Armed with tools of their new trades, local men and women bring energy and high spirits to long-awaited restoration of the legendary landmark.

To read the full article, click here.

Among the benchmarks for work at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum this year: construction of a temporary press box. (Don Muret / Staff)

Joe Furin stood at the east end of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum near the iconic peristyle, the collection of arches and columns that is the 95-year-old stadium’s defining feature. The historic stadium was in full construction mode and Furin, the Coliseum’s general manager, was going over the timeline for its $297 million renovation.

The 18-month project is a tight one, but it’s on target to be completed for the 2019 football season, Furin said. At that time, the facility will have a new name, the United Airlines Memorial Coliseum, after the University of Southern California signed a 15-year, $70 million naming-rights deal with the airline in 2017.

In June, six months after work started, the construction team of AECOM Hunt and Hathaway Dinwiddie had hit all of its benchmarks. They include constructing a temporary press box for the 2018 season, excavation for the new premium concourse supporting the seven-story Scholarship Tower containing a mix of premium seats, and steel erection for the tower.

The renovations, designed by DLR Group, stand out as some of the coliseum’s most extensive upgrades. The tower itself will provide a true premium experience for the biggest donors and supporters of USC football, which has been the stadium’s primary tenant since it opened in 1923.

The structure will contain 42 suites, 1,100 club seats and 24 loge boxes, plus a new press box and a 500-person rooftop terrace with bar stools, drink rails and shaded areas. The terrace has views to the game as well as downtown Los Angeles, the Pacific Ocean, Catalina Island and the San Gabriel Mountains.

The new concourse, connected to a private entrance for premium-seat patrons, essentially runs the length of the south sideline. When it is complete, it will offer a much shorter way into the stadium compared with the old setup, Furin said.

As part of construction, the grass field was removed so that graders, backhoes, trucks, trash containers and portable toilets could be moved in. A new field was to be installed in early July to get the playing surface ready for football season.

A portion of the improvements were to be done by August of this year, with one-third of the seating bowl closed to the public for the coming season. Construction workers replaced 6,500 old seats with new chair back seats to accommodate Trojan Athletic Fund members. For 2019, the stadium will have all new seats with chair backs. The wider seats and the suite tower will ultimately reduce capacity to 78,000, down from 92,000 before the renovations.

“It’s a little sweeter spot for hosting stadium events,” Furin said.

The portable suites at field level in the east end will remain in place after the project is completed, but those at the top of the seating bowl in front of the peristyle will be removed to eliminate obstructed views of those architectural elements, Furin said.

After being closed for seven months, the stadium will reopen Aug. 18 for the Los Angeles Rams’ preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. USC’s home opener is Sept. 1 against UNLV. The Rams enter their third of four seasons as a temporary tenant before moving to their new stadium in Inglewood in 2020.

“The Rams have been wonderful,” Furin said. “They came here recognizing this was a temporary home and they weren’t going to try and change a lot of things. ‘If it worked on a Saturday, let’s make it work on a Sunday’ was somewhat the mentality.”

Furin, 51 and a Los Angeles native, is back where he started in the business. From 1985 to 1994, Furin worked at the coliseum and the old L.A. Memorial Sports Arena across the street, where Banc of California Stadium now sits. As a sophomore at USC, he completed an unpaid internship with the Los Angeles Clippers in 1986. They played home games at the arena for 15 years before moving to Staples Center in 1999

During his Clippers internship, Furin got to know building management, and over his last two years in college he fulfilled a paid internship. Later, he worked part time running the arena scoreboards, among other tasks. SMG had taken over operations of both venues, and Peter Luukko became the coliseum’s general manager in 1987. Furin graduated in 1989, and Luukko, now executive chairman of the NHL’s Florida Panthers and an executive with Oak View Group (VenuesNow’s parent company), hired him full time.

“I was the proverbial kid who never left, always stuck around,” Furin said. “Next thing I know, Peter Luukko said, ‘We might as well pay the guy.’ Peter offered me my first job, and I learned an awful lot from him.”

Thirty years later, Luukko remembers Furin for his strong work ethic and his ability to get along with everyone, which is imperative for a facility manager interacting with the public as well as staff.

“The good ones like Joe are people who find solutions to issues and don’t complain about their problems,” Luukko said. “He’s a good communicator and a real team player.”

As a full-time employee, Furin first worked in public relations before becoming an event manager. As he looks back, the 1987 appearance by Pope John Paul II that drew a crowd of 100,000 at the coliseum, the Rolling Stones stadium shows, Los Angeles Raiders and Clippers games and WWF’s heyday were early highlights for him.

“This was pre-Staples Center; it was just us and the Forum,” Furin said. “Any large event that came through L.A., we were right in the mix. I thought I wanted to be a sportswriter and didn’t really think about the management side, but as soon as I got exposed to it, I fell in love with the industry and the whole process.”

In 1994, Furin left Los Angeles and the facilities industry for 17 years. Initially, he promoted events across the country tied to motorsports publications. Living in Florida, he then took a job with Hello Florida, a destination management company.

In 2011, as the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission was transferring stadium operations from the city to USC, officials called Furin to come back to L.A and help run the stadium, which eventually turned into a permanent position with the school. Now he’s leading the charge to bring the coliseum up to par with other restored vintage college football venues.

“Timing-wise, it just worked out,” Furin said. “My wife and I were looking for a reason to get back to California. The phone rang and it worked out well. I didn’t realize how special this place was until I left. To come back full circle was something special for me.”

The Coliseum Zero Waste program is a tremendously successful partnership between our Operations staff, the USC Office of Sustainability, and numerous vendors including our waste hauler, concessions, and custodial teams. For the past two years, the Coliseum has diverted over 90% of waste generated at USC and Rams games from landfill – that’s over 260 TONS of garbage recycled or composted instead of landing in the dump. The #DiversionDynasty team at the Coliseum is putting up big numbers, and we’ve got even bigger plans for the 2018 season!

Would you like to work on the Coliseum Renovation Project? There’s a hiring fair on March 8th- check it out, and share with a friend!

Congratulations and thank you to Legends, our amazing hospitality partner, for helping the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum get chosen as one of the top 20 North American venues for best food items in 2017!

Click here to continue to article and don’t forget to vote!

 

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is proud to recognize February as “Black History Month” and celebrate the achievements of African Americans and their role in both our history, as well as the history of the United States.

For nearly 95 years, our stadium has hosted thousands of events before more than 118 million visitors which featured some of the most recognizable African American athletes, performers and dignitaries who not only define universal human aspiration, but whose accomplishments continue to inspire generations; including among others, Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Kenny Washington, Carl Lewis, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

Today, the Coliseum is proud to celebrate the legacy of Brice Union Taylor, an athlete who broke racial barriers for African American football players.

Born on July 4, 1902 in Seattle, Taylor was a descendant of African slaves and Native American tribe leaders. Tragically, he was orphaned at the age of 5 and grew up in a foster home. As a teenager, Taylor discovered his athletic skills and was accepted onto his high school football team. Although he was born without a left hand, Taylor was phenomenally talented, and was offered scholarships from more than two dozen universities when he graduated. In 1923, Taylor accepted an offer from the head football coach at the University of Southern California, “Gloomy” Gus Henderson.

Taylor was a Trojan from 1923-1926, and in 1925, he became USC’s first All-American football player. After graduating, Taylor was hired by Southern University in Louisiana as the Head Coach and Athletic Director, a tremendous accomplishment at that time, particularly in the southern parts of the United States. In 1931, Taylor led Southern to its first undefeated season in his final season.

After leaving Southern University, Taylor returned to California, becoming the first African American high school head football coach at Jefferson High School in Los Angeles. In addition to coaching and teaching, Taylor also received a doctorate in theology, serving over 40 years as a minister in the First African Methodist Episcopal Church.

For his profound impact and contributions towards not only our history but in breaking unjust racial barriers that paved the way for African American athletes in this country, Brice Union Taylor’s plaque resides within our Memorial Court of Honor.

Today, United Airlines and USC announced a naming rights agreement to help sustain and renovate the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, one of the sports world’s most beloved historical landmarks and home of the USC Trojans since 1923. Under the agreement, the venue will officially become the United Airlines Memorial Coliseum beginning in August 2019, which coincides with the completion of the current $270 million renovation project. While honoring our architectural integrity, the project will include renovations and repairs to enhance the stadium and improve guest experience in time for the Coliseum’s 2023 centennial celebration.

Together with United, we are proud to ensure the Coliseum’s future as a world-class venue and true community asset.

Click here for more details

To continue to the article, click here.