FAU coach asks for new stadium

[Guest kirkland]

FLORIDA SPORTSWRITERS ASSOCIATION MEDIA DAYS

FAU coach asks for new stadium

If FAU's fledgling program is to survive, Howard Schnellenberger said it needs an on-campus stadium built by 2008.

BY BOB EMANUEL JR.

bemanuel@herald.com

ORLANDO - Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger turned Saturday morning's question-and-answer segment with reporters at the Caribe Royale resort into a sales pitch for the fifth-year program.

Whereas Miami's Larry Coker and Florida State's Bobby Bowden sat at the main podium and took questions during the Florida Sportswriters Association Media Days, Schnellenberger stood in the center of the room, his deep, baritone voice resonating inside the hotel's convention center.

Schnellenberger's pitch hit on everything, from the school's upcoming schedules to its need to replace 28 seniors from last year's team to its efforts to build an on-campus stadium.

He said the school sent out feelers to businesses about the stadium project with an RSVP date of Sept. 1.

''The RSVP will include financing it, designing it, building it and managing it,'' he said. ``Our president feels that by going in this direction this quickly will give us the best opportunity to know where our future lies with a stadium on campus.''

Schnellenberger joked that the stadium, once built, could be ``enticing for Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and a lot of other people I don't know.''

Schnellenberger said the project must be completed by 2008 if football is to remain feasible at FAU.

After a 25-minute speech, Schnellenberger took questions, making his session the third-longest of the day behind Bowden and Coker.

Florida International's Don Strock followed Schnellenberger and resumed the podium structure of the day. Like Schnellenberger, Strock talked about the building process of his program. This will be the fourth season for the Golden Panthers.

''This year, I finally have a senior class,'' Strock said. ``This is the first year of rollover of players that we actually recruited. I have 24, not all that play, but they are seniors. We're actually on the turnover, or rollover or whatever you want to call it, that everybody else is on now.''

Strock also detailed plans to build an on-campus stadium, with the expected construction set to begin after the 2006 season. He said there was a ''major gift'' coming to the university, hinting the donation alone is enough for construction to begin.

The Golden Panthers, like FAU, will compete in Division I-A this season in the last of their two-year transition from I-AA. Both teams joined the Sun Belt Conference.

Coker, who flew back home after his 9 a.m. conference to participate in the annual CaneFest, drew several chuckles from the crowd of roughly 60 reporters.

When asked how he deals with players with temper issues, he referenced Adam Sandler's hit comedy Anger Management.

''Obviously, from a coaching standpoint, you like to keep it under the radar,'' he said. ``I've had anger management counseling, not the one you see in the movies with Jack Nicholson in the movie.

'I think, as coaches now, we all try to be more proactive. When I first started this, you didn't worry about things like this. If a guy got into a fight somewhere, [you said,] `Well, a guy got into a fight.' But now, I think we understand a little more how serious those things can be, with domestic violence and all those things.''

[ZeroBullChip]

It's the in thing to do it seems.  Build it and they will come.

[GarySJ]

Schnellenberger said the project must be completed by 2008 if football is to remain feasible at FAU.

Football was never feasible at FAU, and never will be.

[smazza]

dreamers