Roger Denny's Dual Lens Experiences on Oklahoma's Facility Upgrades

NORMAN — The way we used to think about athletic directors and their part to play in the grand scheme of major college sports has changed.

That's the way the University of Oklahoma saw it when they identified and hired a deputy athletic director with a legal background as their athletic head of state.

Many of the classical primary functions of an athletic director remain the same. The one that the public is most accustomed to, fundraising, is still at the forefront of the job. Name, Image and Likeness, collectives and other avenues in the era of pay-for-play are now attached to the grassroots effort of fundraising.

Facility upgrades, however, will remain the primary function for fundraising.

Roger Denny is walking into a situation at Oklahoma where major renovations to Memorial Stadium have been announced to a polarizing response. Upgrades and renovations have been announced for Kimrey Family Stadium — formerly L. Dale. Mitchell Park. The Lloyd Noble Center? Well, Denny broadly shared a desire to "dig in" and "figure out" the men's basketball situation.

Roger Denny and Randall Stephenson, Oklahoma Sooners — Oklahoma Director of Athletics Roger Denny waits to be introduction ceremony at the Gaylord Family-Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla.,, Wednesday Jan. 28, 2026. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Even with limited experience in collegiate athletic administration, Denny's tenure at Illinois and journey as a national sports legal councilor paints a picture for how the new athletic director may navigate the university's desire to upgrade their sports cathedrals.

While the most pressing necessary change may not happen for some time — a new basketball arena — Denny has a background with getting entertainment districts off the ground.

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Lloyd Noble Center/Rock Creek Entertainment District

When Denny was a partner at Spencer Fane LLP, he helped represent the bond issuers for the deal that eventually became Ballpark Village in St. Louis.

OU and the City of Norman have gone back and forth with the proposed Rock Creek Entertainment District that would house the men's and women's basketball games — as well as gymnastics. As of now, the proposal is bogged down as the universtiy works to try and get shovels into the ground.

Denny understands these processes take time.

"Ultimately what I saw in that deal, if you know much about Ballpark Village, you know just how long that project took (nearly seven years)," Denny said on Wednesday. "The thing I learned from that is you’ve just got to keep plugging away at it and plugging away at it.

"Every time it turns and you think the deal might be falling apart or whatever it is, we’ll stay in the fight longer than anyone else," Denny added.

Roger Denny, Oklahoma Sooner — Roger Denny | Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Denny credits his competitive nature — something he hopes to further contribute to within Oklahoma’s competitive ecosystem.

"That’s what I mean when we talk about staying in the fight. It’s not just on the field, it’s not how we compete," Denny said. "It’s in everything we do. You have to stay in it. And big projects like that aren’t easy and a lot of them fall apart just because of the fatigue that comes with them."

As of now, the entertainment district exists on paper after being approved by Norman's City Council in 2024. It is held up in a State Supreme Court question filed by Norman residents over the $1 billion proposal. But it is still in the pre‑construction/early procurement phase.

Something Denny is comfortable with.

"So, I think that’s what we’ll look to do and we’ll continue to plug away until we get that built," Denny said of the new arena.

Kimrey Family Stadium

At the final Board of Regents meeting in 2025, plans were approved to renovate L. Dale Mitchell Park while renaming it Kimrey Family Stadium in honor of Brian Kimrey and his family's ongoing financial contributions.

The latest donation of $15.1 million will “support the construction of a new clubhouse, premium seating enhancements and a modern performance center” for the athletes and will required approximately 55,000 square feet.

"This is a product of an important gift," OU president Joe Harroz said in November. "Essential for us moving into the SEC with the importance of baseball and our sports overall."

The plans are scheduled to begin following the conclusion of the 2026 season and will be ready for the 2028 season. This will be Denny's first major project he will oversee.

Memorial Stadium West Side Renovation

Oklahoma Sooners — Rendering of the new west side of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium | OU Football via Twitter/X

The Board of Regents also approved plans for the west side of Memorial Stadium to receive a facelift. The work will begin after the 2027 season ends and go until its completion for the 2029 season.

Denny played a huge part in helping Illinois renovate Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign. While OU's project is on a major scale, Denny's experience saw smaller-scale improvements be made over time. This was due to large sums of money being difficult to raise over time.

"I think the change, really a change in mindset that we started in 2021 right after I first got there was, ‘We have to improve this stadium every single year,' " Denny said. "'We can’t wait for that project to come about. We have to find new spaces and new ways to up the ante on our fan experience and our stadium."

Denny and Illinois achieved that by renovating the many bathroom facilities in the stadium during an offseason. They also improved infrastructure for water in another offseason. Fan enhancement was the goal. The idea was to make incremental improvements each year to avoid the large-scale project every decade or so.

"So every step of the way and every year, you’re trying to up the ante on the fan experience because everyone around you is doing that and it’s becoming so easy to just sit on your couch and watch on TV," Denny said. "You have to give people a reason to show up and engage with what you’re doing and that’s an all-day, everything-type deal.

"That’s not something you do every 10 years and close the doors and come back 10 years later and do it again," Denny added.