‘Ryan Field’

>Hail to "What If?"

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> Image courtesy of HailToPurple Mark this one under “summer daydream.” The fine friends at http://www.hailtopurple.com/ are always one to take deep dives to a level that I can’t touch. [...]

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> Image courtesy of HailToPurple

Mark this one under “summer daydream.” The fine friends at http://www.hailtopurple.com/ are always one to take deep dives to a level that I can’t touch. Whether it be history, traditions or stadium trivia they are the goods. Then, an LTP reader sent this post along and I couldn’t resist sharing the diversion of fun time it gave me to not only think about, but actually visualize what an on-campus football stadium would look like. GoUPurple took the liberty of actually taking the daydream part out and created an actual graphic overlay of what a football stadium on the site of the current lacrosse stadium site would look like. Can you imagine how amazing that atmosphere would be? It’s like Army’s stadium, but on Lake Michigan. Talk about home field advantage! The student section would be insane, the tailgating would be phenomenal and the television visuals would be a 3-hour infomercial. Oh to dream…I’m fully convinced we need a completely new stadium – I’ve officially done a 180 on this topic. The feasability of this being built on the lake likely would have the environmental police opening up an office in the parking lot. It’s not going to happen. But wow…to dream. Well done HTP!
Please take a fun tour down daydream lane at this post on HailtoPurple.

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>Brand Ambassadorship

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>I promised a story on the LTP excursion to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies last week. The more I think about it, I should be on the [...]

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>I promised a story on the LTP excursion to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies last week. The more I think about it, I should be on the payroll of NU as a brand ambassador. It really is silly how easily I’m able to work Northwestern Athletics in to a conversation regardless of where I am. A true test is the hoops Hall of Fame considering the fact NU may have the least amount of connections to Springfield’s shrine as any collegiate program in America. Yes, Tex Winter’s impact on HOF inductee Scottie Pippen is a connection, but that’s about it.

I was in town to support Coach Bob Hurley Sr. as my day job led me to help produce the documentary film chronicling his amazing story. You might remember The Street Stops Here premiered during March Madness on PBS this past spring. After a reception on Thursday night I found myself sitting at a hotel bar with one of my alltime favorite players – Oscar Robertson. Truly the Michael Jordan before Michael Jordan, the Big “O” was kind enough to indulge me in a great hour-long conversation about hoops. I’m fascinated by the man not because he AVERAGED a triple double in the NBA, but because of his amazing high school career under Ray Crowe that in my opinion, single-handedly led to the desegregation of the entire state of Indiana. After sharing our respective stories it naturally came up that my move to Chicago was in large part due to attending Northwestern. Turns out, one of Oscar’s daughters who was at our table actually attended Northwestern (she ended up transferring to American University). It was a night I’ll always cherish.

Following that, I found myself at a private part of the hotel with about 30-40 NBA dignitaries and Sir Charles Barkley was kind enough to put his credit card down. What a thrill to be literally having a beer with Charles, Dee Brown, Bill Wennington and David Aldridge debating the merits of today’s players understanding of the collective bargaining agreement. Bill shared he was en route to BC to see his son play which obviously led to a CFB discussion and talk of the ‘Cats.

During the next 24 hours I had the chance to have conversations with everyone from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Jerry Colangelo. Some were brief (David Stern) and some were lengthy and robust (Jerry Colangelo). Nearly all were able to find themselves discussing NU and when it was warranted Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcat program. Being in a hoops-crazy crowd I can tell you there is still some brand recognition Fitz and the ‘Cats need, but I’m sure a few of the unlucky folks I conversed with at least have the seed planted. All in all, a night to remember.

Kafka Connects

Next Sunday I will do a more thorough NFL wrap-up of Wildcats in exhibition play. No doubt Mike Kafka was the headliner of this past weekend as he rallied the Eagles on consecutive scoring drives to earn the win. Granted, much of the drives consisted of runs, but Mike connected on a 57-yard strike and overall was a key in the Eagles 28-27 win over Jacksonville. Mike was 3-7 for 76 yards on the night. He’ll be back in action Friday night at 8pm et when the Eagles face Cincinnati.

D-Line Battle

Tina A. offers some insights in to the Vince Browne-Kevin Watt-Quentin Williams battle for DE in today’s Sun-Times. The article also boasts Fitz’s discontent with the energy level of some of the offense after a rigorous two-a-day on Monday. I’m still very concerned about Drake Dunsmore who will be sitting out of Camp Kenosha as he’s “dinged up”. As we’ve noted here several times of late, Drake being “dinged up” has been a given, but the guy is so darn tough, for him to be out for a prolonged period of time scares me.

The TCU Blueprint

With all of the talk here about stadium renovation, this news of a complete stadium renovation to the tune of $105 million at TCU should strike a chord. When you read this piece you could literally madlib the word TCU and replace it with Northwestern and it would work. The tiny undergrad base (just under 9,000 (NU has 8,000)) and the fact that Dallas-Ft. Worth is home to more other Texas school alums that TCU must really fight to make it Ft. Worth’s hometown team. Hmmm…sound familiar? OK, how about the constant struggle to garner attendance? Only twice have they drawn over 38,000 in recent years and this is a team whose on-field success is BCS bowl level in the past few years. I found it interesting that they raised $105 million in 8 months from 34 donors. I’m convinced we’re heading down this road soon. We’ll keep an eye on the transformation as it could provide a nice blueprint for NU.

Ring The Bell!

Ticket sales are starting to pour in from LTP readers. Alan A. gets major bonus points for not only tallying four season tickets (including converting two friends) but also puts a handful of flags on the map from China-to-Dubai-to-Bridgeport. Ian S. put two season duckets on the board and John W. picked up three 3-packs for Ryan Field. Keep ‘em coming!

Wave the Flag

Today’s LTP Flag Project Highlight is thanks to BJ and Jim who submitted this beauty in front of Ara Parseghian’s statue outside of Notre Dame Stadium. Thanks for everyone’s patience on the LTP map which is currently being overhauled and will be up very soon!

News & Notes

Tomorrow we start our 2010 team-by-team comprehensive preview starting with Vanderbilt. We’ll also be posting a LTP Mailbag – a new feature – this afternoon.

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>"They Got Like A High School Stadium"

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>That title my friends, was an actual quote of a Big Ten player in reference to Ryan Field. In one of the only polls of its kind I’ve ever seen, [...]

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>That title my friends, was an actual quote of a Big Ten player in reference to Ryan Field. In one of the only polls of its kind I’ve ever seen, AnnArbor.com’s Dave Birkett polled actual Big Ten players for both positive and controversial questions. Of course, he granted anonymity to all eleven players he polled which is good, because a)I can’t ever pronounce the word anonymity so I’m glad this is written and b)I don’t want to know which player’s grammar makes mine look good. As you can see in the poll, Ryan Field received nine votes as the worst atmosphere. With the exception of Terrelle Pryor as the most exciting player, this slam on us was the most one-sided, consensus among the league. Only Indiana even received another vote and based on the fact you couldn’t vote for your own team, stadium or coach, one would assume that vote was from an NU player.

I actually love this kind of poll as it gives you as much as a pulse of what player’s really think as you’ll see. Granted, the sample size isn’t quite up to muster, but it is fun nonetheless. I was surprised that Kirk Ferentz was the winner of the answer to “Which Big Ten coach would you most like to play for?” Fitz only received one vote which shocked me. Although, he is in pretty heady company. Here are the results:

Kirk Ferentz, Iowa – 4
Comment: “They just always have such a well-coached team.”
Joe Paterno, Penn State – 3
Jim Tressel, Ohio State – 3
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern – 1

Now would be a good time to revisit the stadium series I guess. Let’s book it for tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some thoughts on the Big Ten from a conference wide perspective. We’ll call it a poll of one – LTP. I’ll try my best to invoke the same rules – I can’t vote for NU in any category.

Best Home Schedule

Minnesota – USC, Penn State, Ohio State and Iowa all trek to TCF Stadium. Oh yeah, and Northwestern. For the record, Tim Brewster referenced this fact at the Big Ten luncheon and noticably omitted Northwestern’s name from his home schedule that he was bragging about. I didn’t forget Tim and it’s payback time after the egg we laid against the Gophers.

There are two other non-conference games (South Dakota and Middle Tennessee State) but those names will be sure to keep ticket scalpers very busy in the Twin Cities.

Schedule Best Set-up For Success

Northwestern – There. I broke the voting rules. And – I jinxed us. However, NU needs to learn how to put teams away and throttle the jugular. Overcoming and LTP jinx is third in line. The ‘Cats will likely be favored in at least six of their first eight games and potentially all eight- @Vanderbilt, vs ISU, @Rice, vs Central Michigan, @Minnesota, Purdue, Michigan State, @Indiana. With Mavre at Purdue, and Cousins and his WRs back in Spartyland and my surprise pick of the year with Indiana, it won’t be easy. However, big picture, when you look at our talent and the schedule, I can’t remember it setup better for success. Ever.

Surprise Team Of The Year – Good Version

Indiana – As you’ve read here, I’m high on the Hoosiers in 2010. Yes, the defense has more question marks than players, but I’m likening this team to the 2005 ‘Cats. A high-octane offense with a proven QB (Chappell is our “Baz”), a money wideout (Tandon Doss) and an electrifying RB – Darrius Willis (the Hoosiers’ Tyrell Sutton). Throw in a non-conference schedule that makes NU’s seem tough (IU has Towson, Western Kentucky, Akron and Arkansas State) and there is reason for bowl expectations in Bloomington.

Surprise Team of the Year – Bad Version

Penn State
It is all relative, but “bad” in Happy Valley is when you don’t reach a BCS bowl. I expect an 8-4 season, but the Nittany Lions are looking at a likely 3-2 start with a road game at defending national champ Alabama and a road Big Ten opener against their nemesis Iowa. They also play at Ohio State in November so the season finale in the Land Grant could be there make or break game.

Favorite Non-NU Player
Tie – Darrius Willis (Indiana), Terry Hawthorne (Illinois)
Darrius Willis might not be a name most ‘Cats fans remember. The reason? He had blitzed the ‘Cats for an 80-yard TD before most of you were in your seats last year. The electrifying RB for the Hoosiers was dinged up last year and still was a human highlight film. The theme in Bloomington this year is “finish” and with Willis they will. Separately, the Illini’s Terry Hawthorne earned my love for this amazing run down last year in the “never give up” category.

Sexy Opening Weekend Upset Pick
Michigan
This is as in “gets upset” not, pull the upset. Purdue over Notre Dame is another, but the Wolverines pulled a Northwestern in scheduling by scheduling UCONN. The Huskies are still a team that gets no respect nationally, although a lot of sympathy based on last season’s tragedy, yet are consistently competitive every season. This is akin to scheduling Nevada. You win, the average fan “expects” it, but to those who know, UCONN will be a tough out. The game is in the Big(ger) House and if there is a team that has cornered the season-opening news making loss, it is Michigan.

Most Feared Defense
Michigan State
This is through a Northwestern fans eyes. Greg Jones and his fellow LBs just stuck it to NU last year. It was as if they were getting to Kafka and our RBs as we handed off the ball. I’m still having nightmares about the way the controlled our line last year and the Spartans return the bulk of the business on D.

Most Feared Big Strike Play
Tie – Iowa, Michigan State
The combo of seasoned QB and wily veteran WRs is a dangerous combo. When you throw in our less than proven secondary and solid front seven, you know we’ll be tested deep often. The Stanzi to DJK threat is one that we’ll be talking about all the way up to the November 13 game against the Hawkeyes. Similarly, Kirk Cousins has his pick between Dell and Cunningham both of whom, I fear, will add to the long list of Spartan ‘Cat killers.

Quickest Hot Seat
Tie – Ron Zook, RichRod
If RichRod loses to UCONN it is all but over for him. The Irish are the week two opponent and playing at Indiana who will be the equivalent of Iowa waiting for NU in terms of payback (hey, what do you think gum sales will be at that game?) setup for a potential disaster if he doesn’t take care of business. The Illini face Mizzou (loss) in the opener and then after wins over Illinois directionals open with the gauntlet of Ohio State at home and then @Penn State and @Michigan State. That’s 2-4 to open the season and Zook will be trying to hang his team together in hopes that they can rebound against middle-to-lower of the pack teams.

We’ll have much more or these types of Big Ten overview posts coming in the next few weeks. Have at it…

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>Stadium Profiles: Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium

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> Bobby Dodd Stadium – Home to Georgia Tech and a stunning backdrop Mr. Dodd meet Mr. Ryan. Thanks to a tip from Tim, I think Georgia Tech may offer [...]

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> Bobby Dodd Stadium – Home to Georgia Tech and a stunning backdrop

Mr. Dodd meet Mr. Ryan. Thanks to a tip from Tim, I think Georgia Tech may offer one of the most relevant examples of what can be done to take a “historic” (read: dump) field and without a complete rebuild, turn relatively modest dollars in to a brand new stadium. Like Ryan Field, Bobby Dodd Stadium had a precursor name tied to original financing (Mr. Grant meet Mr. Dyche). OK, so the analogy fails as Bobby Dodd was a famous coach for whom the new name was added while Pat Ryan is the most generous donor who funded the 1996 renovation, but you get the point.

Bobby Dodd is squarely in the middle of Atlanta, so the Evanston-to-Georgia Tech comparison from a geography standpoint is not as compelling as BC. However, when you look at the series of transformations the stadium has undergone it may offer a better blueprint for renovation.

“Historic” Grant Field in 1983 – very similar to Dyche Stadium

As you can see by this 1983 photo, Grant Field shares the horseshoe configuration that had seats far away thanks to the outdoor track. Newcomers to Wildcat Nation may not remember, but prior to the 1996-97 renovation from Dyche to Ryan, we too had a track going around the perimeter of the stadium. Both Ryan Field and Bobby Dodd made a much-needed renovation step, however in 2003 Georgia Tech took it several steps further – for not a ton of money ($75million). According to the official Georgia Tech school website “The focal point of the project was the new North end zone structure, which seats 15,678 in two levels and also includes 10 luxury suites as well as the Howard Ector Letterwinners Lounge. The complex also features the 7,000-square foot Kim King Football Locker Room, a 3,300-square foot players’ lounge, the Jones Media Room, and football coaches’ offices that overlook Grant Field.”

You see a trend in the stadium profiles. Georgia Tech completely upgraded the endzones with a multi-level endzone seating upgrade on one side and then a two-tiered endzone with seating and luxury boxes on the other side. You can start to visualize what Ryan Field would look like by eliminating the south end zone circular shape (remnants from the track layout) and connect the east-west sections.

From a capacity standpoint, Georgia Tech and Ryan Field are in the same ballpark – 55,000 for the Yellow Jackets and 47,130 for the ‘Cats. In 2008, Georgia Tech averaged 83% capacity at 47,489 and last season they posted a double-digit per game average increase to 94% and an average of 51,584. The most recent bumps can be attributed to one of the nation’s best coaches – Paul Johnson- coming on board in 2009 after Chan Gailey consistently putting the Yellow Jackets in bowl games on an annual basis. In fact, the ‘Cats are about 4-5 years away from actually posting the consistency of Georgia Tech who have not had a losing season since 1996. Johnson has gone 9-4 and 11-3 in his first two seasons in Atlanta.


So, there you go, another stadium to put on the renovation tour for NU. I’ve never been to a game there but am willing to bet some of you have. Bring on the first person accounts!! Below is a YouTube video that offers you a great perspective of the stadium from the student section perspective and offers you views of the entire stadium, albeit a tad shaky.

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>Stadium Stat-O-Rama

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>To the naked eye, LTP believes IU’s Memorial Stadium renovation got the most bang-for-the-buck and could be a good blueprint for PART of the much-needed Ryan Field overhaul. The occasional [...]

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>To the naked eye, LTP believes IU’s Memorial Stadium renovation got the most bang-for-the-buck and could be a good blueprint for PART of the much-needed Ryan Field overhaul.

The occasional feature series profiling relevant stadiums (Oregon State, BC so far) has been very well received by LTP readers. Thanks to a tip from Tim, next up will be Bobby Dodd Stadium on Monday which may very well be the model case study for future Ryan Field stadium makeovers. Before we dive in to downtown Atlanta, let’s first offer up some Big Ten context on fellow stadium spends and lay the continual groundwork that is convincing me more each day that we do need to invest some significant dollars in to Ryan Field.

Northwestern spent approximately $20 million thanks to the Ryan family in 1996 which enabled NU to lower the field to improve sight-lines, add a brand new press box with limited luxury boxes, a new lockerroom facility and added a new scoreboard. Also, concession stand areas were widened and -drumroll please – seating capacity was REDUCED to 47,130 from just over 49,000. Construction was completed in 1997. Let’s take a spin around the Big Ten and see what others have done:

Illinois – $100M – Completed for ’09 season
The Illini recently completed a massive multi-year renovation that, like most renovations, addressed endzone seating adding 14,000 seats total to the north and south end zones while reducing large seating areas on the west side for a 3-story luxury box/press box addition. Ancillary adds like a weight room that overlooks the field were part of the “Illinois Renaissance” project.

Indiana -$55M – Completed summer ’09
There has been quite a bit of speculation that part of NU’s plans may involve a football-only building and weight room facility that anchors, perhaps the south part of the end zone. If this is indeed part of the plan than Indiana’s Memorial Stadium offers the blueprint of “how-to”. Check out these photos from 2009 of the before and after and how fantastic the Hoosiers end zone now looks and how awesome it looks from the outside as well. It includes football offices, a weight room and of course added and upgraded endzone seating. It is essential to note that the exact north end zone renovation was a portion of the $55 million and that the other portion was for a basketball-only practice facility. I’ve yet to see the exact number for the football upgrade.

Iowa – $86.8 Million – Completed 2006
The Hawkeyes similarly overhauled one endzone in ’06 adding a beautiful plaza area and upgrading the endzone significantly. A lot of the overhaul, however, was in infrastructure that including nipping and tucking seating in several areas to widen concourses, and triple restrooms and concession stands while of course, adding luxury boxes and premium seating. You can check out the photo gallery here. With our success in Kinnick, I feel as though we own a piece of this place.

Michigan – $226 Million – Nearing completion (Summer 2010)
This is the head-scratcher of all head-scratchers. The Big House is barely getting any bigger, but they’ve spent nearly four years to add a completely new press box and a stunning wrap-around the entire stadium luxury box ring that is absolutely incredible in person. Still, the fact that 83 luxury boxes, 3200 club seats and widening of aisles and individual seats net less than 2,000 new “seats” is nearly inexplicable to me when you consider Minnesota was able to build a brand-new 49,000-seat stadium for about the same price.

Michigan State – $64 Million Completed 2005
Spartan Stadium, to me, wins the award for the second most bang-for-the-buck (behind Indiana) for what they did. They added 24 luxury boxes, 800 premium seats and 3,000 regular seats while creating an Iowa/Indiana-like entry plaza that is the welcoming site to the stadium. They renovated the lockerrooms, widened concourses and touched up other infrastructure elements as well.

Minnesota – $288.5 Million – TCF Bank Stadium – Opened in 2009
The Gophers made by far the most significant change – a brand spanking new stadium. What more do you say other than the fact capacity (50,000) is the closest to Ryan Field (47,130),. The stadium was designed with future expansion very much in mind and the add-ons would enable this infrastructure to build in to an 80,000-seat stadium. Check it out here.

Ohio State – $194 Million – Completed 2000
The Horseshoe’s major facelift rivals Michigan’s in terms of cost and least visible changes on a bang for the buck-o-meter. Ohio Stadium was overhauled in 1999 as thousands of additional seats were added to the upper deck. They completely overhauled the press box and added 81 luxury boxes, 2500 club seats and a nifty new scoreboard. The change was actually very noticeable to Buckeyes fans as the capacity rose by more than 10,000. You can get a good sense for how significant the upper deck extension was when you look at old and new photos of the panaromic variety.

Penn State – $93 Million – Completed 2001
Beaver Stadium’s facelift catapulted Penn State to the forefront of the total capacity arms race as they added 12,000 seats to a new capacity of 107,282, second only to the Big House in terms of largest stadium capacity in the nation. Like many Big Ten upgrades, the endzone seating was a key visual upgrade.
Purdue – $70 Million – Completed 2003, Yet Two More Phases To Go.
The Boilermakers’ Ross-Ade Stadium renovation took more than three years to complete and actually reduced capacity from over 66,000 to the present day 62,500. Purdue’s “phase I” was completed in 2003, but there are two more planned phases which will have a dramatic change to the stadium. Phase one was similar to Ryan Field’s makeover and included a completely new press box, the addition of 34 luxury suites and a 200-seat indoor club level. However, the phases to come include an upper deck on the east side of the stadium and an upper deck in the north endzone that will connect the two sides.
Wisconsin – $109.5 Million – Completed 2005
Camp Randall’s overhaul was an epic 4-year journey to complete. In addition to adding more than 4,000 new seats to bring the stadium to a present-day capacity of 80,321, a new press box was added, as well as 72 luxury boxes and nearly 1,000 premium seats. Additionally a ton of concourse expansion was completed. The Badgers also built a 5-story administrative building, new football-only offices, a new ticket office, new lockerrooms and more. Click here for all the details.

So there you have it. Every single team has had a major stadium renovation since 2000 with all but two having the major renovations since 2005. Northwestern as you know has not had a renovation since 1997. And, the renovation in 1997 pales in comparison to even the smallest renovation in the Big Ten. Add Nebraska, which had a massive overhaul in 2006, and you get the point. Our facilities are lagging way behind our competition. While the attendance does not justify it, from a recruiting standpoint – the lifeline of future success – it is a big deal. Imagine being a 17-year-old kid and that all-important moment when you walk in to a stadium on your recruiting visit. Pick any of the other 10/11 schools and try and measure the “awe factor” and we come in dead last. Also, not even noted on here are the “modest” $3-$4million upgrades for the likes of brand new scoreboards (which we desperately need) and new fields and the like.

I’ve been a staunch proponent of NOT going in to stadium renovation until we fix the attendance issue. However, when looking at it from a recruiting standpoint, it is clear we are further handicapping Fitz and company. Based on AOL Fanhouse’s numbers the $8 million in net profit that football brings in per year, it is time to invest in the growth area of the program. Clearly the capital investment of a $100Million plus renovation will take some time to recoup, but looking at it from a strictly business perspective, that type of investment, when calculating the increased talent level and ability to sustain on-field success, increase attendance via our marketing department overhaul should make the ROI a realistic 8-10 year goal (assuming a $100 million investment). One caveat – from the time we decide to renovate, it will be a several year initiative. I’m talking myself in to getting antsy and wanting to get going now. I’ve sold myself and am now a proponent that indeed a major renovation is necessary and the time is now.

Telander’s Tome
Rick Telander’s sixth installment of what football did to and for his teammates takes a lighter turn today featuring seemingly wealthy investor Jerry Combs. Perhaps he is a key target for renovation dollars, or perhaps he would like to invest in LTP!

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>Romance by Reser

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> I’m heading back to the epicenter of Wildcat Nation today, but yesterday I had a nice vacation diversion and while I was at it – conference alignment distraction. The [...]

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>

I’m heading back to the epicenter of Wildcat Nation today, but yesterday I had a nice vacation diversion and while I was at it – conference alignment distraction. The distraction? Reser Stadium – home of the Oregon State Beavers. As a kid I was allured by the magic of baseball stadiums. My RI roots led me to look to Fenway Park as sports mecca and the Field of Dreams factor to this day has me rubberneck when I pass any minor league stadium. However, I’ve become somewhat obsessed with college football stadiums.

Yesterday was one of those lucky days when you get to the stadium and the gates are wide open. I was able to walk right on to the field with family members and I was just shocked that the same raucous home I’ve seen on TV for the ’06 USC upset and several Civil Wars was smaller capacity (45,000+) than Ryan Field (47,130). It seemed so much larger than Ryan Field I literally kept checking my Iphone for various sources to confirm. After a quick mental diversion of wondering what other BCS conference schools not named Duke, BC or Wake Forest have smaller stadiums, I was standing at midfield looking around thinking “why does it feel so much bigger”.

As I sat there it hit me like a ton of bricks. Seatbacks baby. OK, that and the fact the stadium seems to be one of the more vertical you’ll ever see. Oh yeah, and the Pac-10 trademark dramatic acoustic and rain protection overhang (like Oregon and Washington). I did marvel at the tight end zone seating and immediately pictured how, as many of you suggested, the Ryan Field south end zone could be pulled waaaay in to help with sightlines and acoustics. Right above this could be the mega jumbotron like Reser has above its tight end zone seating. The stadium was so intimate you could feel the fans breathing on you as you envisioned how loud it must get.

The word on the street is that the south end zone of the renovated Ryan Field will inclue a state of the art football-only facilities building that will hold offices, a weight room and a handy-dandy good looking visual for TV purposes. I envision something similar to Indiana’s Memorial Stadium, however I’d be thrilled to even get something like this:

Reser Stadium Endzone – a blueprint for Ryan Field’s South Endzone?

Obviously I pulled an A-Train or perhaps John Clay and fumbled big time by not having a Northwestern “N” flag handy to add to the stadium total that is now nearly 1/6th of all DI stadiums (what a joke by me!). I really began fantasizing about the imminent capital campaign and how Northwestern has so much upside for stadium enhancements. I started getting giddy thinking about a packed purple stadium that is truly the crowned jewel of intimate stadiums. When you sit in another stadium and soak it in objectively it really underscores the need for improvements on your own home turf. The seat backs in orange and black just made a huuuge difference in terms of intimate setting (the endzones were bleachers). I was bummed it wasn’t a gameday as the juices started flowing. My thoughts wandered to how we can EXPAND our stadium to accommodate the likes of Nebraska coming to town and also ADAPT for the likes of Rice playing in Evanston.

The attendance culprit. This side of Reser Stadium is clearly smaller than either side of Ryan Field.

Man, I’d love to be part of the Jim Phillips stadium renovation team and be able to go on visits like this across the country to sample the best practices and cool features of the nation’s best stadiums. For what it is worth, the surrounding parking lot made the east and west lots seem like Texas. The lone layout blunder I saw was a lack of tailgating area in close proximity to the stadium. Reser was on the outskirts of the campus and right next to the 10,000-seat Gill Arena (hoops), but I was envious of the walking distance to the quad and the essential parts of campus.
Perhaps I should do a special feature for LTP on every stadium we visit to feed my insatiable and inexplicable want to become an expert on football stadiums. It really made me as giddy as a kid walking up a ramp to Fenway Park.
Hail to Hail
You’ve likely been ingesting conference alignment and Big Ten division splits like brats at a 4th of July party. However, I highly recommend you check out J-Hodges – an LTP regular – whose HailtoPurple post feasting on Jim Delany’s requirements of competitive balance, rivalries and geography – is second to none.
Red Carpet
The Big Ten Bloggers who have been more dormant than NU in the hoops postseason have offered entrance to the first Nebraska blog – Corn Nation. Be sure to check it out as you know the hype surrounding how dedicated and football smart Huskers fans are will make you think your football IQ will skyrocket by simply bookmarking this blog.
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>The Arms Race Goes Public

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>Over the Memorial Day weekend many of us fell “behind” on the news. LTP was no exception and in my usual sweep of all things Northwestern, I realized this Teddy [...]

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>Over the Memorial Day weekend many of us fell “behind” on the news. LTP was no exception and in my usual sweep of all things Northwestern, I realized this Teddy Greenstein piece had slipped past me. In the article, Greenstein actually was able to get quotes from AD Jim Phillips, Bill Carmody and even Fitz. Carmody was the most outspoken about the need to “update the whole place” meaning Welsh-Ryan Arena. As you read, his top priorities are a new scoreboard and creating purple-back seats at least in the lower arena. More on this in a minute.

The note that really caught my eye was Phillips’ acknowledgement of being in the middle of a master plan for facilities that would address most athletes’ needs. That is the plan I want to get my hands on. Most of you at some point have speculated on upgrades to Ryan Field and Teddy writes that Fitz and the football program have indeed made inquiries for a new weight room, offices and then TG put his own personal hot-button topic of LTP – knocking out some stands to reduce capacity. While I’m with Teddy in spirit on ensuring there are no eyesores on TV, I’m not about long-term reduction of capacity. As recently as 12 years ago we were averaging in the 40,000+ per game. While I’m certain that renovations to the stadium won’t hurt, I’m not sure that is the solution to boosting attendance and in Teddy’s defense he didn’t make that claim.

The bigger picture dialogue here is the arms race in college athletics. You’d be surprised how many times recruits will pick one seemingly obscure nuance at a place that makes the difference. “They have a fruit smoothie bar in their weight room!”. “They have Wiis at every locker!” Don’t think NU recruit are immune to being swayed by seemingly minor details. I believe it was Hudaifa Ismaeli, arguably the ‘Cats most athletic DB ever, who chose NU in part because he liked the black uniforms.

Michigan’s ill-timed renovation (plans were started well in advance of the economic collapse of 2008) is near completion. The Big House just got bigger – and much more plush – with the installation of luxury boxes around the entire stadium. To see this in person is absolutely mind-boggling as it relates to the size of the renovation. The cost? Oh, just a quarter of a BILLION dollars. That’s right, the addition of luxury boxes cost almost as much as Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium ($288 million), but nonetheless, the Gophers have brand-spanking new digs. What is the part of the stadium that gets the most pub? You got it, the nation’s largest locker rooms. Even the proletariat programs like Indiana have got in to the act. Many of you have expressed a desire to see NU borrow design improvements from the Hoosiers, who last year completed a north end zone enclosure that has an enormous weight room facility, classrooms and looks pretty darn slick as part of a $55 million athletics renovation. The Illini also recently completed a $100 million renovation which added 14,000 seats, enclosed the horseshoe, added a new scoreboard and added luxury boxes. Come to think of it, name a school that hasn’t had a major renovation or upgrade in recent years?

Northwestern’s $4.5 million Welsh-Ryan lockerroom renovation barely qualifies as it was 15-years overdue and that money spent barely gets us in the 11th spot as far as hoops facilities go. The “major” renovation of Dyche Stadium to Ryan Field was 15 years ago (“opened” in 1997)which in the athletics facilities arms race is considered a generation. The total cost for the largest football renovation in our lifetime? $30 million. Granted, I haven’t adjusted the dollar amount for inflation, but that doesn’t even hit the radar screen in Big Ten renovation parlance.

Heck, and I’d settle for a P.A. system that worked. Seriously though, there is a part of me that likes the charm of doing so much with so little. I have a hard time in these economic times to justify a 9-figure athletic facilities upgrade, but considering NU is the lone wolf in the Big Ten that wouldn’t be siphoning tax dollars from unwanting folks (see TCF Bank Stadium) it is hard for me to say “don’t do it.” I’d love to tap in to Darren Rovell to see what studies exist that equate collegiate national championships – in ANY sport – to increased value of the organization. What’s the value of five lacrosse national championships (which by the way, Northwestern is the home to what many believe is the best women’s lacrosse facility in the nation) to a school? What’s the value of a national champion softball team? We can actually calculate the value of a national championship using other school’s data.

I always feel as though facilities are the chicken-egg debate of collegiate athletics. You want the best facilities to ensure you compete on an even playing field recruiting-wise. If you get the best talent, you’ll win and “the fans will come (or keep coming if you’re established).” The flip side is show me you can draw fan interest presumably by winning and we’ll upgrade your facilities. Let’s face it. When it comes to revenue sports, NU is not on an even playing field. You can eliminate more than half of the potential recruits by simply getting their report cards emailed to you. The question is are the kids we’re recruiting – and as WildcatReport.com noted this week they are indeed of higher athletic caliber (4 recruiting targets we’re in the mix for are among the top 100 in the country) – going to nix NU because of facilities? To a point I would argue “no” – at least in football. We’ve got a dynamic coaching staff and a proven track record. We’ve got character kids who make recruits feel at home. A new scoreboard? Absolutely. Better game day experience? No question. However, I’d rather – in football – we add a “zero” to the marketing budget and spend considerably to raise the purple factor on the conscience of Chicagoland. I’m all for master planning and ensuring facilities make progress, but I think our sequencing is off. Perhaps this all being parallel pathed, but I know the University has not supported a realistic marketing budget for NU Athletics to make any kind of marketplace spend.

Hoops is a slightly different story. When you’re fighting history, everything needs to reek of progress. I absolutely love the “charm” of Welsh-Ryan, but it needs a massive overhaul. The scoreboard is indeed a joke. It reminds me of a dot matrix printer, you know the kind you could hear scanning each line from a different area code. I love the acoustics in that gym as it is a very tough place to play when the students actually decide to show up. If you’ve ever been to Cameron Indoor Stadium then you know that winning tradition trumps everything, because aside from some mahogany wood around the interior, the gyms really aren’t that much different. Duke has prestige from being the best program in America over the past 25 years, Northwestern’s facility is considered rinky-dink because of lack of success. No, it isn’t fair, but neither is life, right?

Let the favorite off-season topic get really started…have fun.

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