $435,000 per year on his two-year contract. He made $300,000 as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Georgia last year.
Wylie replaced longtime strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt in that role, though his official title as Oklahoma’s Director of Sports Performance for football is slightly different that Schmidt’s.
Wylie will make $350,000 on a one-year contract, which Castiglione has the sole discretion to extend for one year.
The board also approved the contract for head women’s volleyball coach Lindsey Gray-Walton and assistant Megan Pendergast.
Gray-Walton, who was named the head coach in December, will make $185,000 annually for the four-year contract with a one-year option at Castiglione’s discretion. Pendergast will be paid $80,000 annually.