2006 Texas Longhorns Football Team - Stadium Renovations

Stadium Renovations

Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium underwent renovations just prior to the season. US$15 million were allocated by the Board of Regents for stadium renovations. Stage one, which began on November 14, 2005, involved updating Bellmont Hall – which sits in the west end of the stadium – to meet newer safety codes set by the Austin Fire Department. Also included were water sealing the stadium and expansion of both the Centennial Room and eighth-floor press box. $8 million was spent on audiovisual improvements, including a 7,370-square-foot (685 m2) high-definition Daktronics LED scoreboard, nicknamed "Godzillatron." At the time of its creation, Godzillatron was the first high-definition video screen in college sports and the largest high-definition video screen in the world, though it was quickly surpassed by a larger screen in Tokyo. It is still the largest high-definition video screen in collegiate sports.

A new temporary bleacher seating section was added behind the south endzone bringing the stadium's stated capacity to 85,123 for the 2006 season. In mid-July 2006, The University of Texas announced that Memorial Stadium was completely sold out for the upcoming 2006 season. For the first time, tickets would not be sold on an individual game basis.

Stage 2 of the project began just after the final home game, as the north end-zone was expanded to include luxury boxes and an upper-deck. The lower deck is planned to be rebuilt for 2007, while the upper deck is planned to be ready for 2008.