NORMAL, Ill. - After months of planning, demolition and construction, the renovated Hancock Stadium was officially dedicated Wednesday night in front of a crowd of over 350 Illinois State fans, alumni, staff and donors.
Guests in attendance were able to get their first inside glimpse of the $26 million dollar renovation on the east side of the complex. The project included bleacher-back seating on the entire new east-side grandstand, a wide, spacious concourse featuring new concession and restroom facilities premium seating options, including a 5,500 sq. ft. indoor club accessible to club seat holders, seven private suites and a state-of-the-art press level.
Illinois State University President Timothy Flanagan took the stage to welcome those in attendance and gave special mention to the Illinois State student population, which helped make the project possible.
"My deepest gratitude is reserved for our students past, present and future," Flanagan said. "We must always remember and always be grateful, for it is the contributions of our students that make this dedication possible. To all of the students of Illinois State University, thank you."
Redbird football head coach Brock Spack has already started seeing the benefits of the new stadium in his attempts to recruit talented players to come to Illinois State.
"We now have a premier facility that offers our team home-field advantage on Saturdays," Spack said. "It allows our coaches to utilize this facility for the recruitment of good players. And now, this structure will assure our recruits, beyond any doubt, that we have a commitment for winning football here at Illinois State."
The night's final speaker was ISU Director of Athletics Larry Lyons, who took time to thank those in attendance for their support of this historic project.
"From this day forward, when we talk about the far-reaching impacts of gifts to our department, we will point to this building," Lyons stated. "The gifts associated with this project reach beyond football and Redbird Athletics. Hancock Stadium stands tall as the physical entrance to the campus, and the presence of this new facility serves as a gateway to the University, and also the Town of Normal."
The Redbirds will open the home portion of the schedule Saturday, when they host Abilene Christian at 6 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets online at GoRedbirds.com, by-phone at (309) 438-8000 or in-person at the Illinois State Athletics Ticket Office at Redbird Arena, open from Monday thru Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
