Nick Lopardo '68, right, got some help from his grandson Kyle at the November 6 groundbreaking for the University's new Lopardo Stadium, which will open in the fall of 2000. Athletic Director Don Harnum, University President Joel Cunningham and Sam Ross '54, chair of the board of directors, were among those who assisted in the ceremony.

Susquehanna's $14 million expansion and renovation of sports and fitness facilities shifted into high gear on November 6 with groundbreaking for the University's new Nicholas A. Lopardo Stadium during the last home football game on the former Amos Alonzo Stagg Field.

Within six weeks, contractors had completed demolition of the existing stadium and had begun site preparation for the new football and track stadium. The facility, to be located on a new Stagg field, will be completed in time for the fall 2000 football season. A new 51,000 square-foot field house, a new fitness center and renovations to the existing O.W. Houts Gymnasium will follow the stadium project.

Sixty of the 100 top football players for the past 100 seasons were on hand as Nicholas A. Lopardo '68 turned the first shovelsful of earth. Lopardo's wife, Diane, and six-month-old grandson Kyle joined University President Joel Cunningham, Board of Directors Chair Sam Ross '54, Athletics Director Don Harnum, and varsity athletes Karyn Kern '00 and J.R. Reynolds '00 in the ceremony behind the home bench.

The new football and track stadium will provide seating capacity for 3,500 spectators, a concession stand, a press box, and an eight-lane, quarter-mile track. It will be constructed just northeast of the former stadium on the site of the former baseball field. New baseball and practice fields have been created at the southwest part of campus behind West Hall and will be first used in the spring 2000 season. Relocation of the stadium will also require the construction of three new outdoor tennis courts.

Two major additions and renovations to the O.W. Houts Gym will follow the stadium project. The Jacobs Fitness Center, to be constructed on the west front of the gym, facing Bogar Hall, is scheduled for completion in November 2000. The new field house and a connecting link will be built on the east side of the gym on the site of the former Stagg Field. It is scheduled to open in August 2001.

A construction crew cleared former stands on Amos Alonzo Stagg Field to prepare the site for the sports fitness project that will include the new Lopardo stadium, the Jacobs Fitness Center and a 51,000-square-foot field house.

A member of the University board of directors since 1992, Lopardo played football and baseball at Susquehanna. He is a member of the University's Sports Hall of Fame and the Crusaders Top 100 Players of 100 Seasons Football Team. Recipient of the 1999 Alumni Award for Achievement, he is vice chairman of State Street Corporation in Boston, Mass., and chairman and chief executive officer of State Street Global Advisors.

"Without Mr. Lopardo's leadership in moving us forward on the sports and fitness complex, we wouldn't have been able to break ground on the schedule we're planning to now," President Cunningham said. "We are grateful for his substantial financial commitment to this project, as well as the gifts he has made to other campaign priorities, including the new business and communications building." Lopardo's gift commitments to the Susquehanna 2000 campaign exceed $1.5 million.

The expansion and renovation is the first major improvement to the University's athletics facilities in 23 years. The project is one of the remaining priorities in the University's Susquehanna 2000: The Next Challenge capital campaign. Susquehanna is working to meet the terms of a $1 million challenge grant from The Kresge Foundation of Troy, Mich., to support to the new sports and fitness complex. As of December 31, 1999, gifts and pledges to the campaign totaled more than $44.9 million on an original goal of $35 million.

	Completion		Projects		Location
	October 1999		New baseball field		Southwest campus near Sassafras Ave.
	August 2000		New football/track stadium		Just northeast of current location
	November 2000		New fitness center		West addition to O.W. Houts Gym
	August 2001		New field house		East addition to O.W. Houts Gym (on site of current stadium)
	August 2001		Renovations		Existing physical education facilities