FIU breaks ground on new stadium

[FIUPantherFan]

From the Miami Herald

FIU breaks new ground on stadium

FIU began the 'next step' in its quest to become an elite football program with a ground-breaking ceremony for a new stadium on Friday.

BY PETE PELEGRIN

ppelegrin@MiamiHerald.com

Back on Aug. 29, 2002, Florida International University became part of the college football landscape.

Buoyed by a sold-out, rollicking FIU Stadium, the Golden Panthers routed St. Peter's 27-3.

In a little more than 15 months from today, FIU begins another chapter in its athletic program when a new state-of-the art, on-campus stadium opens in September 2008 with the Golden Panthers hosting the University of South Florida.

Friday morning on the FIU Stadium grounds, FIU President Modesto Maidique, athletic director Pete Garcia and football coach Mario Cristobal among others grabbed blue and gold shovels, hard hats adorned with the FIU logo and broke ground on the 45,000-seat stadium.

''This is the place where you prepare yourself to take that next step as a football team,'' Cristobal said. ``Now it's about to become a special place, a state-of-the-art place and now [the South Florida community and recruits] know FIU is completely committed to being a big-time, big-time program.

``As you could tell this place is fired up. It's abuzz and it ain't going to stop. We've got a great thing going here.''

The $54 million stadium is being built by Odebrecht Construction, which also built AmericanAirlines Arena and the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts. It is slated to be constructed in several phases, with the dismantling of the old stadium set to begin early next week.

The first phase features about 18,000 seats with either chairbacks or backrests, 1,400 club seats, a 6,500 square-foot Panther Club, an upper concourse, 19 suites and a Jumbotron scoreboard.

Additional phases will include a student support complex on the north part of the stadium, and a fieldhouse with locker rooms, coaches offices and a premier weight room with a sports rehab and training complex.

Garcia said FIU is using Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee as a model. He envisions the stadium being constructed for the next five years with the finished product having an upper deck.

''I believe it is going to be huge for the entire university,'' Garcia said. ``Students are going to be coming over here for the student support complex every day for the things they have to get accomplished. We're excited about what it means to athletics, FIU and South Florida.''

FIU is also talking about bringing pro soccer and exhibition matches to the new stadium as well as concerts.

''We're going to use this stadium,'' Garcia said.

Maidique has been instrumental in the development of FIU. The president oversaw the opening of the FIU law school in 2002 and could have the medical school opened as early as 2009. Now after some struggles, Maidique saw another university landmark come to fruition Friday.

''People said that we couldn't afford a stadium,'' Maidique said. ``And that we couldn't build a stadium on campus. Today [FIU has] engineering, architecture, law, medicine and a Division I football program. We are a research university, and yes, we are building a football stadium."

From the South Florida Sun Sentinel

FIU finalizes deal on $55M stadium expansion

By Harry Coleman

Special Correspondent

Posted May 26 2007

Miami · The Florida International football team soon will have a state-of-the-art stadium to call home.

The university finalized a deal with Odebrecht Construction Inc. on Friday to begin expansion and renovation of FIU Stadium that will be completed in two phases at an estimated cost of $55 million.

The first phase, which will be ready for the 2008 home season opener against South Florida, will convert the stadium from a 7,500 permanent-seat facility to one with more than 18,000 seats. It will include air-conditioned suites, club seats and a video scoreboard.

"We're excited about this stadium and what it means to athletics, what it means to FIU and what it means to South Florida," Athletic Director Pete Garcia said.

The second phase, which Garcia said may take up to five years, will include a student support complex and increase the stadium capacity to approximately 45,000.

"The South Florida community and the recruits in South Florida, they are going to realize there is a place as special [and] more special a couple miles down the road here as there is across the country in North Carolina, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, New Jersey or wherever it may be," new coach Mario Cristobal said. "FIU is committed to being a big-time program.

"Now local athletes have one more reason to stay home and build a championship program, and athletes from all over the state and country will have one more reason to come here."

Garcia said the stadium will host other athletic events, as well as high school football games, and the goal is eventually to host concerts and professional soccer games and be a sports rehab and training complex.

The Golden Panthers will play their home games this fall at the Orange Bowl.

[E.T.]

Congrats and looking forward to the game.

[USFan]

Congrats!

[SRQ]

All of this demonstrates exactly why in the 50's the University of Miami strong-armed their local legislative delegation to name the new state university in Tampa the University of South Florida, as they didn't want a state school popping up anywhere south of I-4.

[DawgPound]

They failed.

[ToeJam]

The one thing that is not clear to me is the phases of the stadium.  From everything I have seen and read, the capacity will be 18,000 for phase I.  Upon completion the stadium will be 45,000, but is the whole thing funded and if so, why not just build the whole thing now.  Building for five years is very expensive add to that the issue with Hurricanes and contruction equipment and you have to think that the additional phases are not paid for at this time.  If someone has information on this, I would be thankful.

[smazza]

usf or miami have nothing to worry about

[E.T.]

... is the whole thing funded ...

Don't know the facts, but would assume only funds now enough for the 18K ... and then expecting revenue to pay the balance.

[FIUPantherFan]

They have 2 parts of the plan funded, the 18,000 first phase and the facade building which will house all studen services.  I believe this will eat up the $55MM.  Keep in mind that except for the club level, most of the stadium will be bleachers with bleacher backs, the benefit of the site is that it already has electrical and utility lines running to it, as well as the field that will be used (some cost savings).