(05-08-2011 07:54 AM)SMUstang Wrote:  There's Borncoog74's signature post.

Yes. I bring it out for special occasions (posts)

(05-08-2011 03:29 AM)BigHouston Wrote:  jml2010 Wrote:
You and I agree. UCF/ECU should be the top 2 candidates. SMU/Nova/Memphis/UH/Temple all still have a lot to prove. Several need stadiums, several need yearly fan support. Some need both.

I think ECU should be the top candidate for football only assuming BYU has no interest - which I firmly believe is the case. But I've been known to be wrong. I never thought the Big East would go West of the Mississippi.

I think Houston, IF it gets the $160 million for renovations, at minimum immediately elevates to UCF level and most likely exceeds it.

I know the economy is bad, but we are talking about the city of Houston, energy capital of the world - an industry that is making $$$ in large amounts. I realize there are a lot of pro-sports franchises in the city as well. But as an outsider, I'm shaking my head that this plan was announced close to a year ago and all that reportedly has been raised is $32 million?

What am I missing?

Cheers,
Neil

(05-08-2011 11:09 PM)omnicarrier Wrote:  I think ECU should be the top candidate for football only assuming BYU has no interest - which I firmly believe is the case. But I've been known to be wrong. I never thought the Big East would go West of the Mississippi.

I think Houston, IF it gets the $160 million for renovations, at minimum immediately elevates to UCF level and most likely exceeds it.

I know the economy is bad, but we are talking about the city of Houston, energy capital of the world - an industry that is making $$$ in large amounts. I realize there are a lot of pro-sports franchises in the city as well. But as an outsider, I'm shaking my head that this plan was announced close to a year ago and all that reportedly has been raised is $32 million?

What am I missing?

Cheers,
Neil

Be careful Neil, you speak the truth, Some fans do not want to hear that. I can only dispute 2 points that you made. UCF along with ECU have been proactive instead of reactive and they should be rewarded for that.

My second dispute and just so you know, I have been labeled a UH hater, so I have to correct you. In the last year, UH has raised close to 50 mil for stadium construction. They are waiting on a company to help them secure naming rights which should push them over the dollar amount needed for construction.

Now even though I said nothing negative, wait for the signature responses from several fans that do not like me and neg rep me every chance they get.

(05-08-2011 11:09 PM)omnicarrier Wrote:  I know the economy is bad, but we are talking about the city of Houston, energy capital of the world - an industry that is making $$$ in large amounts. I realize there are a lot of pro-sports franchises in the city as well. But as an outsider, I'm shaking my head that this plan was announced close to a year ago and all that reportedly has been raised is $32 million?

What am I missing?

Cheers,
Neil

$50 million has been raised already. Naming rights for the stadium should be finalized within the next few weeks. There have been multiple offers. The naming rights are reportedly worth around $25-30 million. Once the naming rights are announced, they should have enough to proceed with the project. According to the AD, the new stadium will most likely be ready for the start of the 2013 season. There are 2 options for 2012...play in Reliant (those discussions have already taken place), or rearrange the schedule to accomodate playing home games in Robertson (most likely by 'front loading' the home games).

(05-09-2011 12:11 AM)jml2010 Wrote:  

(05-08-2011 11:09 PM)omnicarrier Wrote:  I think ECU should be the top candidate for football only assuming BYU has no interest - which I firmly believe is the case. But I've been known to be wrong. I never thought the Big East would go West of the Mississippi.

I think Houston, IF it gets the $160 million for renovations, at minimum immediately elevates to UCF level and most likely exceeds it.

I know the economy is bad, but we are talking about the city of Houston, energy capital of the world - an industry that is making $$$ in large amounts. I realize there are a lot of pro-sports franchises in the city as well. But as an outsider, I'm shaking my head that this plan was announced close to a year ago and all that reportedly has been raised is $32 million?

What am I missing?

Cheers,
Neil

Be careful Neil, you speak the truth, Some fans do not want to hear that. I can only dispute 2 points that you made. UCF along with ECU have been proactive instead of reactive and they should be rewarded for that.

UCF has certainly been proactive in terms of facilities. I give them their due there. I still haven't seen it translated into "significant" wins yet.

At least ECU in 2008 beat VT and WVU who wound up going 10-4 and 9-4 respectively and Houston the following year beat Okla. St. and Texas Tech who both finished 9-4 that year. What really impressed me with these wins was that each were back-to-back OOC games (though Houston had a week off in-between).

Central Florida seems to do well in C-USA, and may in fact have beaten one or both of ECU and Houston in those years mentioned above. But no one really cares about how well a team functions within C-USA or even the Big East for that matter in and of itself. But do well in the Big East and win good-to-great OOC games and that people take notice of.

UCF seems to be on the cusp of potentially doing this. But they haven't as of yet.

Quote:My second dispute and just so you know, I have been labeled a UH hater, so I have to correct you. In the last year, UH has raised close to 50 mil for stadium construction. They are waiting on a company to help them secure naming rights which should push them over the dollar amount needed for construction.

Okay, I stand corrected. Its $50 million. And based upon a response that came after yours from a Coogs fan, apparently there is a "naming" rights gift that will be coming soon that may allow ground to be broken on Robertson.

But just as I remain partly skeptical of UCF until they prove themselves in meaningful OOC games, I will remain skeptical of Houston until ground is indeed broken.

Cheers,
Neil

(05-09-2011 12:46 AM)omnicarrier Wrote:  But just as I remain partly skeptical of UCF until they prove themselves in meaningful OOC games, I will remain skeptical of Houston until ground is indeed broken.

Cheers,
Neil

Great post and I agree.

We also beat Mississippi State in Starkville a couple weeks after Texas Tech that year also.

Oh and,

(05-09-2011 12:46 AM)omnicarrier Wrote:  

(05-09-2011 12:11 AM)jml2010 Wrote:  

(05-08-2011 11:09 PM)omnicarrier Wrote:  I think ECU should be the top candidate for football only assuming BYU has no interest - which I firmly believe is the case. But I've been known to be wrong. I never thought the Big East would go West of the Mississippi.

I think Houston, IF it gets the $160 million for renovations, at minimum immediately elevates to UCF level and most likely exceeds it.

I know the economy is bad, but we are talking about the city of Houston, energy capital of the world - an industry that is making $$$ in large amounts. I realize there are a lot of pro-sports franchises in the city as well. But as an outsider, I'm shaking my head that this plan was announced close to a year ago and all that reportedly has been raised is $32 million?

What am I missing?

Cheers,
Neil

Be careful Neil, you speak the truth, Some fans do not want to hear that. I can only dispute 2 points that you made. UCF along with ECU have been proactive instead of reactive and they should be rewarded for that.

UCF has certainly been proactive in terms of facilities. I give them their due there. I still haven't seen it translated into "significant" wins yet.


Cheers,
Neil

Glad the rest of the country disagrees with you...as both UCF's new on-campus stadium and new on-campus Arena has helped build teams to Top 20 rankings for BOTH Football and Basketball for the first time ever for each program.

Its obvious that both new facilities are making an impact in both sports (UCF has averaged 40,326 fans for the 4 seasons of the new football stadium and UCF Basketball set an all-time attendance record last season) and hopefully will continue to do so in the future.

The new facilities have helped grow both major sports recruiting base...especially compared to older classes where recruits had to go watch games at the decrepit Citrus Bowl downtown or the small barn that was used for basketball.

While new facilities alone don't guarantee success...they certainly can help if they are just one small piece of a much larger plan.

As jml correctly pointed out, some schools, like ECU and UCF, have been able to build NEW facilities without the help of BCS $$$$ and without the need of future "promised" funding....something that schools like Nova are having a hard time doing...even with a "BCS Football" invite in their pocket.

NOTE: UCF was the first school in over 50 years that built a 45,000 plus seat on-campus football stadium and a 10,000 seat on-campus arena at the SAME TIME.

The two facilities were finished on-time and on-budget...as both of these facilities were opened up to the public during the SAME WEEK (Arena opened on a Sunday, Sept 9, 2007 and the Football Stadium opened on Sept 15, 2007)...as many detractors didn't think UCF could build ONE of those facilities, let alone both...and on top of that, at the same time!

I am not sure, but there may be a difference between raising money and having state funding assistance in 2005 to build a $51 million dollar stadium and raising money in 2010/2011 to build a $120 million dollar stadium and $40 million dollar renovation to the basketball arena.

That being said, I am proud that a conference mate was able to accomplish what UCF has facilities wise while in CUSA. Common belief would be UH has done nothing facilities wise but that is not the case. Robertson has had a renovation since we moved into it while in CUSA.

I will be extremely glad when we announce, and as a fan and member of this board, don't have to talk about it anymore.

I am proud of what we have done so far.

(05-09-2011 12:15 AM)chrisharper80 Wrote:  

(05-08-2011 11:09 PM)omnicarrier Wrote:  I know the economy is bad, but we are talking about the city of Houston, energy capital of the world - an industry that is making $$$ in large amounts. I realize there are a lot of pro-sports franchises in the city as well. But as an outsider, I'm shaking my head that this plan was announced close to a year ago and all that reportedly has been raised is $32 million?

What am I missing?

Cheers,
Neil

$50 million has been raised already. Naming rights for the stadium should be finalized within the next few weeks. There have been multiple offers. The naming rights are reportedly worth around $25-30 million. Once the naming rights are announced, they should have enough to proceed with the project. According to the AD, the new stadium will most likely be ready for the start of the 2013 season. There are 2 options for 2012...play in Reliant (those discussions have already taken place), or rearrange the schedule to accomodate playing home games in Robertson (most likely by 'front loading' the home games).

Someone posted here just before the NCAABball Tourn. that this was bascially a done deal and would be announced during the final four, while media attention was focused on Houston. (sorry, don't remember if it was you or someone else) Obviously that didn't happen, which makes me somewhat skeptical of anything posted on this board. While insider info is sure appreciated, can you elaborate or support in any way? If not, as much as I want this to happen, I also will not get my hopes up... Tough economy to raise funds in.

Also, if you are 'in the know', why does UH not just play in Reliant outright (like Pitt, USF, Miami)? Super bowl quality stadium, not that far from campus. OCS is very nice, but again it's the economy... does Houston need separate stadiums/arenas for every team?

(05-09-2011 09:04 AM)Bull Wrote:  Someone posted here just before the NCAABball Tourn. that this was bascially a done deal and would be announced during the final four, while media attention was focused on Houston. (sorry, don't remember if it was you or someone else) Obviously that didn't happen, which makes me somewhat skeptical of anything posted on this board. While insider info is sure appreciated, can you elaborate or support in any way? If not, as much as I want this to happen, I also will not get my hopes up... Tough economy to raise funds in.

Also, if you are 'in the know', why does UH not just play in Reliant outright (like Pitt, USF, Miami)? Super bowl quality stadium, not that far from campus. OCS is very nice, but again it's the economy... does Houston need separate stadiums/arenas for every team?

Some retard posted that rumor on CoogFans, but it wasn't true. The president of UH told supporters recently that we have received multiple offers for naming rights. I suspect it will take several more weeks before the naming rights are finalized.

The latest official info on the dollar amount raised comes from the AD's chat last week:

Chat

The reason Houston has no interest in playing in Reliant long term has a lot to do with our history of playing in the Astrodome. The lease was so high that it was very difficult even to break even on the deal. We didn't get any revenue from parking or concessions (which is a large amount of money), and a pro stadium is a very sterile place to watch a ball game...plus not as many students show up when they can't walk over from the dorms. Many feel that playing in the Dome for so many years really hurt the program by making it more difficult for on-campus students to attend the game, thus creating a more apathetic alumni base. Since we moved on campus, this trend has reversed itself in a big way.

I can understand the skepticism...we have a fair amount of that in our own alumni base.

(05-09-2011 06:43 AM)KnightLight Wrote:  

(05-09-2011 12:46 AM)omnicarrier Wrote:  UCF has certainly been proactive in terms of facilities. I give them their due there. I still haven't seen it translated into "significant" wins yet.[/b]


Cheers,
Neil

Glad the rest of the country disagrees with you...as both UCF's new on-campus stadium and new on-campus Arena has helped build teams to Top 20 rankings for BOTH Football and Basketball for the first time ever for each program.

Its obvious that both new facilities are making an impact in both sports (UCF has averaged 40,326 fans for the 4 seasons of the new football stadium and UCF Basketball set an all-time attendance record last season) and hopefully will continue to do so in the future.

The new facilities have helped grow both major sports recruiting base...especially compared to older classes where recruits had to go watch games at the decrepit Citrus Bowl downtown or the small barn that was used for basketball.

While new facilities alone don't guarantee success...they certainly can help if they are just one small piece of a much larger plan.

As jml correctly pointed out, some schools, like ECU and UCF, have been able to build NEW facilities without the help of BCS $$$$ and without the need of future "promised" funding....something that schools like Nova are having a hard time doing...even with a "BCS Football" invite in their pocket.

NOTE: UCF was the first school in over 50 years that built a 45,000 plus seat on-campus football stadium and a 10,000 seat on-campus arena at the SAME TIME.

The two facilities were finished on-time and on-budget...as both of these facilities were opened up to the public during the SAME WEEK (Arena opened on a Sunday, Sept 9, 2007 and the Football Stadium opened on Sept 15, 2007)...as many detractors didn't think UCF could build ONE of those facilities, let alone both...and on top of that, at the same time!

Like I said, I give UCF their due in terms of facilities, but nothing you wrote shows the Knights have had any "significant" wins that I was addressing. They got ranked last year in football purely on the basis that everyone else was losing. Now they came close to some good BCS wins with NC State and Kansas State, but ultimately lost both games.

Cheers,
Neil

Bull, Yes the above posted by chrisharper80 is all true. Also, the astrodome would not allow tailgating in their parking lot, which made the environment even less college-like. Just an all around bad situation for growing fan and student support which is why we left.
Additionally, we have played some games at Reliant. Oregon, Miami, and Rice, but even with 40,000+ for a few of those games the Stadium sounds hollow. It is not as noticeable for Pitt because it is an open air stadium, but when Reliant is closed, unless it is full it sounds hollow.

In the chat linked above, AD Mack Rhoades says the following when asked about this topic:

Richard (Houston): Is there a "magic number" that UH must reach before breaking ground on the stadium, and if so, are we currently near that number?
Mack Rhoades: Based on a total project cost of $120 million we need to at least get to $80-85 million. Currently we are at 50 million and feel good about that number and are in the process of securing a naming rights gift, although this takes time. We are working with some very good prospects and I am thankful to our staff, because to be at $50 in 6 months is quite a feat given the fact that this amount of money has never been raised in the athletics department. In most instances a lead naming gift is the first to be secured, however given the changing landscape of college athletics this past summer we thought it was important for our industry to know we are committed to building a nationally competitive program.


Richard (Houston): If we do begin construction on a new stadium, where are our BB and FB teams most likely to play during construction?
Mack Rhoades: There is a slight possibility that the construction schedule could be adjusted in a manner where we could still play in both places. However, more than likely we would work with other local sports teams, those discussions have already taken place.

Matt-The Woodlands, TX: Is there a conditional offer from the Big East to join if the Stadium deal is done?
Mack Rhoades: No.

jim (houston): Assuming we have the funding for the new stadium how long will it take to demolish Robertson and have the new stadium in place for play?
Mack Rhoades: Not long.

Robert (Houston): In the new stadium will there be club seating with private bar, concessions, etc? I have gotten spoiled at other Houston venues. Thanks Mack!
Mack Rhoades: Absolutely.

Victor (Houston): Is the capacity for the new stadium still around 40K, or has that number been adjusted at all?
Mack Rhoades: We still believe the right size at this time is 40,000.

Greg (Houston): Once the lead gift is secured, is it safe to assume that we will have the $80-$85 million needed to start?
Mack Rhoades: That is a fairly safe assumption.

John (Friendswood): Strictly hypothetically, :-) , do you think it would it behoove the Big East to have two Texas teams rather than just one?
Mack Rhoades: Certainly you would think so, especially from a scheduling perspective. However, discussing conference affiliation is a difficult conversation to have publicly. Currently we are a member of Conference USA and a proud member. There is a lot of value in being in Conference USA. However, we owe it to the many people who have established a great tradition, to our fans, to our current coaches, student-athletes and staff, to always be mindful of improving ourselves and current status. The most important thing we can do at this time is make ourselves an extremely valued commodity for Conference USA and/or any future opportunity. To become a valued commodity we need to continue to graduate athletes, enhance facilities, sell more tickets (increase fan attendance) and become more competitive. I appreciate all the questions concerning conference realignment, I hope this addresses all them.

Mack Rhoades: I want to thank everyone for the great questions. I really enjoyed these past 50 minutes. I apologize, I need to head to a meeting (maybe a meeting with a potential naming rights :)!)


The guy raised the money to get Akron's stadium built. He is going to get it done, as evidenced by what he has done in the first 6 months of fund raising.

Bull, also, that thread that you mentioned was copied from a post on coogfans.com. It was not brought here by a coog. It was later proved on coogfans that a UH hater had created a dummy account to post that rumor and get coogfans riled up, and was quickly debunked, but that rumor lives on....

Chris, Born: thanks for the info and clarifications. Much appreciated. Looking forward to seeing the construction start, and good things for UoH football!

(05-09-2011 07:58 AM)Borncoog74 Wrote:  I am not sure, but there may be a difference between raising money and having state funding assistance in 2005 to build a stadium and raising money in 2010/2011 to build a $120 million dollar stadium and $40 million dollar renovation to the basketball arena.

That being said, I am proud that a conference mate was able to accomplish what UCF has facilities wise while in CUSA. Common belief would be UH has done nothing facilities wise but that is not the case. Robertson has had a renovation since we moved into it while in CUSA.

What stadium are you referring to in regards to state funds being used?

Seems you tried to imply (but maybe you didn't mean) that UCF's Brighthouse Stadium was built using state funds...which is not try.

UCF's Brighthouse Stadium Construction and operation of the stadium was funded completely through naming rights, revenues from suites and club seat leases, ticket and concessions sales, donations, corporate sponsorships and advertising. No public money or tuition was used during the construction or operation of the stadium.

Also, in regards to the UCF Arena, no state dollars, student fees or tuition was used on the construction of that $107 Million project either as the bond that was taken out is being paid back with revenues from the project through a direct-support organization, a nonprofit corporation created by the university to finance it.

Much of the unique financing set up for both facilities was initially done by then UCF AD Steve Orsini (Notre Dame Grad), he is now the AD at SMU.

As you might guess, financing is his forte....(much weaker on the marketing side...but in regards to UCF, it was his ability to get major projects financed without help from the state which helped UCF "re-invent" its campus.

(05-09-2011 12:01 PM)KnightLight Wrote:  

(05-09-2011 07:58 AM)Borncoog74 Wrote:  I am not sure, but there may be a difference between raising money and having state funding assistance in 2005 to build a stadium and raising money in 2010/2011 to build a $120 million dollar stadium and $40 million dollar renovation to the basketball arena.

That being said, I am proud that a conference mate was able to accomplish what UCF has facilities wise while in CUSA. Common belief would be UH has done nothing facilities wise but that is not the case. Robertson has had a renovation since we moved into it while in CUSA.

What stadium are you referring to in regards to state funds being used?

Seems you tried to imply (but maybe you didn't mean) that UCF's Brighthouse Stadium was built using state funds...which is not try.

UCF's Brighthouse Stadium Construction and operation of the stadium was funded completely through naming rights, revenues from suites and club seat leases, ticket and concessions sales, donations, corporate sponsorships and advertising. No public money or tuition was used during the construction or operation of the stadium.

Also, in regards to the UCF Arena, no state dollars, student fees or tuition was used on the construction of that $107 Million project either as the bond that was taken out is being paid back with revenues from the project through a direct-support organization, a nonprofit corporation created by the university to finance it.

Much of the unique financing set up for both facilities was initially done by then UCF AD Steve Orsini (Notre Dame Grad), he is now the AD at SMU.

As you might guess, financing is his forte....(much weaker on the marketing side...but in regards to UCF, it was his ability to get major projects financed without help from the state which helped UCF "re-invent" its campus.

I thought that I had read something about the arena getting some state funding because there was not, and needed to be a facility of its kind in that area. I will try to find where I read that, but if I am wrong..... my apologies.