Jordan-Hare Stadium

Jordan-Hare Stadium (Courtesy photo)

Auburn is taking steps to build the largest scoreboard in college football and update Jordan-Hare Stadium.



Auburn University's Board of Trustees will meet Friday to approve or deny the construction of a 200-foot wide scoreboard, which is expected to cost an estimated $13.9 million, according to documents.

"If what we are intending to do is approved, it'll be the biggest video board in college football," Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs told AL.com.



Jacobs said the video board above the south end zone will measure roughly 200-feet wide and 55- to 57-feet tall, which would surpass Texas A&M's recently-installed board that measures 7,661 square feet. Exact dimensions for Auburn's video board were not included in documents provided to Auburn's trustees. The scoreboard will be operational in August 2015 if the project is approved Friday.

"That's what our fans deserve and what our football team deserves," Jacobs said.

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. The project does not yet have a price tag.



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, which has already consulted with architects and construction managers, will be completed this spring. Auburn is not exploring stadium expansion, Jacobs said.



Upgrades at 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 timing is right," Jacobs said. "We're one of the few schools to play in front of a sold-out crowd in every game, home and away. Some schools, because of their demand, they've increased stadium sizes and sometimes that's not, in retrospect, the best thing to do. ... For us, we're great with the size of our stadium right now. We just need to continue to have the best game-day experience in the nation."

Auburn is exploring options, including widening the concourse and upgrading restrooms, but plans will not be discussed or finalized until the summer. The first step will not occur until the trustees approve initial discussions at the meeting Friday.

The small scoreboard in the north end zone will remain in place, Jacobs said, but he hopes to replace it with a state-of-the-art video scoreboard in the next two years. Structural upgrades must be discussed before adding a larger scoreboard to the stands.

Auburn developed a master plan for Jordan-Hare Stadium for long-range improvements in recent years, which lines out potential upgrades over the next 10-plus years.



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



