Indiana football details multiple new gameday changes, enhancements to Memorial Stadium

The Indiana football program is going through multiple significant changes to the gameday experience at Memorial Stadium ahead of Curt Cignetti’s debut season.

Indiana’s season gets underway at home on August 31 against Florida International and will have eight home games in total in 2024.

Below is the release from the Indiana football program with some of the detailed changes.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – As the Indiana football program and first-year head coach Curt Cignetti inch closer to the start of the 2024 season and a new-look Big Ten schedule, Memorial Stadium will undergo some enhancements to its gameday experience prior to the opening kickoff versus FIU on Aug. 31.

Some of the upgrades will include a new team entry, upgraded dining options via IU’s partnership with Levy, the addition of more outdoor suites, relocation of Memorial Stadium’s in-house DJ and a more fan-accessible location for The Rock.

Relocation of Hep’s Rock

With approval from the Hoeppner family, Hep’s Rock, a three-ton limestone remnant from the original Memorial Stadium construction, will be relocated from its north end zone location to the east concourse of Memorial Stadium to make it an even larger part of the IU gameday fan experience.

In 2005, then-first-year head coach Terry Hoeppner brought two great traditions to the Bloomington campus in The Walk and The Rock – which the team touched before every game of his tenure. After his passing in June 2007 after a hard-fought battle with brain cancer, the 2007 team dedicated it as Hep’s Rock on its way to the Insight Bowl, its first bowl appearance since 1993.

The Rock sat in the north end zone from 2005 through the 2023 season, and changes to the structure of Memorial Stadium limited fan access over time.

In its new location, Hep’s Rock will now be a formal part of The Walk, with players, coaches, and staff, each interacting with the touchstone prior to entering the stadium. It’s location also makes Hep’s Rock accessible to students, alumni, and fans at any time.

Team Entrance

With Hep’s Rock moved to its new home, the gameday team entrance will also be revamped. The group from Thomas James Productions will expand and enclose the tunnel, along with added pyrotechnics and a new, fan-immersive experience.

Outdoor Suite Additions

The addition of field-level outdoor suites debuted inside Memorial Stadium during the 2023 season and the overwhelming response was so impressive the offering has been expanded for the 2024 season. The eight field-level suites will be accompanied by eight more outdoor suites on The Rooftop at The Rock.

The premium suite experience expands on the partnership between IU Athletics and REVEL^XP, the U.S. sports and entertainment brand that has worked with nearly 100 collegiate and professional properties nationwide. REVEL^XP provides fans with elevated gameday experiences.

Fans interested in securing a field level suite or suite on The Rooftop for the 2024 season can contact Chris Minderman at 812-855-2438 or cminderm@indiana.edu.

Updated Concourse and Food Options

Indiana athletics’ new partnership with Levy, the sports and entertainment hospitality leader, will oversee every aspect of hospitality on gamedays at Memorial Stadium, including concessions and premium seating areas. Renovations on the Memorial Stadium concourse have already begun and will allow for an elevated food and beverage experience for patrons this fall.

On top of the addition of some exciting new food partnerships with local restaurants, Levy will offer the traditional person-to-person concession options that fans are accustomed to in IU’s venues and new Grab and Go touch points that will make the concessions experience more convenient for patrons.

More information on food options and locations for traditional/Grab and Go vending will be announced at a later date.

SEE ALSO: ‘Time to put it together’: The early foundation has been set for Indiana football. Now it’s time to sustain and build off of it in critical summer months

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