New Stadium

[JACKGUYII]

When you see some of the area DII Schools and NAIA schools putting up new and better football facilities than Coughlin it's a reminder we have a lot of work to do and money to raise to take Coughlin and our Football Facilities to another level. The Dykhouse Center will be a nice start and then we need to focus on the Stadium itself. Here are some renderings of facilities going up at Southwest State in Marshall, Augustana in Sioux Falls and the University of Sioux Falls which they are now playing in, but the facility continues to be a work in progress:

http://www.southwestmsu.edu/EventCenter/
http://www.collegesportingnews.net/S...rticleid=89840
http://pages.usiouxfalls.edu/athleti...lex/plans1.htm

[EQguy]

Re: New Stadium

While seeing other stadiums go up for the smaller schools around us is tough. One must take into account the scale with which they are built. Its a bit easier to build a stadium with 3000 - 5000 capacity than it is to build one with 12000 - 20000 capacity.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: New Stadium

While seeing other stadiums go up for the smaller schools around us is tough. One must take into account the scale with which they are built. Its a bit easier to build a stadium with 3000 - 5000 capacity than it is to build one with 12000 - 20000 capacity.

I knew someone would bring this up and IMHO the capacity is irelevent as it's built to scale the size of the target audience. What's important is when you see the game day amenities in these facilities such as suites, field turf, concessions,chairback seating,press box etc.

[EQguy]

Re: New Stadium

Only point I was making is that Augie is building their stadium for somewhere near $6Million. It will take a lot more concrete to build a stadium for SDSU thus the price is going to be much higher.

[JimmyJack]

Re: New Stadium

Only point I was making is that Augie is building their stadium for somewhere near $6Million. It will take a lot more concrete to build a stadium for SDSU thus the price is going to be much higher.

The rough number I've heard from people in athletics is $30 million. I think that's in addition to the second $6 million still needed for the Dykhouse Center.

[Jacks#1Fan]

Re: New Stadium

The rough number I've heard from people in athletics is $30 million. I think that's in addition to the second $6 million still needed for the Dykhouse Center.

And might as well note here, that the next project for the department is NOT going to be the stadium. After the $6 million needed to finish the Dykhouse Student Athletic Development Center, the focus will turn to the fieldhouse needed to the north of the Dyhouse building. Done probably to the least of what is needed might be around $6 million (my guess, not official numbers from the department.) And I know they would like to do it better than that. It would provide indoor space for practice for the outdoor teams throughout the year.

The fieldhouse is an absolute need for recruiting for the spring sports. Imagine trying to get top notch baseball recruits up here who have no place to workout (had the Barn, but now will lose that) in a state with cold, wet springs. Reggie is doing his best, but they need this facility BAD.

It obviously would be nice to get Coughlin done, and the timeline that I hear is that we need to replace the west stadium in the next decade as engineers say it will be nearing the end of its life in 10 years. As long as we can put 16,000 in there, and until such time that is a season sellout, I'm sure we will be focused on the above needs, along with improvements to the softball and baseball complexes, and hopefully, some movement towards a track facility if the money should appear.

[filbert]

Re: New Stadium

And might as well note here, that the next project for the department is NOT going to be the stadium. After the $6 million needed to finish the Dykhouse Student Athletic Development Center, the focus will turn to the fieldhouse needed to the north of the Dyhouse building. Done probably to the least of what is needed might be around $6 million (my guess, not official numbers from the department.) And I know they would like to do it better than that. It would provide indoor space for practice for the outdoor teams throughout the year.

The fieldhouse is an absolute need for recruiting for the spring sports. Imagine trying to get top notch baseball recruits up here who have no place to workout (had the Barn, but now will lose that) in a state with cold, wet springs. Reggie is doing his best, but they need this facility BAD.

It obviously would be nice to get Coughlin done, and the timeline that I hear is that we need to replace the west stadium in the next decade as engineers say it will be nearing the end of its life in 10 years. As long as we can put 16,000 in there, and until such time that is a season sellout, I'm sure we will be focused on the above needs, along with improvements to the softball and baseball complexes, and hopefully, some movement towards a track facility if the money should appear.

I agree, both in terms of what's next on the to-do list, and what probably should be next on the to-do list.

After the Dykhouse Center goes up, the Fieldhouse is where IMHO we will see the best bang for the buck, facilities-wise. Almost every single outdoor sport will benefit from a Fieldhouse that would provide a year-round indoor practice facility--football, soccer, baseball, softball, track & field, tennis, golf, etc.

Coughlin-Alumni needs to be renovated, no doubt about that, but the Athletic Department has a plan and is executing the plan.

When we do get around to the CAS renovation, I hope we'll see a complete horseshoe with an enclosed south end, with total seating of around 20,000--but that's just me blue-skying a bit.

[Nidaros]

Re: New Stadium

Thanks Jack#1fan for the insight on where we are heading.

I know that you, like me remember the Staduim For State fund drive very vividly, which gave birth to CAS. It was the Alumni Association's first attempt at fund raising for a major project. I say AA because I believe the foundation was still no more than some one desk drawer in the Administration Building during the time the Staduim for State fund drive was in progress. The Alumni Association was the leader in this drive and thats why they are part of the staduim name.

I know there were a number of mistakes made in Staduim for State drive which cause SDSU NOT to make the 500k goal set. The recent "College on the Hill" book has a copy of the original drawing of the staduim which included indoor facilaties for track underneath the stands and a a horse shoe shaped permanent seating. Fortunately, Charles Coughlin came forward with a 50k donation with hopes of other alums matching this gift, but the matching gifts did not come. Coughlin came forward as I recall after the drive stalled.

You have to remember 50k in the late 1950's and early 1960's bought much more than it would now. I was a high schooler when all this was going on, and thought wow, what a facility to have at SDSU. I believe the final portion of the financing came from Student fees and was indeed a very unpopular subject on campus among students at the time. VJ and Amy Dunkle have documented that well in their book mentioned above.

It's been real frustrating to see only one side of CAS being completed in terms of permanent seating. I often wondered when is this part of the project(the east stands) ever going to be completed? Now to hear that engineering reports indicate that the life for Coughlin is nearly over is very hard to believe, but I don't doubt what Jack#1 is saying as its no doubt true. Incredible in my mind? You bet.

Some of the orginal plans in the Staduim for State drive were later incorporated into the building project of the HPER building, but not all. The needs for indoor track and baseball, and other spring sports were never addressed as best I can tell. So yes the fieldhouse and others things need to be taken on before CAS is given its badly needed face lift.

I too agree with the coments about the need for the field house especially for baseball. I do think Reggie Christiansen is a great baseball coach and a program builder, but he needs that indoor facility to build on as do the other sports, even golf. How can you begin compete with schools like Oklahoma State who I believe has an excellent golf program, if you dont have an indoor facility for prospect golf recruits?

My point in this lenghty post is that facilities are never built with a forecast of the future.
Even if the Staduim of State fund drive had reached or even exceeded its goals in the 1960's, I still think we would have facilities needs much like we have today. Maybe a few less, but needs would be out there.

There is no way you can be clairvoyant, but what an institution can do is go with the flow and to plan for the future. I think SDSU is much more prepared to to address these needs now than they were back in 1950's and when HM Briggs became president and probably got a sliver or two at old State Field watching a very good Ralph Ginn football team. I recently looked at some old Alumni News bulletins from that era, and I was surprised with his involvement in this project.

[oldalum]

Re: New Stadium

And might as well note here, that the next project for the department is NOT going to be the stadium. After the $6 million needed to finish the Dykhouse Student Athletic Development Center, the focus will turn to the fieldhouse needed to the north of the Dyhouse building. Done probably to the least of what is needed might be around $6 million (my guess, not official numbers from the department.) And I know they would like to do it better than that. It would provide indoor space for practice for the outdoor teams throughout the year.

The fieldhouse is an absolute need for recruiting for the spring sports. Imagine trying to get top notch baseball recruits up here who have no place to workout (had the Barn, but now will lose that) in a state with cold, wet springs. Reggie is doing his best, but they need this facility BAD.

It obviously would be nice to get Coughlin done, and the timeline that I hear is that we need to replace the west stadium in the next decade as engineers say it will be nearing the end of its life in 10 years. As long as we can put 16,000 in there, and until such time that is a season sellout, I'm sure we will be focused on the above needs, along with improvements to the softball and baseball complexes, and hopefully, some movement towards a track facility if the money should appear.

I would love a track facility, but at the spring football game Oien said there will be no outdoor track. The fieldhouse is intended to provide a track practice facility. Right now DeHaven's only place for kids to practice is upstairs in the Hyper. Can you imagine pole vault and long jump up there? At least the distance kids can go outside on the streets.

[Nidaros]

Re: New Stadium

I would love a track facility, but at the spring football game Oien said there will be no outdoor track. The fieldhouse is intended to provide a track practice facility. Right now DeHaven's only place for kids to practice is upstairs in the Hyper. Can you imagine pole vault and long jump up there? At least the distance kids can go outside on the streets.

Apparently the outdoor track replacing Sexauer is not near the top on the project list. Years ago, a map was shown at a meeting,that showed that there was a plan to move Sexauer to where the other facilities currently are located namely north of CAS as I recall. Its long ago and several maps probably have been drawn since that time. I think the site of former Old State Field (Sexauer Track) is becoming prime real estate. That to me would seem a good reason to move it up on the project list.

I do agree we should be doing better in terms of a indoor and outdoor track facilities, when you consider what the legendary coach Jim Emmerich and his successors have accompolished with poor facilities in my opinion. Our men and women have given it their best but we are at a new level of competition and facilites do matter for year around conditioning. I think I contributing to digression here, but track facilities are important.

I will add one point about Staduim for State campaign and its not specifically mentioned in College on the Hill, and that is the committee and maybe certain individuals were very adament about alums making multi year pledges for the new staduim, rather than small contributions. I re-read this chapter of College on Hill last evening, and the concept of new staduim back in the 1950's and 1960's then seems much more unpopular than more recent move to D1.

I know multi year pledge requests were a big turn off at the time. Since that time we have a great and well staff foundation that is not likely to repeat that mistake. One day at a time and everyone needs to pitch in where they can. All these facilites will happen.

[filbert]

Re: New Stadium

What I was told by "sources high up in the athletic department" a year or two ago was--given how outdoor track & field is scheduled in D-I (and given Brookings' iffy spring weather) that it's pretty hard to justify the expense of a track facility that would be used maybe once a year--especially looking at all the other facilities needs for athletics.

The Fieldhouse would, IMHO do more for track & field than a new outdoor track would. The conceptual diagram in the facilities plan I've seen has the Fieldhouse with a full-size indoor track, areas for the various field events, and enough seating capacity so that it would be able to host D-I indoor track events. Of course a lot can change between now and when we actually have a to-be-built design.

Money is good. More money is better.

[89rabbit]

Re: New Stadium

It is my understanding that SDSU will be partnering with the Brookings School Dist. as the BHS track and field complex is re-done and expanded so that College events could take place there (adding room for steeple chase, more lanes, etc.).

This will be a nice partnership and short term fix (not really sure how long short term is, I guess it all depends on $$$) as we address other needs, in my opinion.

Go State!

[cydave]

Re: New Stadium

I knew someone would bring this up and IMHO the capacity is irelevent as it's built to scale the size of the target audience. What's important is when you see the game day amenities in these facilities such as suites, field turf, concessions,chairback seating,press box etc.

I agree with this.
Coming from an Iowa State fan, I don't know how much interest you will have in this. But, ISU is in the process of renovating it's stadium. We are bowling in the south endzone, with two decks. People think it will just sit empty on game days, bc it will bring capactiy to 60,000+, and our record crowd is around 56,000.
So, people ask, why build something that big? Well, we are building it big so that we can stay up to par with the other Big 12 facilities. We also need to impress recuits when they come to visit. Our stadium probably ranks near the bottom of the big 12, as of right now. After bowling in the endzone, it should move us up to the middle or upper middle part of the conference.
Sometimes its not about how big you are building, but what you are building. In my understanding, the renovations for the basketball facilities were supposed to be taking place now. But, they changed that and moved football ahead of basketball. Of course it makes some people mad, but football is our primary source of income. Bringing the money in now is important.
If you build it, they will come.

[i_got_a_fever]

Re: New Stadium

Here is what I envision CAS to look like down the road.

http://utahstateaggies.cstv.com/scho...eystadium.html

[Jacks-02]

Re: New Stadium

Here is what I envision CAS to look like down the road.

http://utahstateaggies.cstv.com/scho...eystadium.html

That would be sweet. Maybe we can build some mountains too!