The Citadel to upgrade scoreboard, video at Johnson Hagood Stadium

A rendering of the new scoreboard at The Citadel’s Johnson Hagood Stadium. Provided

As seen in The Post and Courier, by Jeff Hartsell

Photo above: A rendering of the new scoreboard at The Citadel’s Johnson Hagood Stadium.

A gift of $1.2 million from a graduate of The Citadel will fund an upgrade of the scoreboard and video board at Johnson Hagood Stadium, the school announced June 23.

The gift from Bill Varner (Class of 1973) will pay for a new system with six LED displays and a new audio system from Daktronics to replace the aging scoreboard at the football stadium.

The donation is part of the Class of 1973′s 50th reunion campaign, and the class also aims to create an endowment of $300,000 to maintain the system. The new board will be known as the “Class of 1973 Scoreboard.”

“The Citadel is looking forward to working with Daktronics on this very exciting project,” said Mike Capaccio, director of athletics for The Citadel. “This is the next step in our stadium enhancement project at Johnson Hagood Stadium and will provide our fans a great experience with the newest technology available for a video board.”

The new board will be in place for the 2021 season, with a center video display measuring 26½ feet high by 51½ feet wide, with four side displays measuring 15½ feet by 13 feet. An auxiliary display measures about 7 feet by 18 feet. The six displays feature 15HD pixel layouts for enhanced clarity and contrast, the school said.

A Sportsound 2000 audio system will be integrated into the video and scoring system, providing “full-range sound reproduction” and “clear and intelligible speech for an exceptional listening experience for those in the stadium.”https://57160aa0212f8f5acf9f22baf86d1ad9.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

The main video display and auxiliary display are capable of “variable content zoning,” allowing each display to show one large image or multiple zoned images including any combination of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages.

Daktronics will also be including its “Show Control” solution with the installation. It provides a combination of display control software, video processing, data integration and playback hardware to form a user-friendly production solution.

The Class of 1973 is aiming toward a $7.3 million fundraising goal for its 50th reunion, the highest goal ever for a 50th reunion campaign, according to Jonathan Walker of The Citadel Foundation.

The Citadel’s home opener is set for Sept. 11 against Charleston Southern, and the Bulldogs will have six home games in 2021.