UB Stadium is home to the University of Buffalo Bulls football team, as well as the track and field and women's soccer teams. Built in 1993, the stadium holds roughly 30,000 Bulls fans and spectators, and was used for the closing ceremonies for the 1993 World University Games as well as the 1998 men's and women's NCAA Division I outdoor track and field championships.
[LED Madness: ASB GlassFloor LED Court to Highlight Conference Tournaments]
Being that the original scoreboard was installed for those championships, and upgraded to video for the 2006-07 season, it was time for a new look for the Bulls' gameday experience. Though the old videoboard had what Matt Walfrand, associate athletic director broadcasting, called an "awesome run," the Bulls gameday staff was still operating 4:3 SD content.
The new Daktronics scoreboard, installed by Daktronics itself, was completed in September 2025, but according to Walfrand, it was quite the grind to get to the finish line in time for college football season. The dismantling of the original board began on July 28, with a deadline of Sept. 6 for the Bulls football home opener against Saint Francis. "[Piros Signs and Daktronics] worked fast," Walfrand said. "I’m not sure if I’ve seen something like this done in that time frame before."
The new 14.4x14.4-foot videoboard, which features a 10.1mm pixel pitch, was installed in the north end zone next to the Murchie Family Fieldhouse. It can be used for any event that is held at the stadium; however, since its debut, it has only been used for sports.
The new videoboard was only half the battle, as it required a full control room rehab as well. Applied Video Technologies was the integrator for the control room update.
"The equipment we were using for the old board was not going to cut it with the new one, so all that needed to be updated," Walfrand explained. "We now have a combination of Ross production equipment in the control room with Daktronics Show Control."
UB Stadium also enhanced the audio for the gameday experience with a new sound system featuring Fulcrum Acoustic equipment, which will also benefit concerts or other performances that may come through Buffalo. "We did something completely different with the install of our audio equipment as well," Walfrand said. "We took the normal line array and pushed it across the top to maximize the video area. There was a lot of back and forth about what that was going to do with the audio quality, but it worked out and everything sounds great.
"Everyone was excited about the videoboard, but what I have received the most excitement about from the administration is the upgraded audio system. We only had one working horn by the end of 2024—the difference is immense and honestly just sounds amazing."
The entire system has enhanced the experience for the Bulls fans on gameday. "The reaction has been amazing," Walfrand concluded. "Admittedly, I was sweating a bit when construction did not begin until the end of July. I was thinking there was no way this was going to be completed in time for the start of football season, but we got it done."
