The new Ryan Field in Evanston is now scheduled to open in October, which is not in time for the fall start of the 2026 football season.
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The stadium is an $862 million privately funded donation to the university, with tens of millions of dollars in addition going to the city of Evanston. The Ryan family says this was the schedule they always envisioned.
Cold, rainy weather during the fall and winter has delayed construction by about five weeks. Still, the 35,000-seat stadium has risen like a colossus on Central Street in Evanston, but it is actually smaller and shorter than the century-old facility it is replacing.
The Ryan family is donating the field to the alma mater of insurance pioneer Pat Ryan.
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Pat Ryan Jr. of RyanSports Development says after much consultation with the community, people will love the project. But like anything that represents change, it can take a little time.
“Sometimes when a new project comes along and it’s different, some people can start to catastrophize things and imagine something worse. And I think we announced where to do a Christmas festival there on Christmas, we’re going to do it, Halloween and the fall festival, and I think people really, that stuff. You know, I think there’s a lot of excitement about the fact that we’re going to be a good neighbor. We’re going to keep our promises,” Ryan said.
The first game under the new lights will take place on Friday, October 2 against Penn State.