The Pavilion at Ole Miss is taking shape and set for a Jan. 7 opening as the new home for Rebels basketball, and the highly-anticipated expansion of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is just days away from getting started. Ole Miss, which began the Forward Together fundraising campaign four years ago, has surpassed the stated $150 million goal and extended the mark to $200 million, the school announced Tuesday.

But the next step in the campaign, which involves closing off the north end zone of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium immediately following Saturday’s home finale against LSU, is perhaps one of the most interesting changes.

The renovation will give the stadium a more complete look with a plaza and bell tower on the north end, and it will mark the end of the Walk of Champions, which begins in The Grove. The plaza will also include the new Jake Gibbs Letterwinner Walk, which will feature columns with the names of every athlete who has earned a varsity letter at Ole Miss.

Bowling in the north end zone will increase the capacity of the football stadium to 64,038. New video boards and audio systems are also a part of the next step of construction.

With the new goal of $200 million, many other projects are on deck to be tackled in the coming years. Football practice fields, Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field, FedEx Student-Athlete Success Center, Gillom Sports Center, Ole Miss Track and Field Complex, Starnes Athletic Training Center and a new indoor tennis facility are among the next tasks for the campaign.

“We are always amazed to see how generous Rebel Nation can be, and we look forward to seeing this excitement continue as we move ahead to reach our new goal,” Keith Carter, Ole Miss senior associate athletics director for development/Athletics Foundation executive director, said in a release.

 

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