NU regents greenlight $600M Memorial Stadium rebuild and renovations

Regent Joel Makovicka of Omaha, a former fullback who played for the Huskers in the 1990s, said NU has “standards” it needs to maintain. He said that includes the Athletic Department, Memorial Stadium, the Huskers football team and Huskers fans. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a former NU regent for 10 years before becoming governor and a defensive back for the Huskers in the 1970s, appointed Makovicka to the board in February. Makovicka said NU had “failed” to keep up a historic venue that fans can take pride in.

A section of seats in the southeast corner of Memorial Stadium collapsed prior to the 1993 season. (Courtesy of Husker Athletics) Multiple regents said NU needed to move forward after neglecting the general upkeep of the facility, which some worried could lead to liability and safety concerns absent any renovations. One area of emphasis was South Stadium, which would receive many of the structural improvements. “We did a nice job of making it look better,” said NU Regent Jim Scheer of Norfolk, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature. “We just didn’t do a nice job of making sure that the bones of the facility stayed up to date, and they’re far outdated.” Regent Rob Schafer of Beatrice recalled the collapse of a small section of seats, concrete and steel included, in the southeast corner of Memorial Stadium before the 1993 season. He worried about a repeat incident. Regent Jack Stark of Omaha, a retired NU educator and sports psychologist for the Huskers in the 1990s, said he had sat near the section that collapsed and that it had “scared the bejesus” out of him. He was confident in private philanthropy slated for the project but said the success of finding such funds depended on whether NU would commit. Said Schafer: “There’s two pains in life: the pain of commitment and the pain of regret. And I sure as heck wouldn’t want to be living through the pain of regret if we had a repeat of that [collapse].” Gold and Scheer said the changes could also attract new talent to Nebraska, both in student-athletes and for Nebraska generally. “It provides entertainment, and it’s a calling card,” Scheer said. “And if we want to encourage people to come to Nebraska, to go to school or to work or to play, that’s one of the things that will bring them.”

Of the four student regents, all but University of Nebraska Medical Center Student Regent Brock Calamari supported the project. Students’ votes are non-binding on official board action.

University of Nebraska Regent Kathy Wilmot of Beaver City. Jan. 15, 2026. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) Calamari voiced concern that in recent years, Memorial Stadium changes have been about expansion and giving “more devout” Husker fans the opportunity to join in on Nebraska’s “most popular pastime,” including fans no matter their age or where they sit. He predicted NU might “inevitably overhaul” other sections of Memorial Stadium, which could also bring down seat capacity. By then, he asked, “What will a decent ticket cost?” Regent Kathy Wilmot of Beaver City said she had heard similar concerns that going to Memorial Stadium could become “an event for the rich” with events the “common man” couldn’t afford, based on changes in other sports. But even so, Wilmot, Calamari and others collectively noted the need to upkeep the stadium and think about older fans and those with disabilities. Wilmot and others said they would be watching ticket prices and ticket restructuring. She asked decisionmakers to think carefully. “It’s going to be really tough for families to really be able to come and enjoy this in the future if we start making this something that you buy because you’re privileged,” Wilmot said. “That’s my caution.”

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