Michie Stadium revamp project funding

Image: Army West Point Athletics & Ewing Cole

The Army West Point Athletics Association (AWPAA) and the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) announced that the initial private funding necessary to break ground in the Spring of 2024 on the Michie Stadium Preservation Project in West Point, New York (US) is secured.

‘Army West Point Athletics’ stated that expected completion for this project, which will rebuild and modernize the current East Stands, is slated for Summer 2026. During this time, the Army West Point will continue to welcome fans at the Michie Stadium for men’s and women’s lacrosse, football, graduation, and other special events.

West Point, New York (US)-based the Army West Point Athletics Association (AWPAA) is a non-profit organization that manages and supports the 30 intercollegiate athletic programs at the United States Military Academy (USMA). The AWPAA’’ mission is to provide a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletic experience that develops leaders of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country.

The AWPAA, a 501(c)(3) organization that executes the USMA’s intercollegiate athletics mission, is a non-Federal entity and is not fundraising on behalf of the USMA. The appearance of USMA marks or images does not imply endorsement of the AWPAA by the USMA, the Department of the Army, or the Department of Defense.

The West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) is the Alumni Association for the United States Military Academy (USMA). Its mission is to serve West Point and its graduates. Its purpose is to further the ideals and promote the welfare of the USMA. The WPAOG is the primary private organization, authorized to raise private funds on behalf of the United States Military Academy. As a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation, its philanthropic pursuits maintain the Margin of Excellence at West Point, providing needed support for West Point.

The United States Military Academy (UAMA), also known metonymically as the West Point or simply as Army, is a United States Service Academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on a strategic high ground overlooking the Hudson River 50 miles North of New York City.

The Michie Stadium Preservation Project (MSPP) is a donor-funded project to modernize the East Stands of the Michie Stadium at the United States Military Academy. The project aims to preserve the stadium’s 100-year history while providing a world-class experience for fans, graduates, families, and cadets.

Indianapolis (US)-based the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student-athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and one in Canada. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and helps over 500,000 college student athletes who compete annually in college sports.

The NCAA Division I is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally.

The Michie Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. The home field for the Army Black Knights, it opened 99 years ago in 1924 and has a current seating capacity of 38,000. The stadium sits at the upper portion of the campus directly West of the Lusk Reservoir.

The Army Black Knights football team, previously known as the Army Cadets, represents the United States Military Academy in college football. The Army Black Knights is a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the NCAA. The Black Knights play their home games in the Michie Stadium.

Maintained Mike Buddie, Army West Point Director of Athletics, “This project has been a critical need for over a decade, and we are thrilled to be breaking ground on such a transformative facility. It is a remarkable testament to the generosity and loyalty of the West Point community that we were able to raise $170 million in funding. “This aspirational project more than tripled the scope of the next closest gift-funded project in the Academy’s history. To have secured two individual lead commitments of more than $20 million and several commitments of more than $5 million is humbling and overwhelming and speaks to the impact of the West Point experience. This project will support the entire Corps of Cadets and our fans, not just football and lacrosse cadet-athletes.”

‘Army West Point Athletics’ further stated that met with an aggressive timeline to secure funding to be able to break ground this Spring and faced with COVID-related inflation and delays, Buddie partnered with the Association of Graduates President and head honcho Mark Bieger (Class of 1991), prominent graduates and WPAOG fundraising colleagues to plan and execute the aggressive fundraising strategy to bring the project to fruition.

Added Bieger, “This historic effort is only possible because of the incredible collaboration, teamwork and leadership across West Point in getting us to this point. The Long Gray Line leaned in tremendously to ensure this iconic stadium will continue to serve as a beautiful and safe public portal showcasing the Corps of Cadets and the Academy to the nation they serve.”

The transformational Michie Stadium Preservation Project will preserve and protect the Michie Stadium’s 100-year history and tradition while providing a world-class experience for the cadets, graduates, families, and fans. The Corps of Cadets seating section will stretch from end zone to end zone ensuring that the cadets are a central focus as well as an amplifying source of gameday support for the cadet-athletes on the field. The featured amenities include premium seating and improved concessions. In addition, the surrounding landscape will be reconfigured to improve accessibility while capitalizing on the panoramic views of the Lusk Reservoir, the Cadet Chapel, Fort Putnam, and the scenic Hudson Valley.

Observed Jeff Monken, USMA Football Head Coach, “We’re celebrating 100 years of Michie. It has a tremendous history – five national champions, the Heisman Trophy (awarded annually to the most outstanding college football player in the NCAA) winners that have played here and legendary coaches. It’s time to take this stadium to the next level for the next 100 years. But there is so much more to this project than just Army Football. It’s a representation of the excellence of this institution and the men and women who serve in the United States Army every single day. It’s the excellence that we demand, the excellence that’s expected from our cadets and our Army.”

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