Come One, Come All

Aug. 25, 2006

• Read about Iowa’s 2006 recruiting class
• Follow the renovation of Kinnick Stadium
• Kinnick: The play at Hancher
• The Schedule: 2006 and beyond
• Cruise with Kirk

Historic Kinnick Stadium on the University of Iowa campus will be rededicated in a public ceremony on Friday, Sept. 1, at 4 p.m., in celebration of the completion of the $86.8 million, two-year renovation project.

The event on the eve of the season opener for the nationally ranked 2006 Iowa Hawkeyes will include the dedication of the new Krause Family Plaza on the stadium’s south side along Melrose Avenue. In addition, teammates of 1939 Heisman Trophy winner and stadium namesake Nile Kinnick will unveil a new statue of Kinnick.

The ceremony, which will take place on the Krause Family Plaza, will also feature remarks from UI Head Football Coach Kirk Ferentz; new UI Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Gary Barta; UI Interim President Gary Fethke; Robert N. Downer of the Board of Regents, State of Iowa; leadership benefactors W.A. “Bill” and Nancy S. Krause of West Des Moines, who committed $5 million to the renovation and for whom the plaza is named; and others.

The renovation of Kinnick Stadium, which was built in 1929 as Iowa Stadium and renamed to honor Kinnick in 1972, was financed entirely without state funding or UI student tuition revenues.

The modernization project included improvements designed to enhance football Saturdays at Kinnick Stadium for fans, staff, players and media, including:

– Creation of the Krause Family Plaza, a new main entry point for the stadium – Construction of the Paul W. Brechler Press Box, named in memory of the UI director of athletics from 1947 to 1960, which contains hospitality suites, indoor and outdoor club seating and enhanced media accommodations – Wider and more comfortable seats – New and more numerous rest rooms and concession areas – Renovated and upgraded east and west concourses, and a new south concourse – A new scoreboard and sound system – Improved seating and access for persons with disabilities – A permanent seating section in the south end zone – New plumbing and electrical systems – New locker rooms, meeting rooms, medical spaces and other support spaces beneath the south end zone – New game-day operations areas for maintenance and other staff – Improved operational spaces for security personnel

Including the Krauses’ gift, private contributors committed $15 million to the renovation as part of the UI’s Good. Better. Best. Iowa fund-raising effort, which was conducted by the UI Foundation and which raised more than $1 billion for initiatives throughout the university. The campaign ran from Jan. 1, 1999, through Dec. 31, 2005.

The remainder of the financing for the renovation came from gifts that qualify donors for suite and club-seating privileges; increased revenues from concession stands; and additional advertising revenue from the new scoreboards. Revenues from these sources in future years will retire the bonds necessary to finance the construction.

Bill Krause is the co-founder and chairman of the board of Kum & Go of West Des Moines, which owns and operates more than 440 Kum & Go convenience stores throughout the Midwest. He received a UI Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000 and has served as a member of the National I-Club board of directors, including as president. The National I-Club named him “Hawk of the Year” in 1993.

The UI acknowledges the UI Foundation as the preferred channel for private contributions that benefit all areas of the university. For more information about the foundation, visit its web site at www.uiowafoundation.org.