TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Florida A&M University football fans may get to see the new renovations at Bragg Memorial Stadium sooner than thought.
Phase 1 of the renovations is ahead of schedule! The Rattlers will open fall camp on August 5.
Ram Construction and Development was awarded the contract after the University received $10 million from the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency board.
Phase 1 began in February with the east side of the stadium being renovated. Phase 2, which is slated to begin in late November after the completion of the 2021 football season, will focus on the west side.
“Fans can expect a brand-new experience with their stadium,” Heath Anniin, FAMU alum and president of Ram Construction and Development, said in a released statement. “They will be on a solid base that’s comfortable and drains well. There won’t be any issues of deterioration for probably a couple of generations.”
Anniin, who graduated from FAMU in 1997, said fans will be able to enjoy the new renovations as the University moves into a new era of football in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The renovation includes replacing all steel pans and seats, water blasting, repair and repainting of the steel frame infrastructure or replacement of the steel beams, seating replacement as well as upgrades to restrooms for handicap/ADA accessibility.
“The east side will have new aluminum versus steel seating and will be much louder than the old steel,” said Michael Rowe, project manager.
FAMU said the stadium, built in 1957, saw its first renovation completed in 1983. Thirty-five years passed before there was an upgrade.
In 2018, FAMU moved away from the grass playing surface and installed AstroTurf RootZone 3D3 to the stadium, as well as a new scoreboard located in the new endzone.
Florida A&M’s home opener is set for Sept. 11 against Fort Valley State. Plans are in place for attendance to be at 100 percent capacity this season.
