Varsity - The Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics

Varsity - August 30, 2012

Varsity is the free Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics, covering Badgers football, basketball, hockey and more each week.

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Camp Randall changes a sight to see BEHIND THE DESK BARRY ALVAREZ • UW DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS jump out at them. W During an earlier renovation, we added the suites on the east side of the stadium. They're very impres- sive looking. But there was nothing on the facing of those suites until now. One of the first things we did was move our retired numbers from the upper deck. The names of Hirsch, Shafer, Schreiner, Ameche, Richter and Dayne are now on the suites. We also wanted to do something to recognize our Big Ten titles. So all of our championships years are now represented, along with our Rose Bowl years. Our people really did a good job with it, and the signage really jumps out at you. It's striking, it's classy, and it's informative. It re- ally adds to the look and feel of the stadium. A lot of schools will list all their bowl appearances. We have that displayed elsewhere. We made sure the graphics we put up in the stadium were of substantial ac- complishments. What really stand out for me is the five Big Ten titles and five Rose Bowls since 1993. I've always said that it's impor- tant to recognize and embrace our history. I just came back from a Rose Bowl management meeting in Lin- coln, Neb. Nebraska does a good job with signage in its stadium, 12 » VARSITY AUGUST 30, 2012 hen our fans walk into Camp Randall Stadium, some things should and I really got some good ideas. If you played there, you can find your name and the year that you lettered. It's a good way of honoring your former athletes. On Friday night, we'll be rec- ognizing some of ours in the UW Athletic Hall of Fame. One of my former players, Cory Raymer, is a part of this induction class. When I think of Cory, I think of an 18-year-old wise guy. Now's he's grown and matured. "We made sure the graphics we put up in the stadium were of substantial accom- plishments. What really stand out for me is the five Big Ten titles and five Rose Bowls since 1993." When I called, he was thrilled; he even apologized for being a wise guy when he was here. Cory was a tough guy; a classic Wisconsin kid; a kid that we kept at home. Before we got here, he would have gone and played some- place else. Cory was the center on our 1993 team that won the Big Ten and beat UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Cory and all of our Hall of Fame inductees will be introduced at Saturday's game. Like our fans, I'm sure they will be impressed with our new signage. The ring beams on the suites and upper deck should jump out at them, too. It was another step that we took to modernize a stadium that was built in 1917. Up until now, we really hadn't done anything for our players in Camp Randall or the McClain Center. We put in the suites, widened the corridors, and added bathrooms and scoreboards for our fans. Now we're in the process of re- modeling and making things more convenient for our athletes. Our new weight room in the north end of the stadium is about a third of what it will be. Right now, it's already better than what we had, and it's a tem- porary situation. The thing I like about it is that we used the existing space and preserved the stadium lines. I'm sure everyone is aware how we're cramped for space on cam- pus. That's why this project is so perfect because they worked the weight room into Camp Randall. I can't say enough about how everyone has handled the con- struction phase. We have displaced a lot of people, and no one has complained. We're going to be disjointed for a year, but it will be well worth it. Our new football locker room in McClain is far enough along it will be used this weekend. All of these improvements will get us up to the times — it will get us where we need to be.

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