Auburn BoT approves initiative to add video board in Jordan-Hare Stadium's north end zone

Auburn's Board of Trustees approved an initiative Friday morning to add a video board to Jordan-Hare Stadium's north end zone. Ground is expected to be broken in the summer of 2024 and the project is expected to be completed by the beginning of the 2025 season, per the athletics department.

The BoT also approved LBYD Engineers in Birmingham as the project engineer. The price tag for the enterprise was not discussed, but it will be financed by athletics department funds.

Every capital project requires three board approvals before construction can begin. The board combined the first two Friday — project initiation and architect selection. The final hurdle — approval for the site, project program, the budget and financing plan and the image and character of the architectural design — will come at a later date.

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The new video board is expected to be 47 feet high and 154 feet wide for a total of 7,238 square feet of LED space, athletics said. It'll be the sixth largest video board in the SEC, while the one in the south end zone is the country's biggest at 10,690 square feet.

"Fans in the south end zone do not have a video board that they can easily see," associate vice president for facilities Dan King said at the meeting. "The big video board that exists is above their heads and behind them. A video board in the north end zone will enhance their experience significantly. …

"The existing fixed-digit analog scoreboard was originally installed in 1987. If I do the math, that makes the scoreboard 36 years old. Twenty years later in 2007, the scoreboard underwent some significant component replacement. In the ensuing six years since then, we've done miscellaneous maintenance. But by any reasonable measure, the existing north end zone scoreboard has exceeded its expected service life."

Auburn's trustees approved a similar initiative in 2017 that was supposed to put a video board in the north end zone, but the process stalled and had been put on hold since. Athletics director John Cohen has discussed his desire to revive the process since he was hired in October 2022.

Cohen has also expressed interest in larger renovations to Jordan-Hare Stadium, but those were not voted on Friday: "We’re going to design a state-of-the-art video board in the north end that’s going to fit in with several premium areas of the north end zone," Cohen said Nov. 16. "Hopefully featuring a top level, a mid level with suites and a club. And then a ground level, a field-level facility that allows fans to see the game jfield level. I think that’s crucial.”

"A key element of this design will be for the supporting structure to be compatible with any future project that might occur in the north end zone," King added.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly on Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn BoT approves plan to add new video board in Jordan-Hare Stadium