NEWS
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September 26, 2007
Augustana to Build Football Stadium on Campus:
Construction to Begin Soon on Kirkeby-Over Stadium
SIOUX FALLS, SD –The excitement of on-campus football is returning to Augustana College.
President Rob Oliver today announced that construction of Kirkeby-Over Stadium will begin soon on the site of the Vikings’ current practice field at 37th Street and Lake Avenue. The generosity of Kari and Bob Hall will give the Vikings an on-campus facility that has been missing for half a century.
“The Halls have stepped forward to make their dream of providing a home football stadium for Augustana a reality,” President Oliver said. “Their gift, an unbelievably generous figure, and another historic gift for Augustana, is in the amount of $6.1 million.”
The announcement of the Hall’s gift comes exactly two weeks after President Oliver revealed that anonymous donors made a $6 million gift toward the redesign and reconstruction of the Mikkelsen Library.
“These are indeed exciting times at Augustana College,” President Oliver said. “We celebrate the wonderful generosity of our benefactors as we continue in the tradition of the Augustana Like Always, we begin to get a glimpse of the Augustana Like Never Before.”
Kirkeby-Over Stadium honors the memory of Kari Hall’s father and mother, Percy Kirkeby and Elizabeth Markley Kirkeby Over.
Percy Kirkeby graduated from Augustana in 1947. He was a veteran of World War II having served with the Army Air Corps in Italy. An English major, he was a Rhodes Scholarship candidate, active in debate and speech, and was the editor of the Mirror, Augustana’s student newspaper. He was killed in a plane crash in 1951.
Elizabeth Markley majored in sociology at Augustana and graduated in 1944. She was president of the Athenian Society and was a member of the Augie debate squad. She died in 1994.
Kari Hall majored in sociology at Augustana and graduated in 1969. Bob Hall attended Augustana and is currently the equipment manager for the football program.
Kirkeby-Over Stadium will be designed by TKDA, a specialty architecture and engineering firm in the Twin Cities. The Winkels Group in Sioux Falls will manage the project. Teams will compete on a FieldTurf surface in a bowl like venue with seating for approximately 6,500, including 2,200 chairback seats. Fans will also be able to watch the action from berms in the end zones.
Aeriel views of the athletic facilities before and after the stadium is built.
"It is our intention to have this part of an overall facility plan for football, soccer, and track," President Oliver said. "We had designed a soccer field for possible construction on the east side of Grange Avenue (between 33rd and 37th streets), and now we will plan to add a track to that area as well."
The new facility will be Augustana’s third on-campus football venue. The College relocated to Sioux Falls in 1918 and built the first field in the late 1920s. It was located behind the current Administration Building, East Hall, and Old Main.
Construction on a new stadium, complete with bleachers and press box, began in 1941 where the Statue of Moses and the Morrison Commons stand today. Augustana began playing its home games at Howard Wood Stadium in 1958.
Bill Gross, Augustana athletic director, said the addition of an on-campus football stadium is a giant step forward in the on-going enhancement of Augie’s athletic program.
“All I can say is, WOW! What an exciting day for Augustana,” Gross said. “Kirkeby-Over Stadium will impact the culture and tradition associated with the college. It points to a tremendously positive future for Augustana College and Viking athletics.”
Kari and Bob Hall have been generous contributors to Viking athletics for many years. Their $1 million gift in 2005 helped build the Hall Football Complex attached to the Elmen Center and near the new Kirkeby-Over Stadium. Bob’s father and mother, Bill and Irene Hall, were also long-time contributors to Augustana and their gift in the 1980s helped construct the Elmen Center, in which the Hall Sports Forum is named in their honor. Bill and Irene also provided a variety of other gifts to Augustana athletics, which assisted with facility upgrades and continue to assist with on-going annual scholarships and operations. All told, the family has gifted and pledged more than $11.1 million to Augustana College.
CLICK HERE to read remarks by President Oliver.
CLICK HERE to see video coverage by the Argus Leader.
Inspired by Lutheran scholarly tradition and the liberal arts, Augustana provides an education of enduring worth that challenges the intellect, fosters integrity and integrates faith with learning and service in a diverse world.
For more information, contact Bruce Conley, Director of News Information.
Phone: (605) 274-5526
Fax: (605) 274-4903