Michigan football stadium gets new scoreboards and lights

Jun 06, 2023

And in the 144th year of Michigan football, the U-M Board of Regents said, "Let there be more light" at the Big House.

Michigan Stadium is in the process of its $41 million facelift and a team spokesman confirmed Tuesday construction remains on track to end in August, well before Sept. 2, when the Wolverines open the season at home against East Carolina.

The privately funded project highlighted by larger scoreboards — they'll remain 62 feet high, but will be wider than the 108-foot version installed in 2011 — as well as new stadium lights, was originally approved by the board in the spring of 2022.

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As of Tuesday afternoon, the construction was well underway. The back of the video board in the northern end zone looked nearly complete, while the outside of the video board on the southern end zone had yet to begin, but the new frame appeared entirely in place.

When athletic director Warde Manuel announced the plans in a memo last spring, he said the existing video boards had "exceeded their anticipated service life," adding the new boards will "further enhance the fan experience" and would be "significantly more energy efficient."

Michigan also is spending more than $5 million to upgrade the audio equipment in the Big House.

Earlier in July, the U-M football social teams posted photos and videos of the work in progress, which included the stadium lights getting flown in by chopper. Michigan used temporary lights for its games until 2010, when it first added permanent lighting because a night game with Notre Dame was on the schedule.

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While the most visible upgrades of the project are ongoing at Michigan Stadium, a large swath of the athletic department will benefit from the funds.

Millions will go to upgrade the production studios at Crisler Center, which were last updated in 2013. They are used for athletic teams and facilities across campus, including Michigan Stadium, Yost Ice Arena, Ray Fisher Stadium, Alumni Field at Carol Hutchins Stadium and more.