Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547542
1 2 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A t Big Ten Media Days in July, athlet- ics director Patrick Kraft said Penn State's massive overhaul of Beaver Sta- dium was both on budget and on sched- ule. In a Nov. 4 update posted to the sta- dium's official X (Twitter) page, PSU an- nounced that it was "in the home stretch of the Beaver Stadium project." The post noted that the final phase of construc- tion "brings some of the most noticeable upgrades yet in improving the game day experience for our fans." Among the new amenities described in the post were: • A 360-degree main concourse that will enhance mobility around the entire stadium. • Chairback seats from end zone to end zone in the west lower bowl. • More legroom — from 24 to 34 inches — for every seat on the entire west side. • A fully open 85,000-square-foot main concourse on the stadium's west side with new restrooms, drink rails and standing room for all fans. The stadium has been under construc- tion since January 2025, when the old press box was demolished. Work on the project is expected to continue through next summer and will be complete ahead of the Nittany Lions' season opener Sept. 4 against Syracuse. Kraft said this past summer that the university's private fundraising efforts were "right on track" w i t h p ro je c t i o n s. Penn State has an- nounced gifts total- ing more than $135 million, roughly 20 percent of the project's cost. "From a philanthropic standpoint, we're ahead of where we needed to be, but we'll keep raising money and doing what we need to do," Kraft said. "We're really happy with where it is." — Greg Pickel Penn State 'In The Home Stretch' Of Stadium Project Beaver Stadium's interior bowl will look very different when the project is complete. The view in the rendering above is from the loge terrace. RENDERING COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS The entrance to the stadium's west side is being thoroughly redone as part of the project. RENDERING COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS