Nebraska takes step to creating Memorial Stadium of future

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — With Memorial Stadium on the cusp of its 100th anniversary, the Nebraska athletic department on Thursday set the stage for a massive renovation that will make the venue more fan friendly for decades to come.

University leaders also announced a new multimedia rights deal that would bring in more than $300 million over 15 years and said that alcohol would be sold at men's and women's basketball games at Pinnacle Bank Arena starting this season.

The athletic department must get approval from the university Board of Regents, who are expected to approve the plans. The next board meeting is Sept. 30.

Nebraska is scheduled to open a $160 million football facility next year, and the Big Ten's billion-dollar-a-year media rights deal announced this summer will bring unprecedented windfalls to league members.

The announcements came less than two weeks after Nebraska began its search for a new football coach following the firing of Scott Frost. Athletic director Trev Alberts said discussions about stadium upgrades and the rights deal have been going on for months and that the timing is coincidental.

“I’m not naive to perhaps the benefit of potential candidates saying, wow, in spite of some of our challenges in terms of wins and losses on the field, there’s a lot of momentum happening at the University of Nebraska,” Alberts said. “If that's an unintended benefit, we'll take it.”

The Cornhuskers have played in Memorial Stadium since 1923 and incremental improvements have been made over the years, including luxury suites in 1999 and an expansion to more than 85,000 seats in 2013.

A redevelopment of the south end zone area, concession areas and concourses as well as improvements in digital infrastructure are likely, Alberts said. He had no cost estimate or...