Michigan: New stadium videoboards should make for 'better fan experience'

Ann Arbor — Technology evolves quickly and what’s new often becomes archaic quickly. Such was the issue with Michigan Stadium’s two previous videoboards that were updated in 2011.

Replacement parts were becoming difficult, if not impossible, to locate and conversations began about four years ago to determine what’s next for the boards that are located opposite each other in the North and South end zones. In spring 2022, the University of Michigan Regents approved a $41 million project that included $12 million to replace the videoboards and another $12 million for the infrastructure to construct them.

The biggest college stadium has added enormous videoboards that will be functional for the Wolverines’ season opener against East Carolina on Sept. 2. The North board is currently active and the South will be powered this week. They will be among the biggest boards in college football. Also there is a new sound system and updated production studio in Crisler Center — $8 million of the project costs was earmarked for the studio — the nerve center for Crisler, Yost, and the baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse stadiums.

Kurt Svoboda, Michigan associate athletic director for external communications and public relations, invited media for an early viewing of the video boards on Wednesday and rattled off facts and figures about the dimensions of the new Michigan Stadium videoboards.

Each board is 179 feet tall and 62 feet wide, an 85% increase in the size of the total structure from the previous scoreboards that were 109 x 55. The actual video portion of the boards is 152 x 55, a substantial increase from the 85 x 45 of the previous scoreboards.

There are a 135 Mistsubishi cabinets that house all the lights that operate the boards, 5.5 miles of new cable and 400 tons of new steel. The project, designed by the SmithGroup in Ann Arbor, utilized the six columns that were already there, including four from the 1990s scoreboards, and two columns 12 feet in diameter were added on either side. As technology evolves, the cabinets can be changed to accommodate whatever is new and more efficient to operate the boards.

Construction began Nov. 21, two days after Michigan’s final home game last season, and it’s estimated three construction teams have worked 35,000 hours as the project nears completion.

Auburns’s Jordan-Hare Stadium has the largest videoboard in college football at 57 feet tall and 190 feet wide, while Purdue’s Ross-Ade Stadium has a videoboard that is just under 57 feet tall and is 150 feet wide. Michigan is third, but Svoboda pointed out the stadiums at Auburn and Purdue have one videoboard apiece.

At Michigan Stadium, the new sound system is expected to be significantly improved. All the concourse speakers have been replaced as part of $5 million allocated to this aspect of the makeover.

“The new sound system should allow us more control and should allow for better balance throughout the stadium,” Jake Stocker, UM’s director of game presentation and fan experience, said Wednesday.

Stocker, who orchestrates the videoboards on game day from a studio inside the Michigan Stadium press box, said the videoboards will allow for more substantive content, including sharing out-of-town scores throughout the game, and an abundance of statistics. Previously, Michigan’s boards would show seven statistical categories on the left side of the screen and now up to 20 will be featured throughout the game. He pointed out that because WiFi service remains spotty at the stadium, the boards will provide the college football information fans typically seek on their phones.

“And make It a better fan experience,” he said.

With the new technology, Stocker said he and his team are working eight-hour days, five days a week for the next few weeks to learn it all.

LED lights also were installed, but Stocker said he isn’t yet certain how they will be used — a light show during a night game, perhaps — on game days. The crew would like to do a full system test shortly and also have Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and his team in the stadium before the season to see a run through.

There were some savings during the course of the work, and scoreboards for soccer, field hockey, baseball and softball and Cliff Keen Arena are being updated.

achengelis@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @achengelis