Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
8 A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 OPENING SHOT CONSTRUCTIVE SUMMER Beaver Stadium will still be under con- struction when Penn State plays its seven home games this coming season, but fans are sure to notice that the project is much further along than it was last fall. The most readily apparent change is that the structural elements for the west side of the stadium are now in place. The interior finishes for the club sections will be added in the months to come, but the support struc- ture is complete, said senior project man- ager Mike Abbondante during a recent tour of the construction site with head coach Matt Campbell, a video of which was posted to Penn State's official football X (Twitter) page in June. At the top of the stadium's west side, construction crews have installed the framework that will support the upper deck. The new seating section exceeds the height of the press box that had stood atop the west side prior to its demolition in January 2025. Elsewhere, the main concourse on the east side of the stadium has been widened, an improvement that Abbondante said will "make an incredible difference" by eas- ing congestion for fans in that part of the facility. At the start of his walkthrough, Campbell addressed members of the construction crew, noting that he had been watching the stadium's progress with great interest and admiration while driv- ing past it on his daily commute. "From the bottom of my heart, I can't thank you enough for what you're doing for us and for our football pro- gram," he said. "I can promise all of you that all the hard work you're putting in to make this really special, we're going to put in the same work behind the scenes to make the product on the field really special. We'll look forward to making you proud this fall." — Matt Herb PHOTOS COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS Matt Campbell (right) tours the stadium with senior project manager Mike Abbondante.