Where Kansas football stands regarding fundraising for Memorial Stadium renovations
Kansas athletic director Travis Goff unveiled a new timeline and renderings for football stadium renovations and the campus “Gateway District” project at 11th and Mississippi in August.
And the excitement from KU’s fan base, Goff said, hasn’t stopped since.
“(The feedback) has been really good,” Goff told The Star. “I had high hopes that it would be received well, but I also prepared for natural critiques. Any time you put something out, I think in particular with stadiums or architecture, you’re going to get some of the other reactions.
“This one, I would wager, has been 99%-plus positive. I can’t quite say it’s (been) universal, but it’s as close to universal as I would have ever dreamed.”
Reviews from players — both those currently on the Jayhawks’ roster and the former players who were back for the announcement — have largely been positive, though some fans have critiqued the design of the stadium and asked questions on the parking situation.
Overall, Goff said the positive feedback has coincided with fans wanting to get involved in the project.
“We’ve gotten inbound people saying, ‘Hey, I want to be part of this,’” Goff said. “There’s been some great success stories in that regard, but it’s also really moved the needle with the people that we’ve already been engaged with, where they really grasp the magnitude of the vision.
“They really grasp that we are getting this thing done and are now more compelled to be part of it at a higher level.”
KU has a $300 million funding goal, of which around $165 million had been raised by the timeline announcement. On Aug. 31, Dana Anderson, namesake of the Anderson Family Football Complex, gifted $10 million to support the Gateway District.
“Two weeks ago, when we announced the project, we were at about 165 (million),” Goff said. “So, we feel like we’re well on our way to the 200 mark, hopefully leaping over the $200 million mark. It’s great momentum, but at the end of the day, still work to do.”
That work, Goff said, involves getting KU’s “best people” involved with the project — and continuing to engage a fan base that showed out with a reported attendance of 41,091 at the Jayhawks’ football season opener last Friday.
“We feel the energy — we feel the excitement and the passion,” Goff said. “People have been tremendous. And the people are really stepping up in a lot of ways. And we’re so grateful for that.”
This story was originally published September 7, 2023 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Where Kansas football stands regarding fundraising for Memorial Stadium renovations."
