Under beautiful sunny skies, McDaniel College trustees, donors, students and administrators turned over the first shovels of dirt to signify the beginning of the new stadium project.

The $8 million stadium project is set to begin this month and expected to be complete for the first home football game of 2012 on Sept. 15. 

The stadium will retain its famous bowl seating and tradition of drive-in tailgating while increasing bleacher seating capacity from 900 to 1,434.

McDaniel College was named one of the country's top tailgating schools by the Weather Channel in 2011 because of the unique bowl seating and drive-in tailgating.

The two-story brick and concrete facility is to be built on the site of the current grandstand. Features include concessions, public restrooms, coaches’ rooms, observation boxes, a large press box, a training room, filming areas, home and visiting team meeting rooms and reception and gathering room.

In 2010 new energy efficient field lighting was installed in preparation for the groundbreaking and was funded by the Yingling family of Westminster.

The project also includes a new entrance and roadway on West Main Street and an accessible pedestrian walkway linking the landmark caboose with the stadium facility.  

The new multipurpose stadium has been named in honor of Kenneth R. Gill, a 1961 alumnus of the college. According to a news release, Gill played four years of football at what was then Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) and has made gifts totalling $2.25 million towards the project.