Close to 4500 seats were installed at the Liberty Bowl. The project is constructed by O.T. Marshall Architects.
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium underwent a summer facelift that cost north of $9 million in advance of the 2016 football season.
New lights surrounding the field, an additional 4,500 lower-level seatback chairs and a lavish recruiting room are just some of the upgrades Tom Marshall, of O.T. Marshall Architects, oversaw this summer with the help of new head coach Mike Norvell.
“Coach Norvell is a personal dynamo with tons of energy,†Marshall said. “He’s great at conveying his thoughts and for an architect, that’s important. The more I hear, the more I can make it a reality.â€
Marshall and his team began the project over seven years ago when they originally submitted a response for the construction of what is now Tiger Lane.
Marshall’s father, Oscar Thomas ‘O.T.’ Marshall, who founded O.T. Marshall Architects in 1957, had been a staple in Memphis architecture for decades, completing numerous projects for the city.
“My father had done several buildings for the city in years prior, so we were selected by the city of Memphis to demolish the fairgrounds buildings and construct Tiger Lane,†Marshall explained. “We got the second phase of the [Liberty Bowl] project because of the work we did on Tiger Lane.â€
The second phase of the Liberty Bowl project began with Marshall and the previous head coach, Justin Fuente, selecting new field turf.
“After visiting five fields, [Fuente] selected a turf that he said was ‘built for speed,’†Marshall said. “We decided to use the same turf that’s used at the Citrus Bowl in Miami.â€
Marshall said he went to the Liberty Bowl with Norvell to inspect the turf early on.
“When I showed Coach Norvell the turf we put down, he rubbed his hands on it, rubbed his face on it – all the strange things coaches do to turf – and he said, ‘yeah, this is what we need,’†Marshall said.
The final phase of the project involved the improvements that fans will see this Saturday as they enter the Liberty Bowl to watch the Tigers take on Southeast Missouri State.
Initially, Memphis was told that it would take over $41 million to upgrade the Liberty Bowl, until they reached out to O.T. Marshall Architects.
“Memphis came to our firm, and we sat down with the justice department to try and lower that figure,†Marshall said. “We found middle ground at $9 million.â€
Marshall and his firm also helped fix another problem Memphis was having with adding the seatback chairs.
“That $9 million expanded the handicap ledge at row 25 to approximately 500 spaces for people with disabilities,†Marshall said. “We also created additional handicap space in the upper concourse in case some people want a bird’s eye view of the game. We basically brought the facilities into the 21st century.â€
The other firm Memphis had consulted told them they would have to remove and rebuild the existing structure because adding as many as 4,500 seats in place of the bleacher-style seats would obstruct the view of some spectators.
“We determined a way to convert 500 seatback seats to 5,000 while also increasing the width of the seats from 19 inches to 21 inches and adding more leg room,†Marshall said. “19-inch seats just aren’t wide enough for most people in Memphis.â€
The most anticipated part of the renovation is something fans won’t see when they walk into the stadium, but it will be used often and for an important reason.
“There was about $50,000 set aside for this project,†Marshall said. “Coach Norvell came to me seven weeks ago and said with constantly recruiting players, we needed a special space. I wanted to create something that was halfway between a Swedish coffee house and a high-tech gaming parlor.â€
Marshall said they created a recruiting room.
“It wasn’t the most expensive part of the project, but it’s become the most talked about part of the project. We wanted to make it a chic, sexy, club-type atmosphere,†Marshall said. “There are gaming consoles – PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. There’s a set similar to what you would see at ESPN, mannequins with all the different jerseys of Memphis and a bar in that back that serves nonalcoholic drinks, of course.â€
