BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider

MADISON, Wis. — If you were to chronicle the modern history and impact of Camp Randall Stadium on the Wisconsin Athletic Department, the longest, most comprehensive passage would likely be devoted to what happened 20 years ago.

From 2001 to '05, the centerpiece of UW Athletics underwent a massive $109.5 million renovation that included adding suites and club seats on the east side of the facility, the Kellner Hall administration building, the McGinnis Family Athletic Ticket Office, the Athletic Operations building, football headquarters and a new visitor's locker room.

The project not only brought about ongoing financial stability for the 23-sport manifest, it allowed Wisconsin Athletics to keep pace with its peers in the Big Ten Conference and beyond even in the midst of a global pandemic.

"That's a big chapter in the book of Camp Randall," Wisconsin Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh said.

His predecessor, Barry Alvarez, witnessed it first-hand as UW football coach from 1990 to 2005 and director of athletics from 2004 to '21.

"You have to stay up with the Joneses," he said. "That renovation allowed us to be competitive and stay competitive. That's important for our fans and our student-athletes, but the revenue generated by it allowed us to compete and stay at a level financially where you can have 23 sports."

Another lengthy installment in the book of Camp Randall is about to be written, one that will outline a link to the iconic Field House and, ultimately, a major upgrade to the footprint at 1440 Monroe Street.

A comprehensive renovation of the south end zone began Nov. 22 with an eye toward completion in time for the 2022 football season that begins Sept. 3. The $77.6 million CR Future project will provide fans with enhanced premium seating options, access to indoor and outdoor hospitality clubs, climate-controlled amenities, expanded premium food and beverage offerings, dedicated restrooms and top-of-the-line service and operations.

Approximately 6,000 bleacher seats in the south end zone will be removed to make way for 2,300 premium seats.

The renovation will also account for new premium areas in the adjacent Field House, which is home to the volleyball and wrestling programs, as well as a new playing surface for Camp Randall and updates for its press box.

"This one is a big step as well," McIntosh said of the south end zone project, "but it's for a different reason.

"The expectation of our fans is evolving. It's changing over time and this is an attempt to offer them an experience, one that that they've told us that they want."

McIntosh said that not only did Badgers fans make their wishes known regarding another premium seating option at Camp Randall, they have stepped up to invest in it in impressive fashion.

"The catalyst for this (south end zone) project was feedback that we received from our season ticket-holders and what they were asking for was a higher level of hospitality in an outdoor environment where they could experience the energy of the game and the bowl," he said. "This delivers on that.

"We've almost sold out all the available seating and that happened through the pandemic. That's just incredible to think about, so I'm grateful to the people that have supported this project and I'm excited for the experience they're going to have with it."

McIntosh said the renovation of Camp Randall and the Field House will allow Wisconsin Athletics to open up the two facilities for public events.

"We'll be using them in ways we haven't before," he said.

Alvarez said he became enamored with premium end-zone seating when the Badgers played Miami (Florida) in the Orange Bowl in 2017.

"You take what would ordinarily be your low-end seats in the end zone and make them premium seating," he related. "All the smart professional teams are doing that. All the smart, business-wise college teams are doing that.

"Quite frankly, that's where I'd like to sit — in the end zone at an angle. I like to see holes (on the field) open and close. I like to see the depth of a game."

Camp Randall staged its first Wisconsin football game in 1917 when capacity was 10,000. It's now the fifth-oldest college stadium among the 130 Football Bowl Subdivision schools with capacity sitting at 80,321.

The Camp Randall renovation project that was completed in 2005 affected every aspect of UW Athletics. It created a consistent revenue stream that did everything from underwriting coaches' contracts and bonuses to providing nationally competitive budgets for 23 sports.

"All of it. Everything," Alvarez said.

UW Athletics also shared millions with the overall campus to help pay for non-athletic scholarships.

"We kicked a lot back to campus and you feel like more of a team player when you do that," Alvarez said. "A lot of the money we gave to campus came after we'd balanced our budget."

Alvarez, who retired earlier this year, said the latest upgrade to Camp Randall should help enable UW Athletics to keep up with its peers. That task has become much more difficult in wake of the pandemic and the ever-changing financial landscape brought on by new investment in student-athlete welfare.

"Maybe our costs will continue to rise; I don't know," he said. "But I think this allows us to continue to be competitive."