Today's Official OCS thread/FAU unveils drawing of stadium

[BoozedUpBull]

I think it is appropriate - since there seems to be some love going toward UCF's stadium...

http://www.local6.com/sports/14128304/detail.html

Perhaps we should have seatbacks AND water in our OCS?!

Now, no water fountains is weird, I'll admit.  But in all the games I have been to, I don't recall EVER using a public water fountain...they just give me the creeps. 

Come to think of it neither have I.

Estimating that I've been to several hundred sporting events in my lifetime, I've used a water fountain exactly..........

ZERO times.

Still, strange that they wouldn't include at least a few.

Who drinks water?  Do you mean frozen water in your rum and coke?  > :coldone

[Orlando Bull]

I think season ticket holder seats should have seat backs. So, while the stadium is being built, you reserve your season tickets, and based on the number that they sell, they would make a section large enough to have seat backs.

By the way, the purchaser would also pay the difference for the seatback vs. bleacher in that first year.

I think it would increase season ticket sales (even more than an OCS already will), and it isn't costing USF any more money if they transfer the cost back to the fans. I for one would gladly pay an extra $200 or so for seat backs (the first year) so in 15 years when I take someone to the game, I can tell them that the reason my seats are more comfortable than most is because I was on the ground floor when the stadium was built.

On another note, there were some "permanent" seat backs at Auburn. Some season ticket holders had zip-tied, or otherwise fastened their own seats to their spot so that they didn't have to bring them every game. That could work also.

[Michael Bolton]

MAB ...

I'm not sure where you get the idea those of us who want to build the stadium "right" are looking for the Taj Mahal...

As I see it, here are what I believe most of us want in the new stadium.

1) Seat backs and arm rests in the non-student areas.  Students should have bench seating (they stand anyway, right?) and won't need armrests either (to cram more bodies in).  However, the rest of the stadium should get armrests and seatbacks. It's hard to ask for thousands of dollars for the right to buy tickets to be uncomfortable... even UCF added permanent seatbacks in its donor areas.

2) Lots of bathrooms.  Many stadiums (Orange Bowl, Legion Field, etc) don't have nearly enough bathrooms... especially for women.

3) Club levels.  This could be combined with some luxury suites, but donors who pay big $$ might want an indoor, airconditioned area into which they can retreat from time to time.

4) Lots of vendor areas.  Sure, there may or may not be beer, but why not have enough vendor stands to provide food for everyone without really long lines.  I stood in line for an hour at Legion Field for a hot dog at the Bowl Game.

5) Good sight lines.  Soccer stadiums and those with a track have some terrible views.  If we want a packed house, we need to make sure there isn't a bad seat in the house.

6) Scoreboards and jumbotrons.  Yes, the fans would really like to see the replay from time to time.  We would also like to know scores from other games.  These are possibilities at RayJay, but would be needed at a new stadium.

7) Enough seats for the demand , and enough demand for the seats.  Ah, there's the rub.  Sure, USF could build Lockhart stadium on campus right now... but it has to be big enough to bring in enough money (not ticket sales or annual donations - but advertising and naming rights).  I think the number has to be at least 50,000 if not bigger.  USF has never sold that many tickets before (WVU will probably be the first).

Now before you start the whole "build it and they will come" ... let me point out that our largest crowd ever was in the first game, and we're in our 11th season.  They haven't come yet, so why would the location of the stadium make that much of a difference to people who are not already USF fans?

I hope this explanation at least makes some sense and you can understand the perspective here.

CJL has called Raymond James stadium his biggest recruiting tool.  Bigger than the Big East. Bigger than playing for a Nat'l Championship.  That should tell you something about the kind of stadium we need to finance and build.

I see that perspective, but from my reading, it just seems that many are too comfy at Raymond James.  Is Ray Jay a great NFL stadium?  Absolutely, it might be the best.  As a college stadium it stinks, especially for an up and coming program.

Miami has issues with space.  If it had the room of a USF the Canes would have their own stadium.  Doak Campbell is all bench seating, and it's great.  They sell comfy chairbacks to season ticket holders (as they do at UF where my father in law has season tickets).  This is another revenue source.

Look, maybe I'm spoiled having been to a lot of great college venues, but Ray Jay just doesn't cut it as a college venue in my opinion.  As for Leavitt saying it's a recruiting tool, what did you expect him to say?  He's bright and will use it....just as he would an on campus stadium.

[TheBullies]

I think it is appropriate - since there seems to be some love going toward UCF's stadium...

http://www.local6.com/sports/14128304/detail.html

Perhaps we should have seatbacks AND water in our OCS?!

Now, no water fountains is weird, I'll admit.  But in all the games I have been to, I don't recall EVER using a public water fountain...they just give me the creeps. 

Come to think of it neither have I.

Estimating that I've been to several hundred sporting events in my lifetime, I've used a water fountain exactly..........

ZERO times.

Still, strange that they wouldn't include at least a few.

Who drinks water?  Do you mean frozen water in your rum and coke?  > :coldone

Good point.

[BJ]

I think it is appropriate - since there seems to be some love going toward UCF's stadium...

http://www.local6.com/sports/14128304/detail.html

Perhaps we should have seatbacks AND water in our OCS?!

Seriously man, we get it. You don't have to paste that article in every thread you can sneak it into.

[Guest]

I see that perspective, but from my reading, it just seems that many are too comfy at Raymond James.  Is Ray Jay a great NFL stadium?  Absolutely, it might be the best.  As a college stadium it stinks, especially for an up and coming program.

Miami has issues with space.  If it had the room of a USF the Canes would have their own stadium.  Doak Campbell is all bench seating, and it's great.  They sell comfy chairbacks to season ticket holders (as they do at UF where my father in law has season tickets).  This is another revenue source.

Look, maybe I'm spoiled having been to a lot of great college venues, but Ray Jay just doesn't cut it as a college venue in my opinion.  As for Leavitt saying it's a recruiting tool, what did you expect him to say?  He's bright and will use it....just as he would an on campus stadium.

It only stinks because, as MAB has pointed out, it's the Bucs stadium... if the stadium were shared... with neutral colors and changeable iconography, it wouldn't be as bad.  It's not the physical stadium that you don't like, it's all the Bucs stuff around.

And I hate it as well.

But I realize three things.

1) College sports is entertainment.  It's not much more than that to the casual fan -- even casual fans who are USF alumni.  Any successful college program can not be built on the backs of the people who attend the college.  USF needs the casual fan to become engaged -- that means the whole experience has to be a good one.  That means they can't say, love the team but I wish we were still in RayJay.

2) USF does not have the fan base to support any kind of on campus stadium right now.  This is not something you can build and HOPE there will be support.  There has to be support there first.  The amount of $$ USF pays per YEAR to rent RayJay is more than the amount USF will have to pay per MONTH for debt service on a stadium.

3) USF has other priorities.  We are in the Big East because of all other programs EXCEPT football.  If football was the deciding factor, ECU or Memphis or even UCF would have been invited before USF.  But, the thing is, USF's olympic sports were outstanding, and the reason USF was included.  However, their facilities need a dramatic upgrade.  Once the $54 million has been acquired for this current capital campaign, a new one can be explored for an OCS.

[Brad]

MAB ...

I'm not sure where you get the idea those of us who want to build the stadium "right" are looking for the Taj Mahal...

As I see it, here are what I believe most of us want in the new stadium.

1) Seat backs and arm rests in the non-student areas.  Students should have bench seating (they stand anyway, right?) and won't need armrests either (to cram more bodies in).  However, the rest of the stadium should get armrests and seatbacks. It's hard to ask for thousands of dollars for the right to buy tickets to be uncomfortable... even UCF added permanent seatbacks in its donor areas.

2) Lots of bathrooms.  Many stadiums (Orange Bowl, Legion Field, etc) don't have nearly enough bathrooms... especially for women.

3) Club levels.  This could be combined with some luxury suites, but donors who pay big $$ might want an indoor, airconditioned area into which they can retreat from time to time.

4) Lots of vendor areas.  Sure, there may or may not be beer, but why not have enough vendor stands to provide food for everyone without really long lines.  I stood in line for an hour at Legion Field for a hot dog at the Bowl Game.

5) Good sight lines.  Soccer stadiums and those with a track have some terrible views.  If we want a packed house, we need to make sure there isn't a bad seat in the house.

6) Scoreboards and jumbotrons.  Yes, the fans would really like to see the replay from time to time.  We would also like to know scores from other games.  These are possibilities at RayJay, but would be needed at a new stadium.

7) Enough seats for the demand , and enough demand for the seats.  Ah, there's the rub.  Sure, USF could build Lockhart stadium on campus right now... but it has to be big enough to bring in enough money (not ticket sales or annual donations - but advertising and naming rights).  I think the number has to be at least 50,000 if not bigger.  USF has never sold that many tickets before (WVU will probably be the first).

Now before you start the whole "build it and they will come" ... let me point out that our largest crowd ever was in the first game, and we're in our 11th season.  They haven't come yet, so why would the location of the stadium make that much of a difference to people who are not already USF fans?

I hope this explanation at least makes some sense and you can understand the perspective here.

CJL has called Raymond James stadium his biggest recruiting tool.  Bigger than the Big East. Bigger than playing for a Nat'l Championship.  That should tell you something about the kind of stadium we need to finance and build.

I see that perspective, but from my reading, it just seems that many are too comfy at Raymond James.  Is Ray Jay a great NFL stadium?  Absolutely, it might be the best.  As a college stadium it stinks, especially for an up and coming program.

Miami has issues with space.  If it had the room of a USF the Canes would have their own stadium.  Doak Campbell is all bench seating, and it's great.  They sell comfy chairbacks to season ticket holders (as they do at UF where my father in law has season tickets).  This is another revenue source.

Look, maybe I'm spoiled having been to a lot of great college venues, but Ray Jay just doesn't cut it as a college venue in my opinion.  As for Leavitt saying it's a recruiting tool, what did you expect him to say?  He's bright and will use it....just as he would an on campus stadium.

Don't forget that USF has a section of ticket holders that donate $10,000 per year to have the seats.  Sure, there can be benches in parts of a new stadium, but when you have sold these seats as well as several donor levels beneath them on the amenities associated, it would be hard to take our portfolio of donors/season ticketholders and move them to something like UCF's World's Largest Frying Pan, where they might get their Tommy Bahama shirt snagged on the chain link fence.

You can believe, if you want, that a low-budget, bare bones lightning magnet like The Pan would be a good fit for USF, but I think it shows you have confused yourself or don't understand OUR donor base.  Look, UCF came from the Citrus Dump - their bare bones Pan is an upgrade for them.  USF will not have the same luxury of moving from an outhouse to a penthouse, we're already in the penthouse.

I just don't see our big donors (not the little guys) being happy with moving from a state-of-the-art stadium to a traditional crappy stadium like the Frying Pan or old Tampa Stadium.  Face it, we've been accustomed to something far better.  I would imagine anyone giving any consideration at all to an on campus stadium knows this.  And besides and Jim Leavitt says over and over again, RJS is a recruiting tool, perhaps the greatest in his aresenal.

[Michael Bolton]

MAB ...

I'm not sure where you get the idea those of us who want to build the stadium "right" are looking for the Taj Mahal...

As I see it, here are what I believe most of us want in the new stadium.

1) Seat backs and arm rests in the non-student areas.  Students should have bench seating (they stand anyway, right?) and won't need armrests either (to cram more bodies in).  However, the rest of the stadium should get armrests and seatbacks. It's hard to ask for thousands of dollars for the right to buy tickets to be uncomfortable... even UCF added permanent seatbacks in its donor areas.

2) Lots of bathrooms.  Many stadiums (Orange Bowl, Legion Field, etc) don't have nearly enough bathrooms... especially for women.

3) Club levels.  This could be combined with some luxury suites, but donors who pay big $$ might want an indoor, airconditioned area into which they can retreat from time to time.

4) Lots of vendor areas.  Sure, there may or may not be beer, but why not have enough vendor stands to provide food for everyone without really long lines.  I stood in line for an hour at Legion Field for a hot dog at the Bowl Game.

5) Good sight lines.  Soccer stadiums and those with a track have some terrible views.  If we want a packed house, we need to make sure there isn't a bad seat in the house.

6) Scoreboards and jumbotrons.  Yes, the fans would really like to see the replay from time to time.  We would also like to know scores from other games.  These are possibilities at RayJay, but would be needed at a new stadium.

7) Enough seats for the demand , and enough demand for the seats.  Ah, there's the rub.  Sure, USF could build Lockhart stadium on campus right now... but it has to be big enough to bring in enough money (not ticket sales or annual donations - but advertising and naming rights).  I think the number has to be at least 50,000 if not bigger.  USF has never sold that many tickets before (WVU will probably be the first).

Now before you start the whole "build it and they will come" ... let me point out that our largest crowd ever was in the first game, and we're in our 11th season.  They haven't come yet, so why would the location of the stadium make that much of a difference to people who are not already USF fans?

I hope this explanation at least makes some sense and you can understand the perspective here.

CJL has called Raymond James stadium his biggest recruiting tool.  Bigger than the Big East. Bigger than playing for a Nat'l Championship.  That should tell you something about the kind of stadium we need to finance and build.

I see that perspective, but from my reading, it just seems that many are too comfy at Raymond James.  Is Ray Jay a great NFL stadium?  Absolutely, it might be the best.  As a college stadium it stinks, especially for an up and coming program.

Miami has issues with space.  If it had the room of a USF the Canes would have their own stadium.  Doak Campbell is all bench seating, and it's great.  They sell comfy chairbacks to season ticket holders (as they do at UF where my father in law has season tickets).  This is another revenue source.

Look, maybe I'm spoiled having been to a lot of great college venues, but Ray Jay just doesn't cut it as a college venue in my opinion.  As for Leavitt saying it's a recruiting tool, what did you expect him to say?  He's bright and will use it....just as he would an on campus stadium.

Don't forget that USF has a section of ticket holders that donate $10,000 per year to have the seats.  Sure, there can be benches in parts of a new stadium, but when you have sold these seats as well as several donor levels beneath them on the amenities associated, it would be hard to take our portfolio of donors/season ticketholders and move them to something like UCF's World's Largest Frying Pan, where they might get their Tommy Bahama shirt snagged on the chain link fence.

You can believe, if you want, that a low-budget, bare bones lightning magnet like The Pan would be a good fit for USF, but I think it shows you have confused yourself or don't understand OUR donor base.  Look, UCF came from the Citrus Dump - their bare bones Pan is an upgrade for them.  USF will not have the same luxury of moving from an outhouse to a penthouse, we're already in the penthouse.

I just don't see our big donors (not the little guys) being happy with moving from a state-of-the-art stadium to a traditional crappy stadium like the Frying Pan or old Tampa Stadium.  Face it, we've been accustomed to something far better.  I would imagine anyone giving any consideration at all to an on campus stadium knows this.  And besides and Jim Leavitt says over and over again, RJS is a recruiting tool, perhaps the greatest in his aresenal.

Well, honestly then, if it's an amenities issue the Bulls will be at Ray Jay forever then.  If rich schools like UF don't have thise amenities then I don't see it happening for USF.

[BJ]

MAB ...

I'm not sure where you get the idea those of us who want to build the stadium "right" are looking for the Taj Mahal...

As I see it, here are what I believe most of us want in the new stadium.

1) Seat backs and arm rests in the non-student areas.  Students should have bench seating (they stand anyway, right?) and won't need armrests either (to cram more bodies in).  However, the rest of the stadium should get armrests and seatbacks. It's hard to ask for thousands of dollars for the right to buy tickets to be uncomfortable... even UCF added permanent seatbacks in its donor areas.

2) Lots of bathrooms.  Many stadiums (Orange Bowl, Legion Field, etc) don't have nearly enough bathrooms... especially for women.

3) Club levels.  This could be combined with some luxury suites, but donors who pay big $$ might want an indoor, airconditioned area into which they can retreat from time to time.

4) Lots of vendor areas.  Sure, there may or may not be beer, but why not have enough vendor stands to provide food for everyone without really long lines.  I stood in line for an hour at Legion Field for a hot dog at the Bowl Game.

5) Good sight lines.  Soccer stadiums and those with a track have some terrible views.  If we want a packed house, we need to make sure there isn't a bad seat in the house.

6) Scoreboards and jumbotrons.  Yes, the fans would really like to see the replay from time to time.  We would also like to know scores from other games.  These are possibilities at RayJay, but would be needed at a new stadium.

7) Enough seats for the demand , and enough demand for the seats.  Ah, there's the rub.  Sure, USF could build Lockhart stadium on campus right now... but it has to be big enough to bring in enough money (not ticket sales or annual donations - but advertising and naming rights).  I think the number has to be at least 50,000 if not bigger.  USF has never sold that many tickets before (WVU will probably be the first).

Now before you start the whole "build it and they will come" ... let me point out that our largest crowd ever was in the first game, and we're in our 11th season.  They haven't come yet, so why would the location of the stadium make that much of a difference to people who are not already USF fans?

I hope this explanation at least makes some sense and you can understand the perspective here.

CJL has called Raymond James stadium his biggest recruiting tool.  Bigger than the Big East. Bigger than playing for a Nat'l Championship.  That should tell you something about the kind of stadium we need to finance and build.

I see that perspective, but from my reading, it just seems that many are too comfy at Raymond James.  Is Ray Jay a great NFL stadium?  Absolutely, it might be the best.  As a college stadium it stinks, especially for an up and coming program.

Miami has issues with space.  If it had the room of a USF the Canes would have their own stadium.  Doak Campbell is all bench seating, and it's great.  They sell comfy chairbacks to season ticket holders (as they do at UF where my father in law has season tickets).  This is another revenue source.

Look, maybe I'm spoiled having been to a lot of great college venues, but Ray Jay just doesn't cut it as a college venue in my opinion.  As for Leavitt saying it's a recruiting tool, what did you expect him to say?  He's bright and will use it....just as he would an on campus stadium.

Don't forget that USF has a section of ticket holders that donate $10,000 per year to have the seats.  Sure, there can be benches in parts of a new stadium, but when you have sold these seats as well as several donor levels beneath them on the amenities associated, it would be hard to take our portfolio of donors/season ticketholders and move them to something like UCF's World's Largest Frying Pan, where they might get their Tommy Bahama shirt snagged on the chain link fence.

You can believe, if you want, that a low-budget, bare bones lightning magnet like The Pan would be a good fit for USF, but I think it shows you have confused yourself or don't understand OUR donor base.  Look, UCF came from the Citrus Dump - their bare bones Pan is an upgrade for them.  USF will not have the same luxury of moving from an outhouse to a penthouse, we're already in the penthouse.

I just don't see our big donors (not the little guys) being happy with moving from a state-of-the-art stadium to a traditional crappy stadium like the Frying Pan or old Tampa Stadium.  Face it, we've been accustomed to something far better.  I would imagine anyone giving any consideration at all to an on campus stadium knows this.  And besides and Jim Leavitt says over and over again, RJS is a recruiting tool, perhaps the greatest in his aresenal.

I think you summed it up pretty well there.  We all want an OCS, but it has to be the right time, and it has to be the right stadium.

[Guest JulmisteForPrez]

And besides and Jim Leavitt says over and over again, RJS is a recruiting tool, perhaps the greatest in his aresenal.

We all know what Coach Leavitt has said about RJS.

But like Michael Bolton has said, what's he going to say??

"Yeah, RJS is nice, but I hate it.  We need our own stadium.  Our recruiting and fanbase will benefit when we move out of Daddy Galzer's house and into our own."

Nahhh.......he's going to spin status quo to the most benefit he can.

By the way, Mr. Bolton, "I celebrate your entire catalog of music."   :whistle