Historic Camp Randall is getting ready to be even more rowdy than ever this football season, as renovations to the structure are giving a new-age feel to the fourth-oldest college-owned stadium. Badger fans are in for a real treat next season when the first phase of the Camp Randall renovation is finished, giving the stadium a whole new look and intensifying the already electric atmosphere Camp Randall is known for.

Going into 2004, the 87-year-old stadium will experience a face-lift that will undoubtedly leave it as one of the elite athletic facilities in the nation.

The most recognizable change initially will be the closing of the horseshoe in the south endzone by the UW Fieldhouse. In a project that will add 4,000 seats to the southern end of the stadium, both sides of the Fieldhouse will be closed in and the seats against it will be restructured to gain a higher capacity.

“It’s going to be very loud,” Associate Athletic Director for Operations John Chadima said, in respect to the atmosphere changes that will be present due to the closing of the south endzone to complete the bowl.

The southeastern gap between the stadium and the Fieldhouse has already been filled by the construction of a new athletic office, which will enable the entire athletic department to be housed in one facility.

“The new athletic office/administrative office building will [experience move-ins] the first week of August,” Chadima said.

Along the eastern half of the stadium, fans have been seeing the construction of the new luxury seating that will also be completed by the beginning of the upcoming season. The new luxury boxes will include 72 suites, 644 “Varsity Club” seats and 300 “Buckingham Club” seats. The position of the new luxury boxes will even further increase the game atmosphere of the stadium due to their extremely close proximity to the field.

“I’ve been at a lot of stadiums. I’ve been at Penn State, Ohio State, all the Big Ten stadiums. I don’t think there are any that have their suites, their club suites, this close to the field,” Chadima said. “The suites on the east side are actually closer to the field than the existing press-box that is on the west side, so the views over there are phenomenal. I think that is going to hold the noise in the bowl that much more. There is not going to be anywhere for it to escape.”

What might be the most exciting addition to Camp Randall next year will be the three new scoreboards that will be installed, all three of which will have video replay capabilities. The main scoreboard, which will now be located on the northern end of the stadium above the student section, will be the largest in all of D-I college football.

“The scoreboard itself is going to be 170 by 50 feet. It is going to be the biggest scoreboard in a Division I facility. This is one of three scoreboards going into the stadium renovation, and all three will be ready for the 2004 season.”

The main scoreboard will be unique in that it will have an angled design that will be contoured to the existing bowl of the stadium, again helping to enclose the northern bowl. The second scoreboard will be placed against the face of the new athletic office in the southeast section of the stadium, while the third scoreboard will be placed under the overhang of the upper-deck in the southwest side of the stadium.

Wisconsin will also say goodbye to the Notre Dame-esque turf design employed by the school on the field and will welcome back the customary cardinal and white endzones, along with the Wisconsin logo “Motion W” at center field.

“That will be put into the endzones this June or July, and the endzones will be red again,” Chadima said. “The whole stadium project will be about two-thirds complete by the 2004 season. All the new construction: the suites, the office building, the seats in the south endzone and the scoreboards will be complete for 2004.”

Even with all of the new features fans will be witness to next season, the stadium will still have more work to be done on it. Among the features that won’t be completed until the 2005 season are renovations to the concourses, entry gates, restrooms and concessions, along with much of the work at the field level. Permanent lighting for night games will also be completed before the 2005 season.

Chadima emphasizes that the stadium renovation will not be complete until the opening of the 2005 season, Sept. 3, against Bowling Green University.

“The important word that we need to get out is that the stadium is not going to be done this year,” Chadima said. “About two-thirds will be completed for this year, and then the renovation will be done by 2005.”

Despite the renovations that will not be complete by the upcoming season, the Sept. 4, 2004 season opener against the University of Central Florida will begin a new era in Camp Randall’s extensive history.