PENSACOLA, Fla. — It was a momentous day for University of West Florida families and alumni. Construction officially began on a new, full-sized stadium.
The multi-million dollar project is slated to finish in 1.5 years. It’ll be called the “Darrell Gooden Stadium.”
Students and staff say, for nearly 11 years, this has been a much needed addition to campus.
On Wednesday evening, alumni, donors, families, staff, and current Argonauts came together to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony.
The stadium is set to open in fall 2027, just in time for football season. Head Coach Kaleb Nobles says the facility will help UWF continue to make a name as a football powerhouse.
“I think it’ll obviously help them recruiting, right? A lot of good things that we can sell,” Nobles said. “Help with our current players. It will give them a great facility to be able to use year-round that will rival a lot of universities around the country, regardless of division. And it will give us a great competitive advantage whenever we’re playing football games here at Darrell Gooden Stadium.”
Nobles says a jumbotron will be installed this year, plus renovations to the weight and locker rooms will also be done.
“There’ll be changes that’ll help all of our student athletes. Not just football,” said Nobles. “To give them a lot of good resources and things that’ll help us in recruiting, but also in an athletic standpoint as well.
And for fans, the new stadium will nearly double seating capacity, growing from about 3,800 seats to 7,500.
“So now, we will have a more fixed seating system with loge boxes and premium seating and suites and a club space and a field club to create those opportunities for entertainment and interactions with the community our alumni and our students,” UWF Athletic Director Dave Scott said.
According to the university’s Haas center, the football program, alone, is expected to generate more than $23 million in economic output over the next five years.
Lumpy Deweese, a safety for UWF ‘s football team, says he’s seen the program flourish since its inception in 2016.
“It was just down at the Maritime Park. My parents were involved in getting that developed,” Deweese said. “so to be able to come back and play at home is really special.”
This project is funded through private donors, like Darrell Gooden, who contributed $9 million as well as Escambia County’s Tourism Development Council, who gave the school a $2 million grant.
date: 2026-02-13 02:54:00
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