Dave Brandon was not the Michigan Wolverines’ most popular athletic director when he was in charge from 2010 to 2014. He went against traditions, raised ticket prices and changed student-ticket policy, hired Brady Hoke and clashed with fans so much that for the game on the week he resigned, they planned a “White Out, Dave Out” t-shirt protest.
However, he also led massive renovations of the athletic facilities, spending hundreds of millions of dollars. But one thing he apparently didn’t have to pay for was the installation of permanent lights at Michigan Stadium.
As a guest on current football coach Jim Harbaugh’s Attack Each Day podcast, Brandon said ESPN paid for the lights, which were installed in 2010. Michigan hosted its first ever night game at the Big House the following season against Notre Dame.
“Everything’s controversial,” Brandon said. “I put lights on the stadium. I got so sick of — we’d play those afternoon games and bring in those portable lights and there’s shadows on the field.
“I actually got ESPN to pay for it. It didn’t cost us a dime. All we had to do was promise to play a night game once a year.”
ESPN did pay the cost of installing permanent lighting at the 107, 601-seat Michigan Stadium, team spokesman Dave Ablauf confirmed to MLive on Tuesday.
Prior to the lights going up, Michigan said in 2010 the project would cost $1.8 million, and funding was provided “from Athletic Department resources.”
Now, the Wolverines have not played a home night game every year since then, but it doesn’t sound like that was specifically part of the agreement. Regardless, this was one of Brandon’s moves that worked out, leading fans to become obsessed with playing under the lights.
And this season, Michigan opens the season with a home night game against Middle Tennessee on Saturday, August 31 (7:30 p.m. ET BTN).
