Almost new stadium almost ready

Workers were busy spray-painting the letters "UNLV" in red at the center of the new grass field at Sam Boyd Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

The field, complete with new NFL-style yellow goal posts, might be the only thing 100 percent complete when UNLV kicks off against Iowa State at 7 p.m. on Saturday night.

Wires, empty water bottles and lots of dust could be seen scattered throughout the stadium during a Tuesday afternoon tour. Workers were still busy hooking up a new state-of-the-art scoreboard, which is expected to be operating by Thursday.

But even though the $18 million refurbishment won't be completed until mid-October, most fans will probably not be disappointed by what they see Saturday night.

The old damp and dark concourses around the stadium have been widened significantly and lightened. New restrooms have been added. The Rebel Experience tailgating area outside the stadium has lots of covered tables and even a kids' playground area. And it seems you can't go more than a few feet without seeing a concession stand.

Meanwhile, new seats with Rebel red backing have been installed. The seats have been reconfigured so that they may be accessed through new portals. No longer will fans be able to walk around the stadium at mid-level.

The field has also been raised 18 inches. Fans sitting in the front few rows of the stadium will feel almost like they're part of the team bench.

So the average fan should be more than happy on Saturday. But there may be a few complaints from the folks who shelled out the $45,000 per year for one of the 16 luxury suites or between $2,000 to $3,500 for a club seat in the new Air Tower.

"It won't be finished," stadium manager Jeff Chalfant said. "The press room is the main thing we want to have up and operational with phones and electricity. We want the press to be able to their jobs."

What about the luxury suites?

"All except maybe the two on the corner ends should be ready," Chalfant said. "They won't have all the finishing touches. They may have to sit on padded folding chairs and they might not be carpeted. And we may be stringing some lights in the hallway to see."

Club seats may be in the same bind. And there is some question whether the air conditioning will be ready to go for Saturday's opener, too.

Still, Chalfant says fans should be patient. By mid-October, or by the time UNLV returns to host BYU (Oct. 23) for its homecoming game, everything should be finished and look just like it did in those fancy, glossy brochures the school passed out.

"My worst nightmare?," Chalfant said. "I'm not anticipating any."

Chalfant has attended every Rebel football game at Sam Boyd for 14 years. And he's eagerly anticipating Saturday's game.

"I've been getting gobs of calls about the game," he said. "Coming in undefeated has just added to the event. Everyone is very excited."

archive