UNC Football announces Kenan Stadium 100th anniversary plans

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Following up on the renewed interest in football with the Spring ACC Meetings completing this past week, and fresh off of two sell-out Savannah Bananas events, UNC announced this week that it’s time to celebrate Kenan Stadium’s 100th Anniversary, and in celebration the place is getting a bit of a glow-up.

The logo could use some work before it appears on official merchandise — which you know will be made — because if you look close at the “Seasons” right in the middle, you’ll see the dashes on either side don’t line up. That said, the rest of the logo incorporates elements that make the stadium unique, including a view of the Bell Tower and the fact that the stadium is nestled in the pines.

The full story on the celebration serves not only as a teaser for the fact that there will be special events during the season to commemorate the occasion, but also serve to get some excitement brewing for the football that will be played inside. This includes a couple of necessary upgrades that will be worked on during the summer. The most noticeable will be the video boards in both end zones, as they have become dated and past their usefulness — not to mention different sizes. Both boards will now be replaced by identically sized boards, and those boards will be about 20 feet wider and 7 feet taller than the current displays, with sharper technology making the video clearer. It’ll be even better to watch the ridiculously long video reviews when officials go under the hood.

Carolina is also going to add more LED ribbon boards around the stadium, essentially creating a more unified experience across the stadium. In the announcement they released renderings of the planned look.

What won’t be seen (but will be heard) is an upgraded sound system. This has also been something that several fans have noted needed to be improved, and supposedly the new speaker system will allow for clearer sound throughout the stadium.

On the field the Tar Heels are going to add an expected throwback element for one game — the stair-step UNC helmet will make an appearance after being teased last year when Bill Belichick was hired. It’s part of a full-on retro look that will be used for one game, ostensibly to celebrate the teams Lawrence Tayler played on in the early 1980’s.

The announcement from Carolina also informed fans that the pregame concerts that were arguably the most popular and well-received part of the season in 2025 will return with artists to be named later.

With the daunting task ahead of them considering the significantly harder schedule and a lot of skepticism about the makeup of the team, it’s nice to know that there will be several good components about attending a game at Kenan Stadium. With several season tickets still available to purchase for an average of $62.50/game for the least expensive seats, it’s clear the team is trying to emphasize just how enjoyable the experience will be outside of the football.

As for the rest of the experience that includes the football? That remains to be seen.

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