RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics offers its congratulations to Noble, which was presented with a National Excellence in Construction^® (EIC) Eagle Award and the National Innovation Award during ABC Convention 2026 in Salt Lake City for its work on Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium.
 
The National Innovation Award is a highly selective distinction with no more than three recipients nationwide, recognizing Eagle-winning projects that demonstrate exceptional use of technology and innovation to enhance safety, efficiency, and profitability.
 
In preparation for the inaugural season of UTRGV football, Noble completed significant renovations to Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium inside of one year.
 
Judges noted the project's integrated, owner-facing digital delivery model, the team's innovative response to a 100-year storm during construction, and the use of tools like thermal imaging and 360-degree capture. They also highlighted how intentionally safety and innovation were linked to improve jobsite awareness and outcomes.
 
"The renovation of Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium marked a tremendous milestone for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and is a testament to the outstanding work of our partners at Noble Texas Builders," UTRGV Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jason Hartley said. "Their professionalism, craftsmanship, commitment to excellence, and focus on safety helped bring this vision to life. We are honored to see the project nationally recognized for construction excellence and proud of what this investment represents for our student-athletes and the entire Rio Grande Valley community."
 
Enhancements to the stadium included:
 
•Lowering the field to create improved sight lines for those who purchased field level suites and patios, all of which were expanded and renovated. Each suite now has 400 square feet of outdoor space, allowing suite holders to be right up against the action.
 
•After the field was lowered, it was replaced with synthetic turf, allowing the stadium to become a true multi-use facility that can accommodate a variety of events.
 
•Addition of 184 premium seats, including the addition of 19 loge boxes, each of which contains six seats, in the north end zone.
 
•Addition of 2,000 bleacher seats in the south end zone.
 
•Addition of elevators and widening of walkways in the main seating areas to remain compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Texas Accessibility Standards.
 
•Expansion of the press box to accommodate the needs of hosting FCS football.
 
•Creation of a broadcast production room to accommodate ESPN broadcasts.
 
UTRGV ranked 11^th in the FCS in overall attendance (87,774), 16^th in average attendance (12,539), and sixth in percentage of capacity (104.49%). The enhancements to the stadium helped to lead to high rates of customer satisfaction as seen in a postseason fan survey.
 
UTRGV football succeeded competitively on the new turf as well, going undefeated at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium (7-0) as part of a 9-3 season, both of which are the best marks ever by a first-year program at the FCS level.
 
"Playing in one of the nicest facilities at the FCS level is a major advantage for our program and we congratulate Noble on this well-deserved recognition of their efforts to make Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium the venue that has become central to Saturday nights in the Valley during football season," UTRGV Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. "We received a lot of positive feedback from those visiting the stadium, from fans coming to every game to visiting teams, and that just speaks to how special this project was for the Valley. We thank Noble for their hard work in getting this stadium ready for our inaugural game and season and their continuing efforts to give the Valley a memorable college football experience."
 
The EIC Awards celebrate 86 of the nation's top construction projects from 2025, including school relocations; convention center, courthouse and beach resort renovations; and the construction of science parks, apartments and hospitals, as well as honoring contractors for their remarkable achievements in leadership, health and safety, innovation and merit.
 
"Communities thrive when infrastructure is built and rebuilt with excellence, just like this project completed by the team at Noble," said 2026 Chair of the ABC National Board of Directors Thomas "Murph" Murphy, vice president of Power & Construction Group, Scottsville, New York. "ABC's EIC Awards celebrate achievements in both construction projects as well as recognizing quality, safety and innovation that these teams deliver. This project honored at the 36^th annual gala is an example of ABC contractor members' remarkable achievements in leadership, safety, innovation and merit. Congratulations to Noble for showcasing the pinnacle of construction excellence."
 
The EIC Awards honor each member of the construction team, including the contractor, owner, architect and engineer. The winning projects are judged on complexity, unique challenges overcome, completion time, innovation and safety.
 
A panel of industry experts served as the competition's judges. This year's judges included representatives from the Design-Build Institute of America, Engineering News-Record, the Construction Owners Association of America, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the National Institute of Building Sciences, ShareBuilt, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and other select construction-related organizations nationwide.
 
A full list of EIC winners is available on ABC's website.
 
Providing employee benefits and a suite of construction-specific employer services exclusively for ABC members for 65 years, the ABC Insurance Trust is the proud program sponsor of the Excellence in Construction Awards.
 
About ABC
Associated Builders and Contractors is a national construction industry trade association established in 1950 with 67 chapters and more than 23,000 members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC helps members offer a robust employee value proposition, develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work. Visit us at abc.org.

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