FALL 2008 / Volume 8 - Issue 1
 |  | Dix Stadium gets hi-def scoreboard as part of a $4 million facelift
BY MICHAEL BELLO, KENT STATE GRADUATE STUDENT
ome this fall, visitors to Dix Stadium will have a whole new experience at the game, thanks to the $4 million renovations that are currently underway at the home of Kent State football, soon to host its 40th year of play.
Once completed, the new south end will feature a plaza, concessions area and, perhaps most strikingly, a new Daktronics scoreboard that includes a state-of-the-art, high-definition video board and sound system. Dix will be one of only five stadiums in the Mid-American Conference with a video board capable of showing instant replays.
The scoreboard, which will measure 72 feet by 44 feet, originally did not include high definition, but Daktronics offered an upgrade at no extra charge so the company could use the scoreboard as a marketing showpiece.
DSV Builders of Niles, Ohio, is doing all of the work for Phase II of the Dix Stadium renovations, which also include a new entrance, ticket and concession areas on the west side and a new fence line with brick pillars around the stadium.
“Phase II’s completion will give us a truly outstanding Division I stadium,” Kent State Athletic Director Laing Kennedy says. “This meshes perfectly with our ongoing philosophy of upgrading our facilities and will be a source of pride for our football team, members of the university community and our fans.”
In addition, Phase II renovations feature entryways with decorative bricks, new graphics around the stadium, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) improvements to the President’s and Blue & Gold loges and 30 new parking spots in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The cost of the renovations is being covered through a collaborative effort of university funding and corporate advertising sales. The work is complementary to the $2 million Phase I renovations, which were completed before the start of the 2007 season. Those included new entryways into the east and west stands, improvements to the north stands, a new roadway leading to the Field House, a canopied, arch-style roof over the press box and stadium graphics.
ll in all, the renovations will help create a new identity for Dix, giving fans the feeling of walking into a whole new stadium. One of the most important aspects of the overhaul of Dix is that it will help distinguish it from several other stadiums in the MAC that were built around the same time and had similar, basic designs.
An architects rendering of the proposed Dix Stadium video display.
To help celebrate all of the hard work that has gone into making both phases of the Dix Stadium renovations a reality, Kent State will unveil the completed project at the football team’s home opener against Delaware State on Sept. 13. The game will serve as Heroes Day, Band Day and Parents’ Day, and will showcase a post-game fireworks display.
The stadium improvement is one of many recent projects that have significantly upgraded Kent State’s athletic facilities, including the construction of Murphy-Mellis Field for field hockey and the renovation of baseball’s Schoonover Stadium with a new turf field, new dugouts and the addition of a clubhouse.
Since 2000, the department has maintained “excellence in action” through such projects as the $2.2 million Ferrara and Page Golf Training and Learning Center; upgraded locker facilities for wrestling, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and football; and new turf for both Dix Stadium and the Field House. In addition, the track inside the Field House will be replaced in May.
For more information, visit www.kent.edu/magazine.
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