Football's future upgrades

[Rabbit74]

There is a very informative article in today's Argus on plans for the future to upgrade scholarships, coaches salaries and facilities.  It is a front page main section article by Terry.

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...612040332/1001

The title is Success Prompts Look at Stadium, Coaches Salary

[Grizzled_Jack]

Re: Football's future upgrades

I can't imagine that coaches salaries aren't at a level that would assure turnover unless incumbents are recruited that (for one reason or another) choose or have to stay in the area. As success develops recruitment attempts will increase so it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

One of the best teachers I ever had at any level was a lady by the name of Ruth Alexander who taught American literature at SDSU in the sixties. She was there because her husband ran the hotel/bus station. She really wanted Charlie Sewery's job teaching American history but she was stuck in Brookings.

I remember a speech by Tom Eagleton about 25 years ago, entitled "What's wrong with American Education is Women's Lib". Senator Eagleton's point was that most in his age had grown up during the time that female teachers were stuck in one of a very few allowable professions, that small towns especially were loaded with talented women teachers who happened to be married to the local post master and wouldn't be going any place if you gave them a raise or not--- and since the doors are wide open for careers-- those days of getting by on the cheap are damn well over. In other words, you don't have half the population to arbitrarily keep down so get ready to pay a lot more in order to stand still. South Dakota is bringing up the rear on teachers salaries, maybe because in the rural parts of the state there are still talented people who can't move for one reason or the other, but teacher's salaries-- if not the teachers are much improved over the last several decades.

I think the same thing would happen to the SDSU coaching staff. I'm not sure what the compulsion would be to pay them 60% of the going rate if they are free to go elsewhere. And any kind of success at the D-1 level will mean that they will get offers. Competitive pay is every bit as important as decent facilities.

[Thumper]

Re: Football's future upgrades

Bottum line is....it's going to take EVERYONE to hop on the jackrabbit bandwagon to make all these enhancements a reality. The days of using the excuse, 'we didn't have that when I was there' can't happen. Let's all focus on how we can make the experiences of current and future athletes/coaches better. We come a long ways but have a steep mountain to climb yet. I promised myself I'd keep this short.... Go Jacks!

[Starks03]

Re: Football's future upgrades

I love the idea of upgrading the facilities. Build a new football stadium but keep it open-air and natural grass. If they would allow drinking in the stadium and secure a beer sponsor, the money would pour in…no bun intended

[mango4]

Re: Football's future upgrades

I love the idea of upgrading the facilities. Build a new football stadium but keep it open-air and natural grass. If they would allow drinking in the stadium and secure a beer sponsor, the money would pour in…no bun intended

I know there has been offers from beer companies to build us a new stadium if we switch to a wet campus. I think it will be difficult due to the board of reagents

[filbert]

Re: Football's future upgrades

[quote author=Starks03 link=1165242043/0#3 date=1165285775]I love the idea of upgrading the facilities. Build a new football stadium but keep it open-air and natural grass. If they would allow drinking in the stadium and secure a beer sponsor, the money would pour in…no bun intended

I know there has been offers from beer companies to build us a new stadium if we switch to a wet campus. I think it will be difficult due to the board of reagents[/quote]

Ah, this one again. Not to say that I don't believe you, Mango, but . . . I don't believe you. The beer-company-wants-to-build-a-stadium-for-SDSU urban legend is just that . . . it's bar talk. Nothing to it.

(You may prove me wrong by citing a verifiable, preferably Web-linkable source for your assertion).

[mango4]

Re: Football's future upgrades

[quote author=mango4 link=1165242043/0#4 date=1165346664][quote author=Starks03 link=1165242043/0#3 date=1165285775]I love the idea of upgrading the facilities. Build a new football stadium but keep it open-air and natural grass. If they would allow drinking in the stadium and secure a beer sponsor, the money would pour in…no bun intended

I know there has been offers from beer companies to build us a new stadium if we switch to a wet campus. I think it will be difficult due to the board of reagents[/quote]

Ah, this one again. Not to say that I don't believe you, Mango, but . . . I don't believe you. The beer-company-wants-to-build-a-stadium-for-SDSU urban legend is just that . . . it's bar talk. Nothing to it.

(You may prove me wrong by citing a verifiable, preferably Web-linkable source for your assertion).[/quote]

This very well could be an urband legend, I've just heard it from several people

[Starks03]

Re: Football's future upgrades

A beer company builds a stadium for SDSU that would be great, but impractical. All we are looking for is a few Million for the sponsorship and a cut of the beer sales. SDSU, private donors and the State of South Dakota can pitch in for the majority of the costs. If we can build a $20 million wellness center, we can surly build a multipurpose stadium.

[Thumper]

Re: Football's future upgrades

An increase in student fees will help offset the wellness center which is not an athletic facility. There can be no increase in student fees to build a football stadium. It has to be all private support. Buy your lottery tickets!!

[Starks03]

Re: Football's future upgrades

Or get the city involved. They could issue bonds to help pay for their portion. Maybe then, Brookings could host the SD High School Football Championships. What a great marriage between the city and university, or I could be dreaming.

[NightHawk78]

Re: Football's future upgrades

Just a few thoughts here (some of which are re-hashed from previous discussions):

1) The wellness center is a $12 million project, not $20 million.
2) Student fees have already been increased twice in the past five years for student-driven projects: the student union expansion and the wellness center. A third major project/fee increase is unlikely to pushed by students or approved by the BoR.
3) The city already casts its lot with a multi-purpose facility when it built the Multiplex/Swiftel Center. (We could spend a lot of time discussing that facility and the "should haves" of it.......)
4) An indoor football venue would have to built if SDSU were to even think about hosting the state FB championships. There were NO state FB playoffs before the DakotaDump^TM was built.
5) State help for SDSU facility upgrades is unlikely and would likely only occur as 1) "gap funding" similar to when USD needed money to for the Dump's roof or the new med school OR 2) some political deal made in Pierre to offset something USD would get.

Friends (donors) of SDSU will build the new fieldhouse and stadium improvements. How far the upgrades go will depend on the money.........

[Statebasketballfan]

Re: Football's future upgrades

Can somebody explain to me what happened with the Swiftel center, and why we didn't work on getting something going for the football team at the same time? Was there a reason we didn't try to get a dome out of that deal?

[Jacks_NL]

Re: Football's future upgrades

Can somebody explain to me what happened with the Swiftel center, and why we didn't work on getting something going for the football team at the same time?  Was there a reason we didn't try to get a dome out of that deal?

There has never been a proposal or talk until now for a dome. There was talk about 10-15 years ago for bigger wellness center. At the time of the swiftell center there was also a vote for the middle school and the upgrade of the public library that were done with the sales tax.

I think we have a better chance of beating Ohio State in football then getting a dome paid for by the city. The only chances for us getting a dome is by private donations or the South Dakota state legislator which is the way we got Frost about 30 years ago.

[Statebasketballfan]

Re: Football's future upgrades

Yeah, I know there was no talk about a dome, but why not? Was there a reason SDSU couldn't have kicked money in and built an Alerus type building? The costs were about the same, and it would have been able to do everything the swiftel does. I don't understand why SDSU didn't try to team up with the city on a building like that?

[Rabbitlivinginverm]

Re: Football's future upgrades

I never, ever, ever, want SDSU football to be played inside a dome.