Texas A&M imploded the west stands of Kyle Field Sunday to make room for bigger and better accommodations as part of a $485 million redevelopment of the football stadium in College Station.
The Maryland firm of Controlled Demolition took down the towering three-deck west stands with several thousand pounds of explosives in front of several thousand fans,
according to KBTX-TV. The stands included the alumni stands, press box and suites.
When the reconstruction of the stands is finished, Kyle Field will be able to seat 102,500 fans for Texas A&M home football games. Texas A&M System officials are touting the construction as the largest stadium redevelopment in college football history.
The new west stands, which are slated to be completed by the start of the 2015 season, will also house new suites and Texas A&M Hall of Champions,
according to the Dallas Morning News.
Texas A&M football coach Kevin Sumlin told the Morning News that even though it has been an inconvenience, he believes supporters will be happy with the final product next football season.
"It's hard to believe that's all going to change," said Sumlin "But it's all for the better, and our fans will be really, really excited when this phase gets done."
The new seating capacity would move Kyle Field into fourth place of the largest college football venues in the NCAA, behind Michigan (109,901), Penn State (106,572) and Ohio State (104,944),
according to The Sporting News.
It will make Kyle Field the largest stadium, capacity-wide, in the Southeastern Conference, just ahead of such places as Tennessee (102,455), Louisiana State (102,321), Alabama (101,821) and Georgia (92,746). It will also make Kyle Field the largest stadium in football-crazy Texas, compared to bitter rival University of Texas's Darrell Royal Texas Memorial Stadium (100,119) and the Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium (80,000).
KBTX-TV noted that Texas A&M has played football at the Kyle Field site since 1905, but the first permanent seating was not built until the late 1920s. Expansions to the facility occurred in 1953, 1967, 1980 and 1999.
Related Stories: