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When the people in charge are as lost as a goose, they inevitably get everything wrong. It sure seems like Tech is throwing up an ‘O’fer.Originally Posted by HogDawg
It would have been nice to have announced this EARLER this season, when the AAC was considering new members and Tech football still had a reasonable record, and reasonable fan support. Now the football program is in the shitter, no one is attending games and Tech makes the announcement. Great timing.
That’s how they think. Reactively… let’s not be proactive and use this as a sign that we are growing and investing in our product. Let’s wait in case shit gets to Holtzcon 1 level and then try and use it to cover the flaming bag of dog shirt that is Skips program that’s burning on our porch.
Good analogy....don't think I can add anything to that. Oh wait, us fans answering the door and trying to stomp out the fire!
You really think they just came up with this as a reaction to something from a month ago?
Tech52---of course not, this has been in the "works" for awhile...the PROBLEM is we "drag" our feet and "fiddle" around because leadership WANTS TO SEE IT FUNDED, or ALMOST ALL funded before they roll with it...actually, a fairly wise accounting decision...but, our program has fallen SO FAR BEHIND just in the last few years that we are in a bad spot now...I mean, the Student Athletic fee and COA should have been SOLVED awhile ago and not "swept" under the rug; this Academic Center will be nice, but it's a two year deal to build....and the IPF, while just a "pretty new dress" is ALSO a must...all we can do now is try to be the best we can be and be aggressive; and. of course, it doesn't help that our FB program is in the toilet an likely will stay that way until changes are made, which we all know wont happen anytime soon...weve been too satisfied with our "latest improvement' and sitting on our laurels...
Tech52- nope, but like what was said above we sit on everything way to long. Announce it early, create excitement and then take every dollar little and small people wanna give along with the big dollars. Instead we go to the same shrinking well of rich alumni and just further cement that only their opinions matter to athletics.
They like Holtz, he stays to the loss of all our small dollars, butts in seats, and all that comes with.
But look on the bright side, we now have stability at the HC position.
With an unstable mind when it comes to offense and not in a good way.
Very true!
No. I was told about this project --as well as the new (and still unannounced) Indoor Practice Facility (IPF)-- during the week of Sept 21st, the week AFTER we lost the SMU game. But, I was told about these projects by people who know people, who know what's going on. Nobody in Tech's athletic administration has told me anything directly or indirectly. That's just the Louisiana Tech way. And it really, really sucks.
Think I'm kidding? Just watch. You'll eventually --in the next few weeks-- see another announcement, this time about the new Indoor Practice Facility (IPF). And once again, LA Tech didn't announce this project during the AAC's realignment reviews, so we'll get NO LEVERAGE from the announcement. BTW, the last I heard, a big portion of the IPF is being paid for by Terry Bradshaw. Of course, since the program has turned into a dumpster fire since that time, Bradshaw make have backed out for all I know.
That's because the higher-ups don't believe in grass-root booster and general fan engagement. They have always believed in elite booster engagement only.
And that doesn't get the job done in 2021. People are too sophisticated now to accept only whatever those higher-ups believe should be rolled out.
No doubt about what you say. I find it odd they wouldn’t have at least announced it all at the same time, unless designs arent close to final and they feel they absolutely need a visual for the announcement.
This project makes us even more of a regional laughing stock. We need some leadership over there in the worst way.
I have to say that I am not happy with this proposal. It doesn't fit in with the rest of the stadium. It looks like a building plopped right down in the NEZ, even more than the Davison south endzone facility. Why plop down two buildings in both endzones. It removes the possibility of bowling in the endzone and connecting both sides of the stadium. I think this will make the stadium looks small time and prevent any future expansions if ever needed. Furthermore, why are we putting in two videoboards? That's overkill and not needed in a stadium that seats less than 30,000. At least two are not needed on the same side. Put one in the north end and one in the south end of the stadium if we are going to have two.
I remember making a design a while ago on what should happen but I don't know if I can find it. But basically what I would like to see happen in the north endzone:To continue with ideas for the exterior of the NEZ :
- Remove the aluminum wings of the stadium. They are ugly and make the stadium uneven.
- Connect the lower halves of the stadium in the north endzone with stadium bleacher seating thus bowling in the stadium. Adding this bowled in lower section will recover the seating lost from the removal of the wings and removes the feeling of playing in a high school style two sided stadium.
- The upper half of the bowled in NEZ could be multiple different options. I personally wanted a big beer garden / eating area that could be covered with temporary seating if bigger attendance is ever expected. With this just released proposal though they could just use the building and stick it up over the bowled in lower half. The videoboards could be behind and above it all easily.
- Expand chairback seating on both sides of the stadium. Putting chairback seating from the top to bottom between the 20 yard marks is an easy way to generate more money. People will pay more to have comfortable seating. Furthermore, this decreases seating capacity. We don't need the stadium to sit 28,000 permanently. West side chairbacks will be more expensive than the east side of course due to the sun. The rest of the stadium not for students, band or kids zone will be general admission with bleacher seating (hopefully with back-support but that's just lagniappe if possible).
- The band is moved to the north endzone so that everyone in the stadium can hear and see them. Furthermore the students section is moved next to the band, from the 20 yard line to the band. They'll lose their position on the 50 but that's normal in most schools. By having a view of the band though they'll be able to hear and coordinate with the band more. Plus if there were a beer garden next to them, it could make for a great atmosphere (blue bloods may not like it but they'll be far from it) and generate more money.
- A tunnel is put in the middle of the NEZ and the fire bell is put over the tunnel. The bell is given the importance of being in the center and everyone can see it. The team will enter in the through this tunnel. The bell will be above them so the captain or someone else can ring it and they'll be right next to the band and students as they enter. I'll explain below how they enter.
- The NEZ should have a brick facade with a rotunda like Ohio State's stadium. Obviously it doesn't need to be as grandiose but it should be the focal point of the north endzone's facade. What will go in the Rotunda? A big state-T tile seal like in Centennial Plaza on the wall in the center of the rotunda and the spirit of 88 should go directly underneath in the middle of it on the ground. It starts the tunnel to the stadium. For the team's entrance at the start of the game, the playerscould walk or be bussed from the SEZ around the stadium to the rotunda before the game starts (similar to Clemson's tradition). They can touch the SO88 there, the captain can ring the bell, then they run through the tunnel as the band plays right next to them and everyone can see it perfectly in the center of the NEZ.
- An athletics brick walkway titled "Pride Path" should begin directly from the rotunda and the spirit of 88 going out towards Hide-A-Way park. We love our Alumni pathway, why not an athletics one? It's a good tradition and we should expand on it. Athletes and/or coaches of all sports could get a brick on this pathway. It could be hall of fame inductees or based on other criteria and it could be great for recruitment. Any statues of past athletes or coaches should go on each side of the pathway in a wide grass section on both sides. This path will be the focal point of tailgating and will be the path that players and coaches take to the stadium when dropped off on game-day.
- Grass will be added all around the parking lots to the north of the stadium to encourage tailgating. No more setting up tailgates on hot pavement. People who pay for parking sports can reserve a grassy spot next to their parking spot for tailgating. After that, other people can pay to reserve a spot. Otherwise tailgating will be free and encouraged in all grassy non-reserved areas including around the TAC and any limits on time will be removed.
- An athletics museum should be opened in the NEZ containing memorabilia from all sports and history of Tech Athletics. This should include all trophies, Bradshaw's rings, old jerseys, old posters, etc. This would be great to visit while tailgating and great to complement Pride Path. It should be open during normal business hours and entrance to the museum includes a chance to view the stadium.
I feel like it should be bigger… like the roof being near-level with the video boards and not having a gap between the boards and the roof. Due to the shape which is small at the top and wide at the bottom, it creates a gap there. If this were lifted 1 story higher and more rectangular, I think it’d look better.
That extra story at the ground level can be bowled in bottom row seating and a tunnel like what was stated by others.
Id move the Video Board in the NE Corner to the SE corner. So both E and W sides have a video board facing them. The space vacated by this video board in the NEZ can be partially bowled in. The space underneath the other NW video board can also be bowled in.
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