Donors have stepped forward to provide funding for a new video scoreboard on the north end of O’Shaughnessy Stadium on the St. Paul campus of the University of St. Thomas.
Installation of the video scoreboard’s support structure will begin within the week, and the scoreboard itself will be installed in mid-August. It will be in place and ready for the first home football game this fall on Sept. 8.
O’Shaughnessy Stadium, built in 1947, has seen many renovations and changes over the years. Most notably, the Fowler Veranda on the stadium’s east side had previously been a parking lot, and before that, bleachers. There have been modest changes to technology over time related to the sound system and other electronic gear in the now-overcrowded press box.
The location of the existing scoreboard, on the south end of the field, has been the same since the stadium was built. “The last upgrade to the current scoreboard was probably three decades ago,” according to Jerry Anderley, associate vice president of facilities.
The new video scoreboard will be located on top of the block wall and just beyond the north end of the running track. The original scoreboard will remain at the south end of the field.
According to Daktronics, the company installing the new video scoreboard, the video portion of the scoreboard will measure 18 feet 4 inches tall and 32 feet 9 inches wide, making it the largest stadium video board in NCAA Division III.
“The full scoreboard is actually much larger than just the video portion; the total dimensions will be 27 feet 11 inches tall and 48 feet 5 inches wide,” according to Mark Vangsgard, vice president for business affairs and chief financial officer.
The video board will be framed by traditional game statistics on the right and left. At the top will be the words “University of St. Thomas.” Below the video board will be “O’Shaughnessy Stadium” and the game clock. Pine trees will be planted on each side of the board to give the stadium a more enclosed appearance.
The video board will show live action and recorded highlights in full color. It also can display advertisements and sponsorships, and shots from the “fan cam.” When used during special events and commencements, for example, it can show graduates receiving diplomas and tossing mortarboards in the air. Depending on the event, one to four cameras will be used to record the action.
“We are thrilled that donors have stepped forward to totally fund the new video scoreboard,” said Jane Canney, vice president for student affairs. “This is much more than a board for football games; O’Shaughnessy Stadium is used for track, a variety of intramural and club sports, and for commencement and special events. It also is used by external groups, which helps generate revenue for the university.”
