Stadium dedication set for Saturday

Rhine expressed gratitude to all those who helped make the stadium renovation a reality.

“Words can’t express how grateful we are to the State of Nebraska, the Nebraska State College System and its trustees, the donors, the Chadron State College employees who helped oversee the process, and all the contractors and laborers who handled the construction of the facility for their commitment to this project,” Rhine said. “This is one of the finest Division II facilities around.”

The construction timeline was tight. Demolition of the former stadium and press box began in November and the project was completed in under 10 months.

“Thanks to [Construction Manager at Risk] Adolfson and Peterson Construction, we were able to do a 12-month construction project between November and September,” Construction Project Coordinator Blair Brennan said. “For a project of this scale, it was complex.”

Marshall Press Box houses the hospitality areas known as the Verne & Erma Lewellen Family Hospitality Room, the Lee Wahlstrom Family Foundation Suite, and the Dr. Samuel H. Rankin President's Suite.

Other areas of the stadium are dubbed the Security First Bank Concourse and the 21^st Century Equipment Ticket Office.

Elliott Field’s turf is manufactured by Act Global. It is best known as the synthetic turf chosen by 14 National Football League teams, numerous NCAA teams and other top-tier venues throughout the United States. It is the same product Super Bowl LII was played on earlier in 2018.

The LED field lighting manufacturer, Musco, is the same provider opted for this season by the Nebraska Cornhuskers on their field.

CSC’s video scoreboard is capable of displaying live action video, as well as pre-recorded video segments and animations. Haggerty’s Audio Visual configured the sound that operates either with, or independent of, the video board.

The grandstands, sub-contracted to CBS Constructors, seat approximately 1,400 people. Including the bleachers east and west of the grandstands, as well as auxiliary and visitor bleachers, the official stadium capacity is 3,500.

“When we go out on the field, the first thing that goes into your head is, ‘Wow, this is awesome’,” Head Football Coach Jay Long said. “In the past five or six years, we’ve put together a new locker room, a new weight room, and now a new stadium. These weren’t wants, they were needs. We’ve finally caught up with other teams in Division II. It’s going to be big for our program. I can’t say enough positive things about it, and I’d like to thank all the people who helped make it available.”

The Eagles, who opened the $8.6 million facility with a victory over Black Hills State Sept. 1, are scheduled to kick off against Fort Lewis College in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football game following the dedication at noon.