Penn State Sports Magazine
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1 4 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State has spent years trying to figure out the future of Beaver Stadium, to the point that some have asked whether it even has a future. Now, it ap- pears that the university's plans are starting to come into focus. At Penn State's bowl media day on Dec. 16, athletics direc- tor Patrick Kraft indicated that he hopes to provide university president Neeli Bendapudi and the board of trustees with a proposal in the coming months that would address the stadi- um's needs. "We have the holidays and January and February, but we will have a recommendation to Neeli and the board as to what direction we need to move in," Kraft said. "I do think it's com- ing." Kraft said that university officials have studied the matter extensively over the years, noting that "in the past eight, nine years, there were 19 studies done on Bea- ver Stadium, and nothing was done. It's not for lack of information." In 2017, Penn State unveiled its Facili- ties Master Plan, which included ren- derings of a reimagined Beaver Stadium with a brick façade and a new entrance on the west side below where the press box stands in the current stadium. Kraft suggested that Penn State is more likely to renovate the stadium than to re- place it. That's partly because PSU views Beaver Stadium's 106,572-seat capacity as an asset, and an entirely new facility would not be nearly so roomy. "No one is building 100,000-seat sta- diums," Kraft said. "That's important to us. I think that's an important piece of who we are." There's also the cost to con- sider. Schools seldom build entirely new football stadiums anymore, preferring instead to make piecemeal improvements to their existing facilities. One school that is planning to start fresh is Northwestern, which wants to demolish Ryan Field after the 2023 season and build a new venue that will host concerts and other events in addition to football. The ca- pacity will be only 35,000, but the cost is estimated at $800 million. Kraft said the cost of build- ing a new stadium at Penn State could be prohibitive. "There is a financial threshold that [might make] building new just infeasible, not feasible with the financial piece," he said. While it figures out what to do with its most prominent athletics venue, Penn State is also working on other projects. The Field Hockey Complex is already under construction and is expected to be ready in time for the start of the 2023 season. In addition, the university is looking to improve Jeffrey Field, which is home to nationally competitive programs in men's and women's soccer. Kraft said PSU was about halfway to its fundraising goal for the 50-year-old facility. "We're getting that thing done," he said. "That's our No. 1 priority." Another priority, Kraft said, is to ensure that Penn State's wrestling facilities are top-notch. The team trains at the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex on the south side of Rec Hall. The $4 million facility opened in 2006, and while there have been some upgrades in the years since, Kraft sees room for improvement. "We have a nice wrestling facility," he said, "but we are looking at and exploring how we can enhance that. The training room there is absolutely inadequate. We are working on studies to focus on en- hancing the training room." Plans For Beaver Stadium's Renovation Taking Shape M A T T H E R B | M A T T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M Kraft Says NIL Efforts Trending In Right Direction When he took over as athletics director at Penn State last summer, Patrick Kraft said that one of his top priorities was to ensure that the school was competitive with its peers in the burgeoning name, image and likeness economy. Since then, a number of NIL endeavors have taken shape, the most prominent being the Success With Honor collective. Intended to help Penn State student-athletes maximize their NIL opportunities, Success With Honor recently announced a 30-day fundraising campaign with a goal of generating $2 million through fan donations and a matching contribution from PSU alum Anthony Misitano. Kraft said in December that he felt Penn State was "really in a good spot" with its NIL offerings. "I don't lose as much sleep over that anymore," he said. "Do we have to get better? Yes. This is here to stay. This is part of the world we're living in." Kraft said one of Penn State's priorities going forward will be to educate student-athletes about the complexities of their entry into the business world. "My objective is to make sure I protect the 800-plus student-athletes at Penn State," Kraft said. "There are tax implications. What does it mean when you put your name on stuff? We're getting to the point where we're going to give you every opportunity to be successful in NIL. "Some run with it, some don't. Some don't want to run with it, but we're going to give you every opportunity. Let's make sure we're doing the right things and understanding your brand." — Matt Herb Beaver Stadium has been the home of Penn State's football program since 1960 and has undergone seven major expansion projects. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS