El Paso's Sun Bowl Stadium to get up to $15 million in renovations, including luxury boxes

Sun Bowl Stadium will get a multimillion-dollar upgrade to bring it in line with current standards, officials announced Friday.

Nestled in the Franklin Mountains, the 55-year-old Sun Bowl is one of college football's most unique settings, both for the University of Texas at El Paso football team and the post-season bowl whose name the venue bears.

What the stadium has needed for some time, according to UTEP officials, is an update. To achieve that, UTEP announced a $10 million to 15 million, 16-month project to install luxury boxes in a new press facility, renovate the concourses and add premium seating on the west side of the stadium.

Sponsored by GECU, the concourse enhancement will be done before the Sept. 1 opener against North Arizona University, while the GECU Terrace — the name for the new press box facility — and loge, or private box, and party areas will be completed in time for the 2019 season opener.

"One of the most beautiful stadiums in college football will become even more breathtaking," athletic director Jim Senter said Friday at a project unveiling before news media and selected donors. "We thank GECU for their partnership, their commitment and their investment in helping get this project underway."

The money will come primarily from private donations, and the stadium could generate as much as $1 million in additional revenue by the middle of the next decade, Senter said.

This is the first major renovation to the stadium since 1982, when its seating capacity was expanded from 30,000 to 52,000. It is UTEP's first major facilities upgrade since the opening of the Foster Stevens Basketball Center in 2009.

The renovation will widen the concourses and add elevators on the west side of the stadium, which Senter pointed out will bring the stadium into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

MORE: UTEP and GECU Announce Renovations For Sun Bowl Stadium

The stadium project has been No. 1 on UTEP's wish list and has been worked on since the Foster Stevens Center opened nine years ago. Last year, previous athletic director Bob Stull said he hoped to have an announcement before his last day, a target off by 4½ months.

"If you're not working on athletic facilities, you are falling behind," Senter said. "This was long overdue. It address deficiencies, the ADA in particular."

The concourse upgrade, which Senter described as looking like "something from 'Star Trek,' " is up first.

"When people come back for the opening game against NAU, they'll say, 'Wow,' " Senter said. "They'll feel better about walking to their seats; they'll feel better about using the bathroom."

Hyundai Sun Bowl executive director Bernie Olivas was understandably excited.

"This is awesome; how do I put this into words?" he said. "This is huge, not only for the Sun Bowl, but the city of El Paso. This is something we can show off to the Power Five conferences. It's just amazing. I can't thank UTEP and GECU enough."

During next year's football season, visible construction will be suspended — "There will be all the behind-the-scenes stuff fans don't see," Senter said — followed by nine months of construction immediately following the 2018 Sun Bowl to get the press box and all the premium seating done before the Aug. 31, 2019, opener against Houston Baptist.

As for specifics, details still are being finalized — hence the $10 million to 15 million range on the price — but there will be between 600 and 900 club seats.

Individual loge boxes will seat anywhere from four to eight and will be reconfigurable, and will include minifridges, televisions and waiter service.

Additional revenue generated by the loge boxes will be used to eliminate any debt incurred and to pay for upkeep of the stadium. There won't be increases in student fees or tuition.

The press box and sky box will be air-conditioned, a major upgrade from the current press box.

"This will be good for the community, good for El Paso," Senter said. "It's going to be a tremendous upgrade. This will present UTEP athletics and El Paso in a much better light."

Bret Bloomquist may be reached at 546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @bretbloomquist on Twitter.