Auburn University OKs Largest Scoreboard

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn University sports fans won’t be able to ignore the scoreboard come football season this fall. The university’s Board of Trustees recently approved construction of a 200-foot-wide scoreboard—the biggest in college football.

The scoreboard will cost an estimated $13.9 million to build and will measure 200-feet wide by 105-feet tall. The video board will take up roughly 10,830 square feet, more than Texas A&M’s recently installed 7,661-square-foot video board, currently the largest in college football.

The scoreboard is scheduled for completion in time for the 2015 season and will be located in the south end zone of Jordan-Hare stadium. The current video board will be removed in March. The small scoreboard in the stadium’s north end zone will remain in place.

The project also includes new video ribbon boards across the upper-deck façade and an updated sound system, according to AL.com. The athletics department will pay $3.5 million for the video board. The public-address system will also be updated at an estimated cost of $1.5 million and the ribbon boards will cost about $1.5 million. The remaining expenses will include demolition and structural improvements to support the large scoreboard.

Auburn is also in the early steps of upgrading Jordan-Hare Stadium and is seeking approval to engage an architect and construction manager for the project, reported AL.com.

The athletic department is conducting a feasibility study to develop plans and options to enhance amenities, improve locker rooms and consider additional premium seating. The study includes consultation with various architects and construction managers and will be completed this spring. Upgrades at the 87,451-seat stadium could begin as soon as December, according to documents, with a completion date prior to the 2017 season. Construction could also be delayed until December 2016 or December 2017 with completion before the 2018 or 2019 seasons. The project does not yet have a price tag.

Auburn is expected to select 360 Architecture of Kansas City, Mo., and Infinity Architecture of Montgomery, Ala., as the architects for the initial facility upgrades. B.L. Harbert International Inc. of Birmingham, Ala., will likely be the construction manager, reported AL.com.