Elliot T. Bowers stadium could possibly go under some major reconstruction soon.
Bowers Stadium has hosted the Bearkat football team since 1986, and although it has gone through several renovations in the past, this one has the potential to be the biggest one yet.
After $5 million in renovations was done last year by adding astro turf to the football field, a new video board and resurfacing the track, the Bearkats have bigger plans for the venue now.
The athletic department is moving into an estimated $29 million renovation of the stadium’s Westside Complex. Although the plan is still in the initial stages, and nothing is set in stone yet, the home of Bearkat football could see some upgrades.
“We have introduced a campaign that is bigger than anything we have ever done as an athletic department,” athletic director Bobby Williams said in an interview earlier this month. “While we are proud of the improvements that have been made to Bowers Stadium as well as our other athletic facilities over the last few years, now is the time to take a major step forward.”
The plan for the Westside Complex is expansive. The complex is expected to have five levels, with amenities such as a ticket office, gift shop, expanded concessions and more. The complex will also upgrade the technology available to the Bearkats Sports Network so they can produce better broadcasts of the football games.
However, this renovation will not be an all at once project. Each phase of the project will begin once certain financial benchmarks are reached.
The success of the Bearkats’ football program has helped SHSU Athletics earn money and exposure, but now this potential renovation can help the Kats in areas such as recruiting.
Upgrades like this are not unprecedented; in fact they have become almost a formality in schools across the state, and even across the country.
“Nationwide, universities are investing billions of dollars in updating their athletic facilities, particularly their football stadiums,” Madisonville attorney Alan Tinsley told gobearkats.com in February. “Like it or not, particularly in a state like Texas, without football revenues, operating a self-sustaining athletic department is difficult at best.”
Bowers Stadium has been one of the main sources of pride in Huntsville since its inception in 1986, and now with this potential renovation on the way, the stadium will continue to be a shining star for the city of Huntsville, Sam Houston State University and the Bearkat football program.
SHSU Athletics is still trying to get funding in order to help pay for the Westside Complex renovation project. Stay with The Houstonian to receive updates as new events unfold.
