Iowa State football: Regents approve Jack Trice renovation

The Iowa Board of Regents approved the renovations that will be taking place at Jack Trice Stadium in the next year.

Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register reported late yesterday that everything was official, and that athletic director Jamie Pollard confirmed that construction would be done before the 2015 season opener.

"The nine-member Iowa Board of Regents today gave final and unanimous approval to the $46 million south end zone project that has been discussed around Iowa State circles for years.That’s the final piece of protocol that needed to happen before digging starts for a project that athletic director Jamie Pollard said will be finished before the Sept. 5, 2015 home opener against Northern Iowa."

Nearly half of the renovation costs are funded by a donation given by Roy and Bobbi Reiman. According to Peterson, the rest of the funding will be done with other donors, advertisements, ticket sales, and income from the Big 12 TV contract.

The stadium will have over 60,000 seats, sitting only below football powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma in the Big 12. In comparison, Kinnick Stadium at Iowa City holds over 70,000, and that’s one of the 20 largest stadiums in the country.

Having the third-biggest stadium in the conference is a testament to the fanbase. It’s already harder than hell for anybody else to win in Hilton Coliseum. Perhaps this is the start of something Jack Trice Stadium can emulate.