By Maleesa Johnson
Staff Writer
While the game against the University of Texas at Austin marks the last football game at Floyd Casey Stadium, the ultimate fate of the facility remains undetermined.
“Simply put, we have no plans for it right now, whether we are going to tear it down or keep it.” said Brian Nicholson, associate vice president of facility, planning and construction. “Ultimately we aren’t going to keep it, we’re going to sell it. We just haven’t decided.”
There have been multiple scenarios rumored as to what the future holds for The Case. One scenario was the possibility of the stadium being used by Waco Independent School District.
“Many years ago, before Waco ISD built a stadium, I’m sure that that may have happened,” said Nick Joos, executive associate athletics director. “Whenever we get into a situation with high schools and what we can give them, there are some NCAA rules that we also have to follow in that regard.”
Both Joos and Nicholson said Baylor’s agreement with the City of Waco greatly impacts what will happen to Floyd Casey. Nicholson said they will try to come up with use for facility that best benefits Waco. For now, Nicholson said the construction of the new stadium takes precedence over the fate of Floyd Casey.
“Bottom line is we haven’t even evaluated it,” Nicholson said. “It is on the far backburner. All of our focus right now is to get the stadium done.”
Even though Saturday marks the last football game in the stadium, the facility will still be in use next semester. There are workout rooms on the north end zone side of the stadium that are used by track and field throughout both semesters. High school football playoffs will also take place at The Case.
Regardless of the fate of the stadium, pieces of it will still be present in honor of the time spent there.
“We’re going to be taking some of the parts out of Floyd Casey and making it part of the new stadium,” Joos said. “The turf will come out and be part of Touchdown alley for the tailgating experience. Smaller furniture and things of that nature will be repurposed at the new stadiums.”
There have not been any definite decisions made, but Joos said he thinks it will most likely be demolished.
“I think that will certainly happen at some point in time,” Joos said. “But we will keep it up for right now just in case we should need it.”
As previously reported by the Lariat, three years ago Baylor officials considered the possibility of renovating Floyd Casey. Reagan Ramsower, senior vice president for operations and chief financial officer, said at that time the renovations would have cost an estimated $80 million. Ramsower also said if a way to repurpose Floyd Casey was not found, the stadium would most likely be demolished.
Nicholson said the likelihood of Waco needing a venue the size of Floyd Casey in conjunction with the new Baylor Stadium was very little. He also said they had not spoken with any potential buyers or realtors yet.
Ultimately, the fate of Floyd Casey Stadium is currently undecided, but both Joos and Nicholson said that they doubt it will be needed for anything following the completion of the new stadium and track facility.
