By Kim Meyer
Nov. 21, 1981 — A new era of BYU football began with the ground-breaking ceremonies for the expansion of Cougar Stadium after the Cougars routed the U of U 56-28 in the 1981 season finale.
Coach LaVell Edwards, Athletic Director Glen Tuckett, BYU President Jeffrey R. Holland, and other University, LDS and civic officials turned a few shovelfuls of sod as bulldozers waited on the sidelines, ready to transform the stadium into the new facility that will see the likes of national football powerhouses like UCLA, Baylor and Texas A&M.
With the formal bulldozing ceremony, the first two of three phases of the expansion began. Demolition and excavation of the stadium were being done simultaneously to meet a deadline of Jan. 15, 1982.
Dec. 2, Clegg Construction workers began working double shifts – 7 a.m.-10 p.m. – to complete the excavation by that deadline. They had a formidable task that included removing the track, lowering the playing field eight feet and re-routing most of the utilities.
By Jan. 8, 90 percent of the demolition was complete. Luckily the field had been lowered before heavy snows hit Utah Valley for the first week of January.
With the demolition and excavation completed in January, bids for construction were opened Feb. 2 and the low bid of $12.4 million was officially awarded to Layton Construction Co. on Feb. 10.
Following the designs of Ferguson, Kingston and Ruben Architects of Salt Lake City, construction workers prepared to make Cougar Stadium the 24th-largest stadium in the nation by expanding its seating capacity from 35,000 to 65,000.
A three-story press box, running the full length of the west stands, will include a President’s Box with seating for 120, 42 loges with 12 seats each and improved facilities for the press. It will also have elevators and reception areas.
The loges, which can be purchased for a donation of $100,000 or more, will be enclosed and contain cushion swivel chairs, heating, carpeting, TV wiring, telephone jacks, refrigerators and plumbed sinks. Natural ventilation will be available and will also provide for spectator sound. Some loges are still available for purchase.
According to Carl Bacon, director of BYU Development, “There will be no obstructions or distortions … sight lines to the field from every loge will be exceptional.” The President’s Box, which will be about the size of four loges, will be glass enclosed, carpeted, heated and catered. It will seat dignitaries, General Authorities, visitors from other universities, the Alumni Board (during Homecoming) and donors to the school.
Box seating will also be added in two locations in the west stand – one section with 98 boxes right in front of the press box and the other with 64 boxes in front of the concourse. Each box contains eight seats. All box seating has been sold out.
New turf
New turf was laid the second week of July. With a sand base and a new drainage system, it will be able to handle up to 13 inches of rain per hour and still be playable. Ed Cozzens, director of physical facilities, said it is one of the best playing surfaces in the United States, if not the world.
All these features have not come about without a fair amount of headaches along the way, though.
Problems arose
After the ideas of expansion were proposed in March 1980, by then-BYU President Dallin H. Oaks in a special meeting of the Cougar Club, massive fund-raising efforts were begun and various plans were drawn up. There were concerns, though, that not enough money would be raised in time and the proposed plans would prove too costly. The BYU board of trustees said all monies for the expansion must come from donations.
Then problems arose with residents of the Pleasant View area of Provo who organized a committee to help persuade the Provo City Council to deny the building permits for the stadium because the original plans called for additional decks to be built on the east and west stands. If this proposal went through, homeowners complained that their property, located to the east of the stadium, would be devalued because of loss of view to the west, loss of solar heat because of the shadow and increased noise pollution from the larger crowds.
When bids were opened Feb. 11, 1981, the low bid came in at $17 million. The projected cost was $12 million and only $82 million in donations and pledges had been received, so the plans for the additional decks on the east and west stands were scrapped and alternatives were sought.
Construction was going along smoothly this summer when a fatality occurred. Brent Christensen, 28, of Santaquin, Utah, fell off the superstructure in the south end zone when he lost his footing and slipped. University Police say he was not wearing a safety belt when he plunged 35 feet to the ground.
University Police arrived on the scene and administered first aid until Provo Paramedics arrived and transported him to Utah Valley Hospital. Christensen died that morning at 10:05 of massive skull injuries, according to Jerry Sorenson, Utah Valley Hospital public relations director.
Then, during the first week of August, rumors abounded that the stadium was eight weeks behind in construction and strikes would occur.
Paul Richards, BYU public relations director, said the rumors were false. He said both end zones would be done in time for the first home game against Air Force on Sept. 25, although some of the restrooms and painting would not be finished.
Two strikes threatened to delay construction. On Friday, Aug. 6, sheetrock workers walked off the job at the stadium site. Richards said the sheetrockers were back on the job Aug. 9 and that the walk-off had to do with union disputes and not stadium construction.
The other strike was at American Seating of Grand Rapids, Mich., which contracted to provide BYU with 2,308 stadium chair seats. About 800 workers went on strike in early July according to Robert Watkins, president of UAW Local 135 in Grand Rapids.
But the product manager of American Seating, Fred Rose, said the company will have the seats installed for BYU opening game.
Richards said the only seats that may not arrive in time are those in the President’s Box. If that occurs, he said, temporary seating will be provided.
Val Hale, promotions coordinator for BYU Special Events, said about 6,000 general-admission seats are still available in the north end zone. The south end zone seats have been sold out. Upper-concourse seats are $15 and lower-concourse seats are $25 and can be purchased at the Marriott Center Ticket Office.
Already BYU is on the road to national recognition as the Cougars play Georgia on Sept. 11 in Athens. With the completion of this facility, BYU will be able to attract more national powerhouses and with it, the opportunity for loyal football fans to see some of the finest teams in the nation, including their Cougars.
