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Ryan Family Donates $480M to NU;
School Will Rebuild Ryan Field
Northwestern
announced on September 22 that the Pat and Shirley Ryan Family has donated
$480 million additional dollars to conclude NU's We Will fundraising
campaign. It is the largest single donation in the history of the
university.
Much of the donation is earmarked for biomedical, economic, and
business research. However, a portion will go to restarting the
school's effort to upgrade the Ryan Field facilities. Originally slated
for 2014, renovations to the field were tabled so that the school could
address Welsh-Ryan Arena and the new football training facility on the
lakeshore. According to the school, the 2021 Ryan donation is the lead
gift for Ryan Field's transformation, which will provide "an enhanced
gameday experience." Much of the renovation will focus on Americans
with Disabilities Act compliance and environmental factors.
The rebuilding sounds like it will go much further than a renovation
similar to 1997. This appears to be a full rebuilding, with either only
a few components of the existing structure spared (such as the towers)
or a reconstruction totally from scratch. All plans for such a
rebuilding point to a more modern structure with a smaller seating
capacity-- likely around 40K, as opposed to the current 47K.
According to Lake the Posts,
plans for the new stadium are much further along than the NU statement
indicates. LTP states that he has heard that construction should begin
in 2022, continue through 2023, with a new stadium open in 2024. NU
could play in Soldier and Wrigley Fields (and Ireland...) during those
two seasons. If this timeline turns out to be correct, it will mean
that this season's November 6 game against Iowa could be the final game ever played at Dyche / Ryan.
The full statement from NU can be read here...
The school's new page for the renovations: RebuildRyanField.com
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