Nebraska AD Troy Dannen talks stadium renovations, Big Ten meetings, and Friday night home games
The landscape of college sports continues to evolve rapidly, and Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen is currently at the forefront of those discussions.
During a phone interview with the Huskers Radio Network, Dannen gave the latest from the Big Ten Conference spring meetings in Los Angeles. Athletic directors, university presidents, and head coaches from the league’s football and men’s and women’s basketball programs were also in attendance.
Dannen said there had been plenty to address, including settlements from antitrust lawsuits, the future of NIL, and more. He expected more news on those topics and where things might be heading within the next week.
Dannen didn’t provide many specifics about what was laid out in L.A. But he assured that Nebraska would continue to be a pioneer in the evolution of college athletics.
“The idea that we want to be a leader and not have to react to anyone else, I think from everything I’m seeing right now, we’ll be a leader going forward,” Dannen said. “It’s going to be a different world. Some people may like it and believe in it, and some people may not like it and believe in it.
“But the fact of the matter is if you want to be successful, you have to find a way to lead and be willing to look around the corner and accept the realities of what lies ahead and then take advantage of it.”
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Dannen explains changes to Memorial Stadium renovation plans
One of the hottest topics of conversation locally has been Nebraska’s new plans for future renovations to Memorial Stadium.
Dannen recently scaled back the initial $450 project former Husker A.D. Trev Alberts proposed last fall. Instead, Dannen first focused on upgrading the stadium’s East and West sections. NU will hold off on remodeling the south side, which will entail significantly greater cost and scope.
He said starting with the East and West made sense in part because there was less overhaul and fan disruption. Dannen also admitted that it came down to “the ability to monetize an investment.”
“To get anything done, really, follow the money,” Dannen said. “How do we build a funding model to support it, particularly with the changes in college athletics that potentially lie ahead with the internal funding model?
“Because of the price point for tickets, the seat licenses, the potential amenities we could add, the East and West stadiums are normally where you have the ability – I’ve been terming it, ‘the ability to monetize an investment.’
“By that, I mean, if it costs a million dollars and you have to borrow a million dollars to do it, the proceeds of the improvement and the new seats may pay off your debt service and provide you with enough money to maybe support the higher cost of operation.”
Dannen said the South stadium renovations would require “a much higher level of philanthropy” through private donations and fundraising. That’s because the ability to monetize “just doesn’t exist the way it exists on the East and West.” Dannen said renovations would not begin any sooner than after the 2024 season.
NU wants to allow season-ticket holders time to “decide if they want to be a part of it” and “partake in the cost of the donation behind the seats.” That means any significant construction likely wouldn’t happen until after the 2025 season.
In the meantime, Nebraska plans to improve Memorial Stadium’s wi-fi strength, concessions, and possibly some other “bells and whistles.”
Dannen: The pros outweigh the cons of Friday night home games
For the first time since Sept. 20, 2001, Nebraska will host a weekday home football game this season.
News broke on Wednesday that the Big Ten Conference had moved the Huskers’ home tilt vs. Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 21, to Friday, Sept. 20. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. CT and nationally televised on FOX.
Dannen admitted that holding a weekday home game for the first time in over twenty years would have consequences. However, playing on a national stage – and the money from the TV networks – made the pros outweigh the cons.
“I know Friday night games cause a lot of heartburn for a lot of reasons,” Dannen said. “You think of high school football and just the logistics of a Friday night game in the middle of a college campus. There are going to be a lot of challenges with it, but the ability to put the Huskers and that stadium and our crowd in the national limelight for a night game is one well worth the challenges that lie ahead with it.
“The other thing is we can be upset about it all we want, but we’re cashing a pretty large check from our television contract every year. This is the price of that check. In order to fund what we want to do, you end up with a Friday night game here and there.”
Dannen pointed to the wildly successful “Volleyball Day in Nebraska” event at Memorial Stadium last fall. He said that would be a valuable “dry run” for handling the logistics of the schedule change.
Lastly, Dannen hinted that kickoff times for the Huskers’ season opener vs. UTEP on Aug. 31 and the Black Friday rivalry at Iowa should be out by next week.
