2011 North Carolina Media Guide
Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/39383
Carolina football plays its home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium (cap. 63,000), one of the most picturesque athletic venues in America. Kenan Stadium has been the home of the Tar Heels since 1927 and the thrill of playing in or attending a game there is as exhilarating now as it was when it was first constructed. Considering its majestic setting among the Carolina pines, many observers say Kenan Stadium is the most beautiful football facility in the country. For scenery, atmosphere and charm, it cannot be surpassed. The stadium has been expanded several times since its completion in 1927. In each instance, though, great care was taken to keep its fundamental beauty intact. This fall, Carolina will open the Loudermilk Center for Excellence and a premium seating section named the Blue Zone. Alumnus R. Charles “Charlie” Loudermilk Sr. of Atlanta made a $7.5 million donation to fund the 150,000 square-foot facility that will serve all of Carolina’s nearly 800 student-athletes across 28 sports. The Loudermilk Center’s largest feature is the John W. Pope Student-Athlete Academic Support Center. This 29,000 square-foot facil- ity will provide classrooms for teaching and tutoring, advanced computer technology, a writing lab, reading rooms and office space. It also will be home to the Carolina Leadership Academy, which offers leadership training to Carolina student-athletes, coaches and staff. A $3 million gift from the Raleigh-based John William Pope Foundation is funding the aca- demic support center. Also housed in the Loudermilk Center is a strength and conditioning center for Carolina’s Olympic sports programs, facilities for men’s lacrosse and a visitor’s locker room that can be split to host high school football champion- ships. Other features include premium seating for fans watching football games, as well as office and operations space for the department of athletics. The Blue Zone, offers 1,836 seats in the 78 • TarHeelBlue.com Concourse Club/Loge just a few feet from the field, 824 seats in the Upper Club/Loge on the fourth floor and 320 seats in 20 suites on the fifth floor. Combined, the project adds 2,980 seats to the stadium’s capacity. The project will also tie the north and south concourses together and will provide the stadium with 360 degree concourse to enhance fan movement in the facility. For more information and photos of the Carolina Student-Athlete Center for Excellence, please visit NewKenan.com. Located in the west end zone, the Kenan Football Center was completed in 1997 and houses the operational needs of the Carolina football program. The football center includes the UNC locker room, weight room, train- ing room, equipment room, players’ lounge, THE STADIUM “One moment you are deep in the green and the blaze of autumn leaves, and the next the curtain has disappeared, the land falls away and the panorama of long, graceful lines and gently sweeping curves spreads out … The picture fits exactly; it was made for its frame and its frame for it.” – Carolina Alumni Review, Fall 1927 Kenan Memorial Stadium remains today as it was nearly a century ago – quite simply one of the most picturesque athletic venues in America. UNC’s alumni magazine saluted the natural beauty of the new stadium upon its opening on Nov. 24, 1927; some 28,000 fans watched as the Tar Heels edged Virginia by one point. Since then, Kenan Stadium has been home to great teams and outstanding players and the battle- ground for thousands of memorable football games on crystalline autumn Saturdays. From modest beginnings—single levels of seats on each side of the playing field and a simple field house—the facility has evolved with the times but has preserved its aesthetic appeal. Among the significant expansion projects have been the addition of the upper decks in 1963; the construction of the south side press box, installation of permanent lights and addition of 2,000 choice seats between the 40 yard-lines in 1988; the addition of some 8,000 seats in the west end zone bowl and the construction of the Frank H. Kenan Football Center and the John Pope Box in 1997; the addition of the fifth floor to the Kenan Football Center in 2010; and now the addition of “Blue Zone” seating area in the east end zone and the opening of The Loudermilk Center for Excellence. computer labs and study areas, 100-plus seat auditorium, coaches’ offices, theater and Hall of Honor. An additional floor was added to the Kenan Football Center after the 2008 season. The fifth floor contains additional office and recruiting space for the day-to-day operations of the football program, four pregame gather- ing areas, a larger video and studio facility and a state-of-the-art press conference area. The recruiting area and suites also are used as academic study areas during the week. The second floor was completely renovated for increased football meeting spaces, including bigger individual position meeting rooms and a larger team meeting room. The fourth floor renovations added additional office space for football support staff.