{"id":791,"date":"2021-05-12T07:30:06","date_gmt":"2021-05-12T11:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/2021\/05\/12\/going-to-the-mat-small-town-daktronics-lights-up-the-world\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T10:36:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T10:36:54","slug":"going-to-the-mat-small-town-daktronics-lights-up-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/news\/going-to-the-mat-small-town-daktronics-lights-up-the-world\/791\/","title":{"rendered":"Going to the Mat: Small-town Daktronics Lights Up the World"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n\n<!-- shortcode [asyncjs] -->\n        <script type=\"text\/javascript\">if (!window.AdButler) {\n                (function () {\n                    var s = document.createElement(\"script\");\n                    s.async = true;\n                    s.type = \"text\/javascript\";\n                    s.src = 'https:\/\/servedbyadbutler.com\/app.js';\n                    var n = document.getElementsByTagName(\"script\")[0];\n                    n.parentNode.insertBefore(s, n);\n                }());\n            }<\/script>\n        <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n            var AdButler = AdButler || {};\n            AdButler.ads = AdButler.ads || [];\n            var abkw = window.abkw || '';\n            var plc376247 = window.plc376247 || 0;\n            document.write('<' + 'div id=\"placement_376247_' + plc376247+ '\"><\/' + 'div>');\n            AdButler.ads.push({\n                handler: function (opt) {\n                    AdButler.register(167788,376247, [300,250], 'placement_376247_' + opt.place, opt);\n                },\n                opt: {\n                    place: plc376247++,\n                    keywords: abkw ,\n                    domain: 'servedbyadbutler.com'\n                }\n            });\n        <\/script>\n        \n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>By Robert Moore, President of Riley Outdoor and Patriot Outdoor, Greenville, North Carolina<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you wrestled, chances are Daktronics kept score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A half-century ago, small-town startup Daktronics made an electronic wrestling scoreboard that became synonymous with the sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT) lights up the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The story of Daktronics (a blended word \u2014 portmanteau \u2014 for Dakota and electronics) salutes ingenuity, academic inventors, and the clich\u00e9 about startups launched from a nondescript garage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Prince Phillip died, his smiling (memorial) visage appeared on the iconic high-tech sign in London\u2019s Piccadilly Circus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_1781-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13982\" srcset=\"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_1781-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_1781-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_1781-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_1781.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Photo: Ocean Outdoor<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This high-contrast screen was recently modernized by Daktronics, based in Brookings, SD (population 24,108 in 2019). The rebuilt Piccadilly sign went live in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n<!-- shortcode [asyncjs] -->\n        <script type=\"text\/javascript\">if (!window.AdButler) {\n                (function () {\n                    var s = document.createElement(\"script\");\n                    s.async = true;\n                    s.type = \"text\/javascript\";\n                    s.src = 'https:\/\/servedbyadbutler.com\/app.js';\n                    var n = document.getElementsByTagName(\"script\")[0];\n                    n.parentNode.insertBefore(s, n);\n                }());\n            }<\/script>\n        <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n            var AdButler = AdButler || {};\n            AdButler.ads = AdButler.ads || [];\n            var abkw = window.abkw || '';\n            var plc428354 = window.plc428354 || 0;\n            document.write('<' + 'div id=\"placement_428354_' + plc428354+ '\"><\/' + 'div>');\n            AdButler.ads.push({\n                handler: function (opt) {\n                    AdButler.register(167788,428354, [300,250], 'placement_428354_' + opt.place, opt);\n                },\n                opt: {\n                    place: plc428354++,\n                    keywords: abkw ,\n                    domain: 'servedbyadbutler.com'\n                }\n            });\n        <\/script>\n        \n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ocean Outdoor, which operates the Piccadilly Circus sign, also displayed striking images from Prince Phillips\u2019 funeral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_1831.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_1831\" class=\"wp-image-13983\" srcset=\"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_1831.jpg 960w, https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_1831-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_1831-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Photo: Ocean Outdoor<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When billboard operators gathered in Denver, they headed to Empower Field at Mile High on May 6 to see stadium lighting designed and installed by Daktronics. The company makes stadium lights, roadside electronic billboards, scoreboards, voting boards, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.daktronics.com\/en-us\/markets\/sports\/major-league-sports-installation\/nfl\">Daktronics lights 18 of 30 National Football League (NFL) stadiums<\/a>, plus baseball, hockey, and basketball venues. For the 17th consecutive year, the 2021 Super Bowl was held at a venue featuring Daktronics products, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_4502.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_4502\" class=\"wp-image-13984\" srcset=\"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_4502.jpg 960w, https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_4502-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_4502-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Daktronics display at Empower Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Daktronics is to South Dakota as \u201cCheers\u201d is to Boston or NASCAR to Daytona . . . the parochial identity is strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Washington, DC, a young staffer for the congressman from South Dakota wanted to know if Daktronics made the electronic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboardinsider.com\/did-daktronics-make-that-yes\/\">voting board at the US House of Representatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"665\" src=\"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_1902.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_1902\" class=\"wp-image-13985\" srcset=\"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_1902.jpg 960w, https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_1902-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/IMG_1902-768x532.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Photo: U.S. House of Representatives<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, \u201cit is a Daktronics system, sold through an integrator by the name of International Roll Call,\u201d explained Daktronics\u2019 Jeremy Johnson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.daktronics.com\/en-us\/about-us\/daktronics-50th-anniversary\">Daktronics was founded in 1968<\/a> by South Dakota State University engineering professors Aelred \u201cAl\u201d Kurtenbach and Duane Sander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey wanted to keep talented university students in the state by providing them with viable, challenging work right here in Brookings,\u201d says the company\u2019s published history. \u201cSo, they set up shop in Al\u2019s garage . . . \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kurtenbach\u2019s brother Frank had wrestled for Coach Warren Williamson at South Dakota State University. After a national tournament, Coach Williamson lamented to Al Kurtenbach about the drawbacks of wrestling scoreboards, which blocked fans\u2019 views. Daktronics designed the patented Matside\u00ae wrestling scoreboard with a truncated pyramid-style structure and added advantage time so referees would no longer have to keep that time on a stopwatch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, the company employs 2,400+ people, more than half of its workforce lives in South Dakota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The kicker: Daktronics <strong><em>exports<\/em><\/strong> to 100+ countries.<\/p>\n\n\n<!-- shortcode [asyncjs] -->\n        <script type=\"text\/javascript\">if (!window.AdButler) {\n                (function () {\n                    var s = document.createElement(\"script\");\n                    s.async = true;\n                    s.type = \"text\/javascript\";\n                    s.src = 'https:\/\/servedbyadbutler.com\/app.js';\n                    var n = document.getElementsByTagName(\"script\")[0];\n                    n.parentNode.insertBefore(s, n);\n                }());\n            }<\/script>\n        <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n            var AdButler = AdButler || {};\n            AdButler.ads = AdButler.ads || [];\n            var abkw = window.abkw || '';\n            var plc376248 = window.plc376248 || 0;\n            document.write('<' + 'div id=\"placement_376248_' + plc376248+ '\"><\/' + 'div>');\n            AdButler.ads.push({\n                handler: function (opt) {\n                    AdButler.register(167788,376248, [300,250], 'placement_376248_' + opt.place, opt);\n                },\n                opt: {\n                    place: plc376248++,\n                    keywords: abkw ,\n                    domain: 'servedbyadbutler.com'\n                }\n            });\n        <\/script>\n        \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A half-century ago, small-town startup Daktronics made an electronic wrestling scoreboard that became synonymous with the sport. Now Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT) lights up the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":792,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[7],"topics":[2],"class_list":["post-791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-storytelling","topics-editorial"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Going to the Mat: Small-town Daktronics Lights Up the World | AW360<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/news\/going-to-the-mat-small-town-daktronics-lights-up-the-world\/791\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Going to the Mat: Small-town Daktronics Lights Up the World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A half-century ago, small-town startup Daktronics made an electronic wrestling scoreboard that became synonymous with the sport. 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