Nebraska Football Stadium

More than 6,500 seats have been added in the North Stadium as part of the Memorial Stadium Expansion Project, which brought the historic stadium's capacity to 81,067 in 2006. The impressive changes, including one of the largest in-stadium replay screens in the nation - have been evident on game day.

As part of the expansion, Memorial Stadium gained a glorious new North end with the addition of the Osborne Athletic Complex. The cutting edge project not only included a new home for Nebraska football, as the coaches' offices and player locker room moved from the South Stadium to the North Stadium, it also included the Charles and Romona Myers Performance Center. The new performance area provides every one of Nebraska's nearly 600 student-athletes all the elements to maximize their performance, including a new strength complex, athletic medicine center, hydrotherapy pools, and nutrition center, all on one level.

The Memorial Stadium Expansion Project also included the new Hawks Championship Center, which is opened for use by the Nebraska football team this spring. The Hawks Championship Center, which features a 120-yard field with an identical FieldTurf surface to the gameday surface inside Memorial Stadium, gave the Huskers a second indoor practice area across the outdoor grass practice fields from Cook Pavilion. The Hawks Championship Center is connected by a skybridge to the Osborne Athletic Complex.

While the Osborne Athletic Complex houses Nebraska's administrative offices, the inside of Memorial Stadium also gains a massive HuskerVision screen and scoreboard in the North end zone, along with several luxury suites.

In all, the $50 million project provides a better practice and game-day atmosphere for student-athletes and fans at Memorial Stadium for years to come.

Nebraska's continuing NCAA record of consecutive home sellouts passed the 200-mark in 1994 and reached 289 with the conclusion of the 2007 season. On Homecoming, Oct. 29, 1994, against the University of Colorado, Nebraska celebrated its 200th consecutive sellout.

Nebraska's 2006 contest against Colorado set a single-game attendance mark of 85,800 fans on Nov. 24.

In 2006, Nebraska averaged a school-record 85,044 fans per game, smashing the previous mark of 77,878 set in 2000.

The streak of consecutive sellouts started on Nov. 3, 1962, when 36,501 attended the Homecoming contest against Missouri. The last non-sellout came Oct. 20, 1962, when the Huskers and Kansas State drew 30,701.

With renovations for the 2000 season, Memorial Stadium's capacity was reduced by 113 seats to 73,918, which was down from the 74,031-seat capacity in 1999 but up from the 72,700 in 1998. Home attendance has averaged more than 75,000 fans per game for the past 31 years, as NU has ranked among the nation's attendance leaders for many years.

In the fall of 1922, a drive for $430,000 in stadium construction funds was undertaken by faculty, students, alumni and friends of the University of Nebraska. The quota was over subscribed. The stadium was named Memorial Stadium to honor all Nebraskans who served in the Civil and Spanish-American Wars; the 751 Nebraskans who died in World War I; the 3,839 in World War II; the 225 in Korea; and the 422 in Vietnam. Construction was completed in a few more than 90 working days and Memorial Stadium was dedicated on Oct. 20, 1923, at the Homecoming game in which Nebraska was held to a scoreless tie by Kansas.

Inscribed on the four corners of the stadium are the following words, written by former UNL professor of philosophy Hartley Burr Alexander:

Southeast: "In Commemoration of the men of Nebraska who served and fell in the Nations Wars."

Southwest: "Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory."

Northwest: "Courage; Generosity; Fairness; Honor; In these are the true awards of manly sport."

Northeast: "Their Lives they held their countrys trust; They kept its faith; They died its heroes."

As part of the continuing improvement of athletic facilities at the University of Nebraska, several major projects have been completed throughout the past 80 years enhancing the facility. The $1 million Hewit Center dining/study hall area was opened in March of 1985, underneath the West Stadium adjacent to the massive strength complex. The weight room and the Hewit Center were expanded and remodeled in 1989.

Prior to the fall of 1994, Nebraska installed two 17 feet high, by 23 feet wide replay boards, now known to Nebraska faithful as HuskerVision screens.

Following the 1997 season, construction began on a $36-million improvement project which was completed during the 1999 season. Included in the improvements are the addition of the Don Bryant Media Facility and 42 skyboxes, each of which house 25 spectators on game day. In addition, club seating rose from approximately 350 to 1,500 per game. The improvement project also tripled the number of restrooms on both the East and West sides of the stadium, doubled the number of concessions in both East and West concourses and included concrete repair and waterproofing throughout the stadium. The 1999 season also saw the introduction of FieldTurf as the playing surface at Memorial Stadium. The renovations raised the capacity of Memorial Stadium from 72,700 to 73,918. It is also noted that the original four inscriptions remained visible for generations to come.