"Beyond the Headlines"

Upgrades to Mackay Stadium, other UNR sports "home" less

KUNR Public Radio | By Esther Ciammachilli

Published January 26, 2015 at 3:19 PM PST

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Mackay Stadium at UNR is in serious need to renovations and upgrades and a new $11 million dollar loan is going to fix it. Doug Knuth, Director of Athletics at UNR took Reno Public Radio's Esther Ciammachilli to the football field to explain exactly what the school plans to do with this money and how they'll pay it back.

This is part one in a series where we explore several of UNR's sports programs and facilities - including women's track, tennis and rifle - and how they impact each other.

Both the north and south ends of the track disappear behind large bleachers at either side of the football field's end zones. Tracks rules state that the runners must be visible to the officials at all times. Since the bleachers impede the officials view of the runners, the track is unusable for competition.

From this angle, you can see the end zone bleachers (left) and how the track disappears underneath as it curves.

This Friday, January 30, on Beyond the Headlines, part two of our series on how UNR’s sports programs and facilities impact each other. We look at UNR’s crumbling and unusable tennis courts and the giant shipping containers that inconspicuously hide the rifle team’s training and competition site.