A Kansas Athletics staff member passes through a hallway connecting the concourse during a tour of the new David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Monday, July 28, 2025. Photo by Nick Krug

It’s not all too often that our wildest dreams and greatest visions come to fruition.

People can live their entire lives charting a course toward a lofty goal, imagining the future, executing a plan near seamlessly, and yet many times the outcome doesn’t meet the dream.

So, when you are fortunate enough for a dream to turn to reality, it’s a moment that deserves reflection, appreciation and a little awe.

That’s where I find myself today.

Six days from opening the reimagined David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, the rabid Jayhawk fan who grew up in Dodge City and started his journey as a student at KU, is having a hard time wrapping his head around this dream that is now reality.

WE did it.

After years of meticulous planning, nonstop meetings and incredible teamwork, WE have tackled a decades-long challenge and converted it into one of our greatest opportunities.

In less than a week, WE will celebrate the transformation of the NEW David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and welcome in a community that has been with us every step of the way.

Our dream wasn’t simply to build a football stadium, although our collective commitment to Kansas Football and what Coach Leipold and his young men have achieved has certainly been at the forefront of it. Our dream transcends the gridiron and, with the help of this amazing community, WE have defined what a multi-use stadium, expansive conference center and, eventually, an economic-driving mixed-use development could be.

While the full vision has not yet been reached, our collective will and aligned partnership ensures it will be. Frankly, we’ve tackled the hardest part. We’ve gone from renderings to reality. We’ve gone from “What if?” to “Is it possible” to “Only a matter of time.”

Saturday, when you walk through the gates for the first time, I ask that you do the same thing I’ll do – take a minute and soak it all in. The moment belongs to our football program and University, sure. But it also belongs to YOU.

The new Booth is for all of us. This remarkable stadium and the development to follow will further connect the powerful relationship between the University of Kansas and the Lawrence community. It will impact the entire state and bring people near and far to Lawrence to experience the place I am so proud to call home.

A breathtaking new venue like this cannot happen without elite alignment and vision at the University of Kansas. We are so thankful for the leadership and commitment of Chancellor Girod to make this a reality for our community. He has truly been a visionary, and he and his team have been exceptional partners. And, without a shadow of a doubt, our namesake donor and transformative leader and philanthropist, David Booth, has propelled us forward every step of the way. He, alongside many other leadership donors, has fueled the project to this remarkable place.

It will drive tourism, local business and economic impact in a way that no other project ever has. In fact, as I write that, it becomes clear “project” is no longer an accurate term for what’s happening here in Lawrence. It’s a transcendent transformation.

We would not be here if it weren’t for every member of the Lawrence and KU communities. Thank YOU for your hand in bringing this to reality.

We have more work to do and more dreams to accomplish. For now, let’s take a deep breath and appreciate what WE have achieved together.