San Diego State unveils plans for $250 million football stadium
SAN DIEGO — San Diego State unveiled details Thursday of a $250 million stadium it wants to build at the site of aging SDCCU Stadium.
The stadium would be built in conjunction with a proposed campus expansion that supporters hope to place on the November 2018 ballot. It would seat 35,000 for SDSU football and a possible pro soccer team, and would be expandable to 55,000 if the city were to ever attract another NFL team following the relocation of the Chargers to the Los Angeles area earlier this year.
Time is of the essence because some at City Hall want to close the stadium, formerly known as Qualcomm Stadium, at the end of 2018. The school is trying to get the city to keep the stadium open beyond that. Athletic director J.D. Wicker said SDSU hopes a new stadium could be open in time for the 2022 season.
Coach Rocky Long, who has presided over the most successful stretch for San Diego State football in school history, said he’s confident a new stadium can be built. The price is $100 million more than original estimates.
Led by star running back Rashaad Penny, the Aztecs will play in a bowl game for the record eighth straight season and will try to win 11 games for the third straight season.
The Aztecs are eager to fill the void left by the relocation of the Chargers, who failed for 15 years to get a new stadium built.