Mind numbing UCF/USF drivel, et al

[crambone]

wow, Randy...triple posts making fun of the same UCF-related thing.

lolol

[Triple B]

wow, Randy...triple posts making fun of the same UCF-related thing.

lolol

In defense of him, the second one was probaably because he couldn't edit the first one and the third one was from a different thread... just him being a doofus.

[813knight]

The WAR ON I4 is renewed ;D

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/en_fuego/2010/04/ladies-are-you-game-for-the-lingerie-football-league.html

[813knight]

UCF Athletic Director Keith Tribble has a vision for steady growth on the Knights' sprawling campus.

Tribble said the school is poised to begin fund-raising for a new athletic facility development plan, with seven new construction projects worth about $70 million to be completed within the next 10 years. The plan has already been approved by the UCF Athletic Association board of directors. It will be presented to the UCF board of trustees for approval before major fundraising gets under way for most of the projects.

The top three priorities on the list include renovating the track and soccer complex, building a new academic support center for athletes and renovating the baseball stadium.

"These facilities are important for us over the next 10 years because, as we have evaluated our sports programs and our teams needs, these are things we feel are of great value to helping the programs grow and remain competitive," Tribble said in an exclusive interview with the Orlando Sentinel.

The construction wish list is being unveiled at a time when UCF wants to put its best foot forward and impress outsiders with its potential for growth as a powerhouse program. The Knights are hoping a summer of potential major conference realignment opens the door for the school to join the Big East, ACC or any other league with an automatic bid to Bowl Championship Series big-money games.

In addition to the top three projects, UCF is planning to renovate the baseball clubhouse, build a new tennis center, expand the Wayne Densch Sports Center that houses the football program and expand Bright House Networks Stadium.

Tribble said fund-raising is already under way for the track and soccer complex and construction should begin either late in the summer or early in the fall. The project will transform the venue from a multipurpose field with bleachers into a true stadium. The new facility will feature a seating capacity of more than 2,000, a press box and public restrooms. The new red-brick stadium would also include locker rooms, meeting space, an athletic training room, equipment storage and locker rooms for the track and soccer teams.

"In soccer, this will eventually give us an opportunity to host NCAA regional games and put our teams in the best possible position to advance in the NCAA tournament," Tribble said.

Renovation of the baseball stadium will be split into three phases and eventually add 3,380 seats to the current 800-seat capacity at Jay Bergman Field. Expansion of the baseball clubhouse is listed as a separate project in the UCF development plan.

The first phase calls for 1,200 bleacher seats, with 600 to be added beyond each dugout. The second phase includes a new elevated press box, seven luxury suites and a club seating level. The third phase will add 2,000 seats on the concourse, new restrooms and upgraded concession stands.

The baseball club house changes will include upgrades of the playing field, converting bench seating to chair-back seats, adding a canopy for shaded seating and a children's activity area.

UCF baseball coach Terry Rooney has spoken often throughout his two-year tenure about transforming the school into an elite program. He has said facility upgrades will be an important part of the process.

Baseball America rated Rooney's 2009 recruiting class one of the top 10 in the nation and he continues work to upgrade the Knights' performance on the field. Although the team has lagged behind in the Conference USA standings, the school has set attendance records during the coach's tenure. Rooney said the next step is renovating the baseball stadium to reflect the new direction of the program.

UCF has already added more chairback seats and an outfield deck during Rooney's tenure. He asked the university to put up posters featuring long-term renovation plans outside the press box at Jay Bergman Field to let fans know about changes on the horizon.

"We have to continue to build up our facilities and really show that we are investing in this program's future," Rooney said in an interview last month with the Sentinel. "Those facilities will help us become one of the top teams in all of college baseball."

The new academic center would be constructed on the vacant field between the Wayne Densch Sports Center and the residential tower four. The building world include computer labs, tutoring and mentor rooms and offices for counselors and staff.

UCF will join a growing trend of colleges throughout the country adding new academic centers for athletes. Tribble said he is committed to adding the academic center soon because it will help athletes graduate.

The new tennis complex, which is slated to be built to the east of the softball stadium, will feature 12 championship-caliber courts, a 1,000-seat grandstand and a clubhouse with locker rooms.

The football team's home, the Wayne Densch Center, would be expanded to add a larger locker room, a lounge, a larger equipment storage room and a bigger weight room. The 12,000-foot addition will replace the courtyard between the Densch center and the Nicholson Fieldhouse.

UCF would expand Roth Tower to include more suites and club seating during the first phase of Bright House Networks Stadium renovation. The school would add 10,000 seats during the second phase, bringing the stadium's capacity to 56,000 seats.

Tribble said fans will play an integral role in UCF's growth, with the athletic department relying solely on donations for the major construction projects.

"What better way you can help student athletes than by giving them an opportunity to be successful in a new facility," Tribble asked. "It's going to be very important that we get community support, especially in the Orlando area."

Read Iliana Limón's blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/knightsnotepad and e-mail her at ilimon@orlandosentinel.com.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college/knights/os-ucf-facilities-plan-0504-20100503,0,772441.story

like the proposed capacity of the Stadium expansion, you don't want to go too big.

[Danm1983]

That's good news. If that's the same stadium they've had since 01-02, it's definitely on the list to upgrade.

I remember when I was there, the only things out there were the baseball/softball fields, and the old basketball o-rena. They've come a long way.

[813knight]

That's good news. If that's the same stadium they've had since 01-02, it's definitely on the list to upgrade.

I remember when I was there, the only things out there were the baseball/softball fields, and the old basketball o-rena. They've come a long way.

if you're referring to the soccer/track stadium, they have added yellow seatbacks to  a small bleacher area and a few portable buildings by the track but nothing permanent like what looks like will break ground sometime this summer. A new softball stadium was built a few years ago and was put across the street from BHNS near that lake. The baseball stadium has had small improvements this season so looks like they plan to improve that even more, despite the capacity I think that ballpark is just fine but glad they plan to move the capacity up more. The Athletic Village has been great with the new Arena, Football stadium, and restaurants but glad the AD has the foot on the gas to show the commitment to Athletics.

[Danm1983]

I was referring to the baseball stadium actually. That one has been there since before BHNS I think, but it's been undersized for a while now.

The soccer fields aren't bad. I watched part of a game one time when I visited my brother and we ate at that bar that faces BHNS and the soccer field.

Yeah the softball field they put up quite a while ago, right around when I left UCF. I remember them starting on the one athletic center, but they have grown quite a bit since I've been gone.

I wish I had stayed longer and/or it was built earlier. I like the strip mall with Subway and stuff. It's hella better than the Citrus Bowl area.

UCF already has a ton of good academic stuff, and I see they have a new medical thing going on...it's nice to see them catching up in athletics finally. USF and UCF, being so large, have great potential to grow exponentially and out-modern the other traditional aging universities in the state.

[Capital H]

I was referring to the baseball stadium actually. That one has been there since before BHNS I think, but it's been undersized for a while now.

The soccer fields aren't bad. I watched part of a game one time when I visited my brother and we ate at that bar that faces BHNS and the soccer field.

Yeah the softball field they put up quite a while ago, right around when I left UCF. I remember them starting on the one athletic center, but they have grown quite a bit since I've been gone.

I wish I had stayed longer and/or it was built earlier. I like the strip mall with Subway and stuff. It's hella better than the Citrus Bowl area.

UCF already has a ton of good academic stuff, and I see they have a new medical thing going on...it's nice to see them catching up in athletics finally. USF and UCF, being so large, have great potential to grow exponentially and out-modern the other traditional aging universities in the state.

Knights Plaza is struggling. The shops are only staying alive off of special events like games and concerts. For plenty of reasons students arent going there.

[813knight]

A Jimmy Johns opened in Knights Plaza last fall so it can't be struggling that bad. There are a lot of students in those surrounding towers to keep it afloat

[Danm1983]

I think a reason may be that there aren't any classrooms out there, IIRC, and it doesn't get the traffic that the student union gets. The dorms near there are helping some I guess. I'd have liked it out there if it was around when I attended. I liked the SU, but it was too much commotion for me to eat in peace and/or study, and me going to the library was basically signing up to take a nap on the 3rd floor