Latest news with #TroyDannen
USA Today
29-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen discusses changes to Memorial Stadium end zones
Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen discusses changes to Memorial Stadium end zones Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen recently spoke to the Huskers Radio Network about the installation of red end zones at Memorial Stadium. On Wednesday, he posted pictures of the end zones on social media. Dannen shared his thoughts on the changes while speaking to the Huskers Radio Network. "The field looks good. Everyone has been thrilled with it. There are a lot of field design experts on my Twitter telling me what it should or shouldn't be. Getting those red end zones, for every one person that tells me they like it, the next person tells me they don't. We've all been after getting a little more red inside the facility." Dannen was able to showcase several aerial shots of the improved field. Since becoming the athletic director at Nebraska, Dannen has been vocal in his belief that the university underutilizes the color red. "We underutilized red a lot and I don't understand it. We don't light the stadium up from the outside and we should light it red every night. Red is an intimidating color and we should use it a lot more than we use it. I've told the Governor that the road signs, exits off of I-80 should be in red. Not in green. Not in blue, but in red. Little things like that and how we brand ourselves. Having those red end zones and I think it's a strong color. When we put the black letters in the end zone, I think it's a strong look." Nebraska will open Memorial Stadium in 2025 on Sept. 6 when the Cornhuskers host Akron in Lincoln. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nebraska athletic director shows off Memorial Stadium video board and new stadium turf
Nebraska athletic director shows off Memorial Stadium video board and new stadium turf Nebraska's athletic director confirmed that the summer construction season is underway. Troy Dannen showed off the replacement of the panels on the Memorial Stadium video board, the complete reconstruction of the grass practice fields, and the new stadium turf. When speaking to the Husker Online podcast last February, Dannen confirmed that there will be noticeable changes to the look of the playing surface this fall. The team boxes will be black, and there will be a little more flare on the sides. The color scheme, the aesthetic of the turf, and the fact that it's one solid color and not variances of green. That is what the turf will look like at the stadium this fall. He then confirmed that the end zones will be red in 2025, similar to the new paint scheme that debuted at the Hawks Championship Center. The use of red end zones shouldn't surprise anyone. Since becoming the athletic director at Nebraska, Dannen has been vocal in his belief that the university underutilizes the color red. We underutilized red a lot and I don't understand it. We don't light the stadium up from the outside and we should light it red every night. Red is an intimidating color and we should use it a lot more than we use it. I've told the Governor that the road signs, exits off of I-80 should be in red. Not in green. Not in blue, but in red. Little things like that and how we brand ourselves. Having those red end zones and I think it's a strong color. When we put the black letters in the end zone, I think it's a strong look. The upcoming changes to the field are an interesting development and Dannen and head coach Matt Rhule have said they hope to switch Memorial Stadium from field turf to natural grass by 2026. When Memorial Stadium opened in 1923, Nebraska played on natural grass through the 1969 season. In 1970, the Huskers installed AstroTurf, and it has been playing on an artificial surface at home ever since. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
New York Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Nebraska's leadership has positioned Huskers to handle college football's changing landscape
LINCOLN, Neb. — Another consequential day is here amid a dizzying offseason that will shape the future of college sports. Wednesday could bring us closer than at any point yet to the end of negotiations in the proposed settlement of the House v. NCAA lawsuit. Filed in 2020, it has paved the way for former collegiate athletes to receive $2.8 billion in damages. If approved by a U.S. district judge in California, the settlement would allow schools to pay $20.5 million annually to current athletes. The final sticking point that sent the NCAA and its lawyers back to the drawing board two weeks ago involved roster limits. The judge wants protections for already enrolled athletes who could lose their roster spots because of the settlement terms. This is also, arguably, the biggest headache for Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule and athletic director Troy Dannen. But they have responded to the legal twists better than could have been expected from any of their predecessors at Nebraska, who bungled less complex predicaments in the past 25 years. Multiple times since January, the pendulum has swung. First, in a direction that appeared set to impose a firm, 105-player cap in football in August 2025; then, toward a more relaxed implementation of the 105 that could give a program like Nebraska ample time to shrink its roster from a head count of 150 just four months ago. The latest: An attorney who represents the NCAA and college sports leaders told the Associated Press this week that 'several dozen' athletes nationally who lodged objections to the roster limits would be offered roster spots. Spots in what programs? Who are the objectors? And did anyone know they had to object to receive relief? Undoubtedly, it's a source of frustration for Rhule, who's trying 'desperately,' he said last month, to build a program that fosters the good health and happiness of his players. So, a week into May, with final exams scheduled for next week in Lincoln, Rhule likely still can't tell about 10 percent of Nebraska's players if they'll have spots in the locker room in four months. Coincidentally, though not in the larger sense, Dannen promoted two administrators into associate AD positions on Tuesday. Both are lawyers. Excited to announce promotions for two Husker Administration members: Jonathan Bateman – Associate AD/Administration Audrey Polt – Associate AD for Legal Affairs/Associate General Counsel#GBR | — Nebraska Huskers (@Huskers) May 6, 2025 It takes a law degree to keep up with college sports today. Nebraska is well-positioned for anything that might happen this week. It's got money, thanks to the support of its fans and donors and the Big Ten's lucrative TV deal. It's got Dannen, who on Monday was named to serve a term on the College Football Playoff selection committee. And it's got Rhule, a cool customer at the center of the storm. The coach sat ringside Monday night in Omaha with quarterback Dylan Raiola and running back Emmett Johnson for WWE Raw, making it look easy to navigate Nebraska through a stressful offseason away from the field as he deals with the urgency to build a stable winner in Year 3 out of a program that's 47-69 in the past decade. It's work for Rhule this year largely because of his ability to delegate, to communicate and to wait. Like no coach before him at Nebraska, Rhule changed his day-to-day in midstream. Consider that in the middle of last season, he had no choice but to get knee deep in the Nebraska offense. The special teams were sinking. And three days after the regular season ended, Rhule's trusted defensive coordinator left for Florida State. Rhule responded by signing Dana Holgorsen, his November solution for the offense, to a two-year deal. The head coach coaxed his former DC, Phil Snow, out of semi-retirement to help smooth the transition for John Butler, bumped up from secondary coach. And Rhule landed Mike Ekeler, one of the best in the country at what he does, to run the Huskers' special teams. Ekeler, Holgorsen and Butler, with Snow as an advisor, were handed autonomy from Rhule to run their departments. He also hired a full-service general manager in Pat Stewart, from the New England Patriots, to manage roster finance, acquisition and retention. Rhule oversees the operation like a CEO, with an eye on market conditions and the competition. One day in the middle of spring practice last month, he ordered a group of defensive players out of the football complex before they reached a point of diminishing returns in prep work for a scrimmage. Another time, he shared with Elijah Pritchett, the Huskers' addition at left tackle from Alabama, that uncomfortable times in the transition to a new school would ready him for a 12-year career in the NFL. Rhule's focus on talking to his players makes a difference in uncertain times that have required hard decisions. He's found the right mix of patience and urgency. Rhule did not swing with the pendulum as the outlook shifted on the proposed settlement. Nebraska took action to reduce its roster size last year. The number stood at 123 after spring practice. The Huskers added a third kicker last week, Charlotte transfer Kyle Cunanan. They'll take another punter who can operate in Ekeler's rugby-style system. Rhule's measured approach has influenced some Nebraska players to wait out the storm. 'I don't care,' they told him, according to Rhule. 'I'm a Husker. I'll be here until you tell me I can't be here.' The day may still arrive when he has to tell them. It could come as a result of something resolved on Wednesday. But in a world of federal intervention and salary caps, it pays at Nebraska to have leaders with a plan. (Photo of Troy Dannen and Matt Rhule: Steven Branscombe / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nebraska's Troy Dannen, longtime administrator Jeff Long named to College Football Playoff committee
FILE - Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen speaks to reporters during the team's practice for a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, March 21, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File) FILE - Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen speaks to reporters during the team's practice for a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, March 21, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File) IRVING, Texas (AP) — Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen and longtime administrator Jeff Long have been appointed to the College Football Playoff selection committee, CFP executive director Rich Clark announced Monday. Dannen will replace Damon Evans, who recently became athletic director at Southern Methodist. Long will serve a one-year term, replacing Steve Weiberg, who stepped down from the committee for personal reasons. Advertisement Dannen is in his second year at Nebraska following a short stint at Washington and eight years at Tulane. He served from 2021-23 on the NCAA Constitution Committee and the Division I Transformation Committee. He also previously served as the chair of the NCAA Football Competition Committee and was an executive committee member of the Football Oversight Committee. Long, a consultant with ISE and Trenchcoat Advisors, returns to the committee after having served from 2014-18, including as the initial chairman in 2014-15. He spent 22 years as an athletic director at Eastern Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Arkansas and Kansas. Long was also active in NCAA governance. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
USA Today
05-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nebraska athletic director named to College Football Playoff Selection Committee
Nebraska athletic director named to College Football Playoff Selection Committee Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen has been appointed to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. Dannen is joined by Jeff Long, who was the AD at Kansas, Arkansas, and Pittsburgh. The Huskers' AD is replacing Damon Evans, who recently became the athletic director at Southern Methodist. Executive Director Rich Clark expressed his excitement for the new appointments. "We are pleased to have Troy and Jeff join the committee. Troy brings a long commitment to college athletics to our group and previous experience as a member of the FCS Selection Committee, while Jeff, as the first chairman of the CFP selection committee (2014-15), will step in immediately and provide an experienced voice in the room." Troy Dannen is in his second year as Nebraska's athletics director. He previously served as the chair of the NCAA Football Competition Committee and was an executive committee member of the Football Oversight Committee. The College Football Playoff Selection Committee ranks the top 25 teams and assigns 12 teams to the playoff bracket. The committee meets in person beginning in early November and produces a ranking of the top 25 teams each week leading up to its final selections. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
