New Stadium Preview Center Big Hit During Draft Weekend
While the Vikings were busy making 10 selections in the 2015 NFL Draft last weekend, fans were busy checking out the team's future home during a number of events held at the New Stadium Preview Center. In a new twist to this year's draft, fans were given the opportunity to announce their team's later round picks live from a specific location selected by the team. In the Vikings case, that location was the Preview Center overlooking the stadium construction site. Former Vikings Hall of Famer Randall McDaniel introduced Lesley Singer from Mortenson Construction, who made the Vikings 4th-round selection of offensive lineman T.J. Clemmings, while lucky Vikings fans made the remaining picks during the 5th, 6th and 7th rounds.
Vikings First Round Pick Trae Waynes Visits New Stadium Preview Center
Shortly after landing in Minnesota last Friday, new Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes visited the site of his 2016 home stadium. This year the Vikings have made a point of bringing both free agents and rookies to the New Stadium Preview Center to give them their first taste of the future game environment. If you haven't yet seen the space, secure your appointment now. Great seats, including lower-level options, remain.
New Stadium Set to Bid on Another Major Event
Having already secured Super Bowl LII and the 2019 NCAA Final Four, Minnesota government and business leaders announced on Tuesday an organized campaign to pursue the 2020 College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship Game for the new Vikings stadium.
Governor Mark Dayton announced that Scot Housh, President and CEO of Willis of Minnesota, Inc., and Chris Policinski, President and CEO of Land O'Lakes, Inc., will co-chair the Minnesota CFP Steering Committee. Minnesota Golden Gophers Head Football Coach Jerry Kill, Vikings Hall of Fame guard Randall McDaniel and former triathlete Erika Binger, chair of the McKnight Foundation Board of Directors, were named as honorary co-chairs, and the Committee also includes Vikings Chief Operating Officer Kevin Warren.
The deadline to submit the bid is May 27, and decision makers from the CFP Group are likely to visit the area this summer before making a decision on the destinations that will host the 2018, 2019 and 2020 title games. The CFP Group is expected to announce the selected destinations in October.
Check out the complete story, including what Warren had to say on the bid, here.
New Stadium: Natural Light? Yes. Cold & Windy? No.
One of the key factors throughout the new stadium construction has always been the heavy inclusion of Minnesotans both in the construction workforce and the project's hundreds of subcontractors. Already more than 210 Minnesota businesses have contributed to the largest construction project in state history, and nearly 1,000 Minnesotans are on the site daily to ensure a stadium opening in July 2016.
As the Vikings continue to highlight those companies and individuals, the team recently visited Brooklyn Park-based Egan Company and its business group InterClad, responsible for installing the stadium's 180,000-plus square feet of glass, which is being fabricated by another Minnesota company Viracon. Combined with the ETFE roof, the glass will give the stadium an outdoor feel in a climate-controlled environment. Check out the recent InterClad visit here.
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