Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville) on Thursday announced the Tennessee State Building Commission's approval of a project to build a new football stadium for East Tennessee State University. After a decade-long hiatus, ETSU has recently rebooted its football program under the supervision of former University of Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer. Last month, ETSU hired former University of North Carolina coach Carl Torbush as the university’s new head coach for the program.
“I’m so proud to have football coming back to the East Tennessee State University. College is first and foremost about academics but a full and complete college experience is crucial to attracting top top-quality students to the university,” said Lt. Governor Ramsey. “The return of football to the ETSU campus will enrich university life in so many ways. But the first step to building a great football program is building a high-quality facility. I’m excited that the commission has approved this outstanding project.”
Thursday’s approval by the Building Commission authorizes the selection of a designer who will fully plan the first phase of the project and begin pre-planning the entire project. The first phase of the stadium will be funded entirely from student fees. The fee was approved by the university Student Government Association in January.
The proposed East Tennessee State University football stadium will seat approximately 10,000 people and is expected to cost $18 million dollars to build.