OU regents approve west side renovations for Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

OKLAHOMA CITY — The OU board of regents voted Tuesday to approve significant renovations to the west side of Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

The project has been in the works since 2014, when Oklahoma began working on the renovations for the south end zone. The west side renovations are estimated to cost around $450 million, which is expected to be funded by athletic department funds and private donations.

The regents approved the design and development phase of the project, and authorized preparation of construction documents and the hiring of architectural and construction services.

Per the OU regents agenda, the west side renovations will include:

— The construction of 47 suites

— 64 loge boxes with seating to accommodate approximately 280 people

— Approximately 4,000 new club seats

— 6 club/lounge spaces for patrons seated in the suites, loge boxes and club seats.

— New expanded press box, a new sideline-oriented sports lighting system, and sound system enhancements

The project is expected to begin following the 2027 football season. While it’s a massive and expensive undertaking for the university, OU is expected to generate significant profit with new suites.

“It’s incredibly exciting,” OU coach Brent Venables said Monday. “I think it shows a commitment to our fans, certainly our players, our program. The thing that it’s going to potentially provide from a game day experience — and it’s 100 years old, the stadium is. So it’s coming at the right time… I think everybody’s gonna be excited when all the details and all the renderings come out, whenever that is. But it’s also a source of pride for our university community, as well.

“Looking forward to taking another big step that way. I don’t want to get into all those details, it’s not really my lane. But there’s been incredible support, financially speaking, to make it happen, as well.”