Expanded facility brings new suites, club areas, media space and upgraded amenities to the west side of the stadium
A new era at Bowers Stadium
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Sam Houston State University celebrated the grand opening of the new Bowers Stadium press box July 30, unveiling a facility designed to improve game days for fans, students, donors, guests and members of the media.
University leaders, elected officials, representatives of the Texas State University System, construction partners and supporters of Sam Houston Athletics attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony before touring the new facility.
The project replaces a press box that no longer met the needs of an athletic program competing at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. The new facility includes 13 suites, club-level areas, expanded media accommodations and four bars. It also brings improvements to the west-side concourse, including increased access to concessions and restrooms.
Sam Houston President Alisa White said the project was developed with the entire fan experience in mind.
“Bearkat fans are avid,” White said following the ceremony. “They deserve a phenomenal experience, and that’s what we’re going to give them.”
A living-room feel with a Sam Houston identity
White said she wanted the building to feel different from other stadium facilities in Texas and throughout Sam Houston’s conference footprint. Her direction to the project team was to create a first-class, boutique environment that remained unmistakably Sam Houston.
That approach can be seen in the soft seating, sofas and gathering areas throughout the premium levels.
“I’m excited about the living-room feel that we have here,” White said. “I want this to be a place where people feel comfortable.”
White said the project was not intended simply to make the stadium bigger. Instead, the goal was to improve the quality of the experience and give the facility its own identity.
“I was not going for big,” White said. “I was going for first-class boutique, and I think we got there.”
The suites and club level can accommodate several hundred more guests than the former facility, White said. The university also has plans that could allow additional seating to be installed around the field as demand grows.
Improvements extend beyond premium seating
Although much of the attention has centered on the suites and club spaces, university officials said the changes will also be noticeable to fans sitting elsewhere in Bowers Stadium.
The project expands the west-side concourse and provides greater access to restrooms and concessions, addressing areas that had presented challenges during Sam Houston games, high school playoff games and other large events.
Athletic Director Bobby Williams said those improvements are an important part of the project’s overall impact.
“They are going to get those luxuries based on the concourse level, too,” Williams said when asked what the project means for fans who will not be in the suites or club areas.
Williams said the former concourse was narrow and that restrooms and concessions could become difficult to navigate during heavily attended events. The expanded west-side facilities are intended to reduce lines and create a smoother experience.
White said fans should notice those differences during the first game at the renovated stadium.
“We have really expanded access to concessions, access to restrooms, all those things that matter, keeping people out of lines,” White said. “I think there’s going to be a definite change on day one, and people are going to notice it.”
Twenty years of planning
For Williams, the grand opening marked the end of a journey that began about two decades ago.
Williams arrived at Sam Houston in 1982 and has served the university as a football coach, assistant athletic director and athletic director. He said he has spent more time inside Bowers Stadium than anyone else, overseeing games, fan festivals, high school playoff contests and other events.
He recalled coaching at Pritchett Field, where the open-air press box was close enough for him to call down to his defensive backs. Bowers Stadium opened in 1986 as Sam Houston was establishing itself at the NCAA Division I level, and its original press box was renovated in 2004.
Williams said he began thinking about the need for another major improvement approximately two years after that renovation.
“This has been a 20-year journey for me,” Williams said. “We’ve had so many different renderings and plans on how we were going to get to this point. To see it, it’s amazing. It’s first class.”
White said she toured the former press box with Williams in 2020 and told him then that the university needed a new one. Those discussions began before Sam Houston moved from the Football Championship Subdivision to the FBS and joined Conference USA.
“Even at the FCS level, I knew we needed to upgrade,” White said.
Building from below the surface
White said one of the project’s greatest challenges involved work that fans will never see.
The team determined that the existing structure did not have the infrastructure needed to support a modern press box. Planning had to account for technology, electrical power, water lines and other underground systems before construction could proceed above ground.
“What we did not anticipate was how much work would be needed underground,” White said. “A lot of the planning for this building was on infrastructure before we could make it the cool structure that it is now.”
The university considered building on top of the existing press box, but White said the structure could not support what the project required. That led the team to build down and create the larger west-side footprint now in place.
Stantec served as an architecture and engineering partner on the project, working with architectural partner DLR Group. CORE Construction served as the construction partner.
During the ceremony, project representatives credited the facility’s completion to years of planning, collaboration and problem-solving among the university, architects, engineers and construction teams.
More space for media operations
The new facility also addresses limitations that affected writers, radio broadcasters, television crews, coaches and other game-day personnel.
Williams said the former press box had been expanded and adjusted over the years, but its limited space made it increasingly difficult to accommodate the groups covering and operating games.
The new media level provides additional room, an improved view of the field and a more professional setting for local and national outlets.
“When you’ve got all these major entities coming in, local entities, everybody, you want a first-class impression because that’s kind of the window of what they see on the field,” Williams said.
He said Sam Houston has consistently fielded successful teams, but the experience inside the former press box did not reflect the quality of the program.
“This will be,” Williams said. “We wanted to make sure that we got the space we needed, a first-class view and presentation, and I think we captured that.”
Stadium Hospitality prepares for game day
Tracy Allen, a manager with Stadium Hospitality overseeing suites, catering, tailgating and food and beverage service, said the expanded facility represents a significant increase in game-day operations.
The former press box contained four suites and no bars. The new facility has 13 suites and four bars.
Allen said Stadium Hospitality had already hired 24 suite and bar attendants as it prepared to serve the larger space. Its responsibilities will include food and beverage operations in the suites and club areas, along with tailgating services.
She said the priority will be making sure each area is properly staffed and that operations run smoothly.
Allen, a Huntsville High School graduate who has worked at Sam Houston State for 14 years, said the facility can provide a lift for the football program and its players. She also encouraged the community to support the program as it enters its next chapter.
“I think this does nothing but uplift the players,” Allen said. “I think it’s up to the community to come together now to help finish uplifting everyone.”
Supporting Sam Houston’s move to FBS
Williams said facilities such as the new press box are increasingly important as athletic departments navigate revenue sharing, the transfer portal and other major changes in college sports.
Sam Houston’s transition to the FBS and Conference USA increased the university’s athletic revenue, he said, but it also brought higher expectations and new expenses.
Williams said the press box will create revenue opportunities while helping energize donors and demonstrating the university’s commitment to competing at a higher level.
“We’re stepping up. The university is stepping up, and everybody has to do it to make it successful,” Williams said. “It takes all of us.”
He said the project required cooperation across the university, including athletics, advancement, finance, operations, academics, marketing and external partnerships.
White said successful athletic facilities can change how donors and supporters view an institution. She said facility improvements can show that a university is moving forward and encourage supporters to become more involved.
“When they see that we’re in an upward trajectory, they’ve been stepping up and giving us more,” White said. “I think they will continue because I think it’s going to be something that they’ll be glad to say, ‘We helped build that,’ not just for this generation, but for generations to come.”
Students remain central to the experience
White said students are an important part of the university’s plans for Bowers Stadium.
“I consider the students our biggest fans,” she said.
The university has been developing promotions and activities intended specifically for students. White said the goal is to provide programming that keeps students engaged and gives them reasons not to miss a game.
She said the facility also supports the university’s recruiting and branding efforts by presenting a stronger image to prospective student-athletes, families and visitors.
Williams said the new west-side structure brings Sam Houston closer to the quality found at other Conference USA facilities.
“It puts us on par,” Williams said. “It may not be as big as certain places, but I will tell you, it doesn’t take a back seat to anybody.”
Part of a larger athletics plan
White and Williams emphasized that the press box is one part of a broader effort to improve facilities across Sam Houston Athletics.
The university has invested in the Mafrige Field House, Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum, the tennis center and golf facilities, along with new playing surfaces for football, baseball and softball.
Williams said football and basketball require significant attention because of their influence on revenue, recruiting and public perception, but Sam Houston must also support the student-athlete experience across all 17 sports.
The university is continuing to study options for its track program after removing the track from Bowers Stadium as part of the transition to FBS. Williams said the university is getting closer to determining the program’s next facility step.
White said additional work at Bowers Stadium, including improvements on the east side, could come later. Those projects, however, must be balanced with the needs of the university’s other athletic programs.
“I see a time that we will need to do something here to get the whole stadium like we want it,” White said, “but not at the expense of all of the other sports we have as well.”
Naming partner still being sought
The university has not announced a naming-rights partner for the new facility.
White said Sam Houston has been in discussions with potential partners but is waiting for one whose identity and values align with the university’s brand.
“We’re looking for the right partner, somebody who wants to partner with us, but whose brand also aligns with ours,” White said.
For now, the university’s focus is on preparing the building for its first football season and delivering the fan experience envisioned when planning began.
White said her first game day in the new facility will begin with prayer for safety, security and an enjoyable experience for everyone in attendance.
She said she will enter the season with gratitude for how far the university and its athletic program have come.