A Penn State alumnus who serves as the founding senior principal at a global architecture and design firm that specializes in sports stadiums will talk about “The Future of Sports Stadiums” during a free public session on the University Park campus.
The session -- focusing on how changing facilities impact communities, the fan experience, participants and the sports themselves -- will be conducted at 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, in Sutliff Auditorium, located in the Lewis Katz Building.
Scott Radecic, who directs the NFL market for Populus and serves as a member of the company’s board of directors, will be the featured guest. Throughout his 30-year career, he has specialized in servicing university and National Football League clients. He has extensive experience in all areas of sports facility strategic planning, design, budgeting and project management.
Radecic earned his bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering from Penn State and was an All-America linebacker on the 1982 national championship team. He played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts.
Along with a leadership of numerous NFL projects during the past three decades, Radecic played a key role in previous renovations to Beaver Stadium. Penn State Athletics is working with Populous on its 20-year facilities master plan that was announced earlier this year.
Radecic’s expertise touches not only on architecture but also on sports business, community development and public policy. His insights illustrate the interdisciplinary nature of the Center for the Study of Sports in Society, which is the sponsor of the session. Faculty member John Affleck will serve as the moderator of the conversation-style session.
The center facilitates the collaboration and research of experts from nine different colleges at the University. The group’s mission is to initiate discussion between academics, industry executives and policymakers about research, regulation and reforms with regard to professional, intercollegiate, youth, and club-level amateur sports.