Beloved college football stadium that once housed $8.9bn NFL franchise set for America’s biggest upgrade, transforming the iconic venue forever
Illinois will boast a scoreboard that matches up with some of the modern billion-dollar stadiums in the NFL.
Gies Memorial Stadium has been home to the Fighting Illini for more than a century.
First opened in 1923, the building still stands as a memorial to the University of Illinois students who died in the First World War.
Gies Memorial Stadium will undergo a record-breaking renovation in 2026
It has undergone multiple renovations to ensure it caters to modern collegiate needs all these years later, and even hosted the Chicago Bears for one season back in 2002.
When the $8.9 billion NFL franchise was making changes to Solider Field, they played home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, and went 3-5.
Already rich in history, the iconic field will soon be getting a record-breaking makeover.
Fighting Illini to install largest video board in FBS
In January, the university announced a series of upgrades to Gies Memorial Stadium that will include installing the largest scoreboard in college sports.
To be built in collaboration with Anthony James Partners, the new scoreboard will stand at 69 feet high and 250 feet wide.
It will replace the stadium’s existing south end zone video screen, and will measure in at more than 17,300 square feet.
The size of the display will allow for what the school describes as ‘larger-than-life content’ which will include live video, instant replays, graphics, animations, game statistics and sponsorship messages.
Completion is scheduled before the beginning of the 2026 season.
The $29 million renovation project will see a total 16 LED displays installed at Gies Memorial Stadium, which combine for more than 26,750 square feet and 30 million pixels.
Even those outside the building will benefit. On the backside of the main video display, two screens will face the outside of the stadium to connect with fans as they arrive and experience the game-day atmosphere.
The old scoreboard at the south end zone of Memorial Stadium will be replaced
A huge new scoreboard will stand in its place from the 2026 season onwards
The new video board will be the biggest in college sports
Flexibility will allow for pre-game hype videos, post-game victory animations showcasing the score, promotion for upcoming games and university events, and sponsorship or university messaging needs.
“These new visual resources reflect our commitment to providing one of the nation’s best game day experiences,” Director of Athletics Josh Whitman said.
“Under Coach Bielema’s leadership, and with an electric fan base that is now filling our stadium to near capacity, our program has become one of the most successful and exciting in major college football.
“We are thrilled to make this major investment in our historic stadium — one of the sport’s great venues — as we continue our efforts to enhance the experience for our fans, student athletes, and others, all with an eye toward building a championship program.”
How will the new scoreboard size up to the biggest in the country?
Once the installation is complete, the Fighting Illini will have the largest video display in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
The 17,315 square foot screen blows Auburn’s 10,690 square foot screen out of the water.
The new Illinois video screen will be much larger than the current model
It will overtake the display at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium
Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium also boasts one of the biggest screens in college
Purdue have the third-biggest display (8,461 square foot), with Oregon (8,208 square foot) behind them and Michigan in fifth place with an 8,208 square foot screen.
Not only will Illinois have the biggest scoreboard in all of college sports, but it will also be one of the largest displays in all of American football.
Only six NFL fields — SoFi Stadium in California, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara — match up.
The latter, which is home to the San Francisco 49ers, will host Super Bowl LX next month.
The Illinois project has been funded thanks to a huge donation of $100m, made by alum Larry Gies back in September 2025.
Levi’s Stadium has one of the largest boards in the NFL and will host Super Bowl LX
Following that contribution, which was one of the largest single gifts ever received by a college athletics program, Memorial Stadium was renamed in his honor.
