Video board at UMass’ renovated stadium collapses (Photo)
By Phil Watson
The UMass Minutemen were celebrating their return to renovated Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Saturday, playing their first game there since 2011.
But in the third quarter of their game against the Bowling Green Falcons, the video board at the stadium collapsed.
Announcer during UMASS game: "The video board just fell." pic.twitter.com/OA0LSc2lnM
— Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) September 27, 2014
Oh my god. The video board just fell down at the UMass-BG game. UMass has a new stadium...yikes! pic.twitter.com/uLChWo2Rnf
— Jordan Strack (@JordanStrack) September 27, 2014
There was no immediate word on a cause for the collapse or whether there were any injuries. We can hope the answer to the latter question is “no.”
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The Bowling Green contest is UMass’ homecoming game this year, one that took on a bigger meaning with the return to the on-campus facility.
The video board collapse is a foreboding development, however, for a 50-year-old facility that was renovated while skirting the requirements of the American Disabilities Act, according to a report in the Northampton (Mass.) Gazette on Saturday.
The football program’s new training center and the new press box were built without either structure actually touching the stadium.
According to UMass spokesperson Edward Blaguszewski, performing the renovations in this manner “doesn’t trigger the immediate need” to update the compliance of the entire stadium, originally built in 1964.
Blaguszewski said he is not aware of any immediate plans to bring McGuirk Stadium into ADA compliance, adding that it would cost “millions and millions of dollars” to make the entire stadium ADA-compliant.
The Minutemen played their home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough the last two seasons while the renovation was under way.
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