A funny thing happens when your football program has one of the most successful seasons in school history and you have a Heisman Trophy player on your roster. Donations tend to come in either more frequently or in higher volume. Thanks to a successful 2016 season, Louisville announced stadium renovations to Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium will be able to be completed a year ahead of schedule and be ready in time for the 2018 season.
The school announced the acceptance of some extra significant donations from corporate sponsors Pepsi and Norton Healthcare, which recently donated $5 million to the stadium project.
“We are extremely appreciative for Norton Healthcare’s generous gift to allow this project to forge ahead,” Tom Jurich, Louisville Vice President and Director of Athletics said. “They have always been a tremendous partner for our department, and this major gift certainly strengthens their commitment. The project is moving along steadily, and I’m very grateful for everyone who has contributed to the future of this program. Their gifts have enabled us to move up the completion date.”
Stadium renovations on Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium were announced prior to the 2015 season and officially got under way last November following the conclusion of the 2016 regular season. The project will add 10,000 additional seats in the north end zone, closing up the bowl structure rather than keeping the one end of the stadium without seats. Being able to get a jump start on selling potentially 10,000 new tickets a year ahead of schedule is great news for Louisville and the school’s finances, as it was not originally planning to have the additional ticket (and concession?) revenue for another year. Every little bit helps, right?
As long as everything goes to the upgraded timeline, Louisville will play its first football game in the expanded and renovated stadium on September 8, 2018 against Indiana State, a week after opening the 2018 season in Orlando against Alabama.
