How Clemson plans to complete Memorial Stadium upgrades

ClemsonSports.com senior writer Matt Connolly spoke with Clemson Athletics Director Dan Radakovich for a wide-ranging interview covering a variety of topics on Monday. We’ll have several stories getting you up to date on everything going on with Clemson athletics over the next several days. Up first — Memorial Stadium renovations.

CLEMSON — Nearly two years ago, Clemson approved about $67 million worth of renovations to Memorial Stadium.

Then last spring, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Clemson made several budgetary cost-saving decisions due to COVID over the last year, including putting renovations to Death Valley on hold.

However, Clemson is planning to move forward with some renovations over the next couple of years, Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich told ClemsonSports.com on Monday.

“I don’t think there will be anything for this year,” Radakovich said. “We’re reengaging with our architects and contractors. We had gotten Phase 1 approval for that $67 million upgrade. But now I think what we’re doing is trying to break that apart into phases. And we’re trying to make good sense as to what phases happen first.”

Radakovich and other members of the athletics department will meet over the next several weeks to try to come up with a plan for renovations for Death Valley, Radakovich said.

The original plan called for the project to be completed before the start of the 2021 season, but that obviously won’t take place.

A new video board and sound system, redoing the parking lot behind the west end zone, renovating the home locker room and adding more premium seating were all a part of the original plan.

Radakovich spoke with ClemsonSports.com about the priorities of what Clemson hopes to complete first.

“The west zone concourse club is something that I think is going to be really good, because we have demand. IPTAY has indicated to us that they have demand from folks to be in that premium area, as well as the sound system and scoreboard on the East end of the stadium. That’s another big piece. So those might be first on the list, being able to couple those together,” Radakovich said.

“And then you have the locker room and the whole bottom floor of the west side, reutilization of that space and upgrading of that space, along with the east side area, as well as parking lot No. 5, some improvements associated with it. So those last three, how they kind of step together and what gears they go in is really another part of the mix.”