North Carolina's six top-drawing college football programs have spent more than $358.6 million in stadium improvements in the last dozen years.
N.C. STATE
Carter-Finley Stadium
Opened: Oct. 8, 1966
Capacity: 57,583
Spent: $98 million
Two projects account for most of the spending. Vaughn Towers opened in 2005 and features 955 club seats, 51 luxury suites, a chancellor's suite and 112 working press seats on four levels. The four-level Murphy Center includes memorabilia, locker rooms, conference rooms, weight rooms, a theater, sports medicine, cafeteria, players' lounge, a TV studio, offices and academic support. Other projects have added seats, improved scoreboards and the practice complex.
NORTH CAROLINA
Kenan Stadium
Opened: Nov. 24, 1927
Capacity: 63,000
Spent: $88 million
A fifth floor was added to the Kenan Center in the west end zone for recruiting and media space, and existing offices and team spaces were remodeled. New light towers also went up. Then the focus shifted to the east end zone, where the old field house was razed, replaced by the Blue Zone and Loudermilk Center for Excellence. The new building includes premium seating, an academic support center, strength and conditioning areas, locker rooms and offices. Not counted is the $51 million spent on improvements in the Mack Brown era of the 1990s.
WAKE FOREST
BB&T Field
Opened: Sept. 14, 1968
Capacity: 31,500
Spent: $60 million (estimated)
First things first — this takes an asterisk because the money amount is an estimate. As a private school, Wake isn't obligated to disclose the figures. But we know $47-$48 million was spent on the seven-level Deacon Tower, which includes luxury suites, club seats and media facilities. It was the third step in a six-phase renovation plan launched in 2005. Other highlights include 89,000 bricks laid to renovate the facade, FieldTurf installation, bathrooms and concessions updates. A huge new video board was installed this year on Deacon Hill, and other improvements (locker rooms, seating, tailgating areas) are on the horizon.
EAST CAROLINA
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
Opened: Sept. 21, 1963
Capacity: 50,000
Spent: $56.6 million
The Stadium got an upper deck and enclosed end zones to add seats. Club level seating and 10,200 chairbacks were added. Also added: a video scoreboard among the 25 biggest in the country, rest rooms and concessions. Murphy Center built for $13 million in west end zone of the stadium houses strength and conditioning, banquet rooms, memorabilia and an academic enhancement center.
APPALACHIAN STATE
Kidd Brewer Stadium
Opened: Sept. 15, 1962
Capacity: 23,150
Spent: $50 million
New press box with 18 luxury suites, 500 club seats and Yosef Club and chancellor's box areas. Built Appalachian Athletics Center, which houses locker rooms, meeting spaces, offices, weight room, athletic training and academic facilities. FieldTurf field. "AppVision" videoboard.
DUKE
Wallace Wade Stadium
Opened: Oct. 5, 1929
Capacity: 33,941
Spent: Unavailable
Pascal Field House opened this year and features an indoor 120-yard football field under a 65-foot ceiling. Duke, a private school, declined to disclose costs, but the building is named for former star Bob Pascal, whose $6 million donation was the largest in getting it built. In February, Duke announced fundraising plans for the next three to five years with a goal of spending $75 million on the football stadium — building a new press box, adding 10,000 seats by closing the horseshoe-shaped stadium and adding 24 suites and 700 club seats.
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