Kinnick campaign for end zone upgrades tops $14 million

IOWA CITY - Nine months after kicking off a 'Kinnick Edge Campaign” to raise $25 million for an $89 million renovation of the Hawkeye football stadium's north end zone, the University of Iowa Foundation on Thursday announced it's halfway there.

Including a lead gift of $5 million from Ted and Deb Pacha, which the foundation announced in January, donors to the UI Department of Intercollegiate Athletics have committed more than $14 million toward the project - to be funded entirely through private support, bonding and athletics revenue.

Although the fundraising campaign is ongoing, UI Foundation spokeswoman Dana Larson said fans have until Nov. 15 to reserve club seats in the new north end zone.

Other donors who've made significant gifts include Doug and Joanie Clausen, of Holstein; Dan and Leah Gordon, of Chicago; Kyle and Sharon Krause, of Booneville; The Larry L. Luing Family Foundation out of Paramus, N.J.; William and Renee Moon, of Bettendorf; Dennis and Peg Stessman, of Omaha; and MidAmerican Energy.

The UI athletics department, which is self-supporting and receives no state funding, last renovated Kinnick's north end zone in 1983. Its scheduled upgrades include improved concessions, more bathrooms, a field view from the concourse, another 1,600 premium seats and the Ted Pacha Family Club Room.

The renovation will up the number of high-end seats, which Athletic Director Gary Barta has said are in demand, but decrease the stadium's total capacity. Currently, Kinnick seats 70,585, and Barta has reported the upgrades will drop the total to about 69,000.

Average Kinnick attendance in the last season was 69,656 - with four games at capacity. The average attendance the season before was 63,142.

Underground infrastructure work on the upgrades has begun, and the existing north end zone will be razed after the Hawkeyes wrap their season against Purdue on Nov. 18. Construction is expected to be completed before the start of the 2019 season.

'When we started the Kinnick Edge Campaign earlier this year, our primary goal was to enhance the fan experience at Kinnick Stadium,” Barta said in a statement Thursday. 'I'm grateful to our loyal fans who have supported this campaign to date. These enhancements will keep Kinnick Stadium in the upper echelons of college football stadiums.”

Hawkeye coach Kirk Ferentz, also in a statement, called Kinnick the 'cornerstone” of the football program's rich history.

'Every Hawkeye player, coach, and fan knows it's a unique place,” he said. 'To me, Kinnick Edge is the next step in maintaining our first-class program.”

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