DiggerVision

Scoreboard with Digger Vision

In 2007, Athletic Director Joe McClafferty was presented with an opportunity to acquire the score board elements, including an 18 x 25 foot Sony Jumbo Tron, from Reser Stadium at Oregon State University which had been removed during a facility upgrade. This new component would enhance the growing atmosphere of Montana Tech Oredigger home football games and establish Montana Tech as a bellwether institution in Butte as well as the entire NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics).

Joe accepted and engaged this challenge, proceeding to make the dream a reality. It was a long road, but Joe's zeal and vigor never waned. Today, Joe's dream is a reality. A very LARGE reality.

With the assistance and support of the Digger Athletic Association, Montana Tech Foundation and administration of Montana Tech, the engineering firm of Pioneer Technical Services, of Butte, was engaged as the lead engineering firm to develop and control this project. Pioneer subcontracted the structural design with CTA Architects & Engineers of Billings to design the steel for the project, complete with replication of Butte's signature Gallus frames. Pioneer also engaged MSE-Technical Application of Butte for the required electrical engineering work and retained the Geo Technical and Civil Design within their firm.

The engineering plans came together and Joe embarked on an aggressive fund raising campaign and brought a "lead donation" from Newmont Mining, a world-wide mining firm with proud Butte and Montana Mines/Tech connections. Other donations of significance were acquired from Metals Sports Bar & Grill, Harrington's Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. and Montana Orthopedics. All of these contributors are historical and proud Digger Athletic supporters.

Scoreboard by the Numbers

The Newmont Scoreboard with Digger Vision proudly stands tall in the south end zone of Alumni Coliseum. Demolition of the old scoreboard began on May 3 2010 and erection of the new beast began shortly thereafter. The scoreboard made its debut during the first 2010 football game as the Diggers took on the Hardrockers from the South Dakota School of Mines.

Crews used 100 yards of concrete, assembled and installed 260 mini screens and fabricated 45 tons of steel in order for the Newmont Scoreboard to be erected. A new 100-kva transformer, donated by Northwestern Energy, was installed solely to fee the board. The Tech Sky Box also received minor upgrades, new seating and glass walls, to house the scoreboard's control room.

Installed, the board can be seen for miles: it stands 18' tall and 25' wide with 16 prime panels for advertising, which are 16' tall and 15' wide, and 7' x 25'. The board is comprised of 29,952 pixels. The entire structure is 55' tall x 55' wide.

On game day, three cameramen can be seen strategically placed on the field-one 40' in the air on the scoreboard's filming platform, one atop the sky box and one on the field. Two grips assist the cameramen and a technical director and audio engineer work in the sky box coordinating the on-screen images.

Many, many thanks go out to those who helped bring the scoreboard to life. Thanks to our contributors: Harrington Pepsi, JETCO, Metals Sports Bar & Grill, Montana Orthopedics, Newmont and Town Pump.
Thanks also go out to the following sponsors: Big Sky Rental, Community, Counseling and Correctional Services (CCCS), CTA Architects, Dale Contracting, DOWL HKM, Fasterners, Grizzly Steel, Jay Fortune Construction, JK Fabrication & Supply, K&K Roofing, Larry Briney, Leprowse Contracting, Marathon Machine Works, M-Club Donors, MSE Technology Applications, Northwestern Energy, O'Keefe Drilling, Pacific Steel, Pioneer Concrete & Fuel, Pioneer Technical, Prevail Paint, Port of Butte, R & R Electric, R&S Steel, Sherwin-Williams, Sullway Construction, Swank Enterprises and Tri County Mechanical & Electrical.