DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke Athletics department, with supporters and the coaches and players of the Blue Devils men’s and women’s lacrosse programs plus four other sports in attendance, dedicated a new addition to Koskinen Stadium on Saturday.
The Ana and Chris Kennedy Tower was presented as the first completed component of the department’s current $250 million set of facility upgrades that are underway.
Designed by CHA Sports and constructed by Romeo Guest and Associates, the 11,000 square-foot, four-floor facility will serve both Koskinen and the newly constructed, adjacently-located Morris Williams Track & Field complex.
The tower features a camera deck and press facilities facing both competition venues and will support all media services and videography, and includes a hospitality suite.
A longtime and current Duke athletics administrator, Chris Kennedy and his late wife Ana, both earned their doctorates from Duke while Chris remains a member of the faculty as an adjunct assistant professor.
“This is one of the pretty significant pieces of the puzzle,” Duke vice president and director of athletics Kevin White said.
“It’s pretty heartfelt. Chris’ tenure at Duke of 37, 38 years with his partner Ana have laid an incredible foundation for everything that’s happened here at Duke University.”
Kennedy has been directly involved with both the men’s and women’s lacrosse and soccer programs as the lead administrator for many years.
“For us, Chris has been involved in our program on so many levels,” Duke head lacrosse coach John Danowski said.
“He’s been a parent of a former captain, Joe Kennedy. He was here way before any of us. In 2006, he held the program together. He was the guy behind the scenes ,that really without Chris, I don’t know if there’d be a lacrosse program. We were all indebted to him for his work behind the scenes. His friendship, his leadership – he means so much to all of us on so many different levels, it’s just hard to put into words.”
For 19-year head women’s lacrosse coach, Kerstin Kimel, the facility enhancements will increase exposure for all sports and those supporting them.
“I think this stadium makes the lives of people who have to come to our events much better,” she said.
“We have good pedestrian traffic. We have places to put you guys (media). We have great broadcast capabilities which I think will give us an opportunity to get on television, to get streamed online, which is fantastic for our programs and Duke University in general. It’s been a long time coming and it’s all come to fruition in such a heartfelt, special way. I can’t think of two better people to honor their legacy to than the sports they’ve been most tied to.”
Having seen many aspects of athletics evolve and change throughout his career, Kennedy pointed out the one constant in his mind.
“What hasn’t changed, and I hope will never change at Duke, is the idea that athletics and academics don’t go together – that athletics are part of the education experience. They’re not ancillary, they’re not extra-curricular. You learn from that as much as you learn from anything else.”
Kennedy continued to talk about the true benefactors of all the development and improvements happening throughout the entire Duke athletic complex.
“Student-athletes choose to come to a place like Duke because of what they’re interested in,” Kennedy said.
“The idea that it’s all one enterprise – that you can be excellent in all phases of your life. They’re not contradictory, they ‘re complimentary. We begin with students who come here with that idea and we help them to enact it. To make it real…It’s a culture – it’s why our kids choose to come here. They enact and reinforce it. It’s our job to provide the environment that makes that possible and gives them a chance to do that.”
In talking with White and Danoswki further, more upgrades will be included soon at Koskinen.
With improved seating and now the addition of the new tower as part of the Blue Devils lacrosse and soccer facility, the game experience will also be enhanced later this season with the addition of a video board.
“We’re going to have a 2015 video board that’s going to be three or four times the size of the old scoreboard,” Danowski said.
“It won’t be operational until the end of the season, for the last three games, but it’ll be a phenomenal experience for the fans to help them enjoy the game, and help them understand the game a bit better. It’ll almost be like they’re in their living room, but they’ll be in the stands on a beautiful Spring day.”
Thus, as everyone toured the facility following the ceremony with smiles on their faces and simultaneously saying ‘wow’, one could feel the energy building up for the upcoming season.
The men’s team will begin play at home against Air Force on Sun. Feb. 8, while the women will host Richmond on Fri. Feb. 13.
No doubt, the experience of watching both teams – for fans in attendance, those watching it on television or online, or reading about it somewhere near or far – will be even better than it was.
And yes, the same will go for those covering them too.