NorthoftheBorder

Great article & publicity in the Austin American Statesman. [Hidden Content]

Can't see McNeese closing or dropping down.  SE La, Nichols and Northwestern could have problems.  I say Lamar needs to make plans to jettison to a bigger conference soon.  Economics (the big conferences trying to squeeze out the small guys as well as the nations economy) is going to have a dramatic impact on the landscape.  If anyone sits around and is indecisive, then they will be left in the lurch.

Really shocked at Machida's poor performance in after watching him dismantle Rashad Evans.

"Lamar football coach Ray Woodard is taking his best shot this week at landing University of Texas transfer Ben Wells. Wells, the former Ozen defensive back who was a Port Arthur News Super Teamer, is taking an official visit at LU this weekend. There is some thought that Stephen F. Austin might have the inside track."  [b][i]From Bob West 5/9/2010[/i][/b] I think Ray has a lot of good things to sell young Ben!  I can't imagine what SFA could have over Lamar right now except hard selling LU as a start up program.  I think Ben could be the one of the cornerstones to jump starting the program to meet all the goals Simmons and Tubbs have for the program.

[quote name="badndn" post="800062" timestamp="1273506367"] Call me un-impressed. Looks like Cardinal Stadium to me. [/quote] I think it's one of those things that once it is finished and you see the final product you will get a much more wow effect than you have now.

Coach, I think you are on the right track but I think 28k is going to have be a complete bowl on the south endzone.  I think there is a little bit of a space issue with the new athletic complex but it is doable.  The extension's on both sides toward the Montagne is also a must.  If there is not room for an upper deck on the east side, you could go further up with the existing deck with some poeple ramps for higher entry to the stadium, and you might can do the same on the east side.  I would say if LU football really takes off, there will be some creative architectural design and engineering to expand the stadium to a capacity that gets close to 40K.

[quote name="coachacola" post="799255" timestamp="1273281392"] Very nice!  The article says the stadium can be expanded to 28,000.  Originally they said 35K, but hopefully they'll expand it real soon. [/quote] Been waiting to see these for a while.  I think that everyone is going to be real pleased with the new stadium.  It is really going to be 1st class.  Would also like to see the expansion plans.  I would say that 28k means no upper deck on the East side and probably no north end zone seating.  Hopefully they can make a complete bowl in the south end zone.  I hope a 28k stadium will support a move to a good FBS conference.  I would think that 35-40k would be much better.  If I remember right, I saw where someone on this board posted that Dr. Simmons said it could be expanded to 35k so if he really did say that I would think it is possible. At any rate, I hope that it is SRO for the first game 9/11/2010 at about 20k.  That would be a great start for LU football.  Thanks Greg Treml!

Very good coach.  I like your your art work.  I also have to give Simmons and Tubbs credit.  They are the most ambitious and forward thinkers that Lamar has had in my 32 years of being a student and fan of LU.  What a breath of fresh air!!!!!!!!!  To heck with all the naysayers that try to hold Lamar back with their negative and small thinking.  Lamar is not going to "win the lottery" and then be able to do big things.  It will only happen with planning, hard work, and an ambitious vision to move to the next level.  Kudos to Simmons and Tubbs for having the Kahuna's to move LU forward.  It can happen here at Lamar and here in Beaumont!

This artist rendering looks really good.  There has to a panoramic view of the whole stadium somewhere.  A couple of thoughts.  It says that there are 7 suites and the inside pdf drawing on the website shows a sketch of 4 so it looks like there are 4 on the bottom, 3 in the middle and you have the red room on top so that is why the 3 levels shown in the artist drawing.  Don't know why there are only three in the middle.  There is a scoreboard on the Montagne in the North end zone so they are planning for a bowl in the South end zone.  There is plenty of room for a small bowl below the Montagne per the artist drawing in the North end zone.  Add a upper deck on the east side and some upper level suites on the west side to go along with the bowls, the Jumbotron video scoreboard and you have the makings of a pretty awesome stadium for the future.

Great article.  Would like to see artist renderings!

Looks good.  Hopefully the information will be much more timely.  There is a link for Provost Umphrey Stadium but nothing there.  You would think this would be a great place for artist renderings and drawings as well as pictures of the construction progress.  Oh well, it's just a thought.

[quote name="UNLV" post="797969" timestamp="1273076154"] [quote author=mffl link=topic=69403.msg797958#msg797958 date=1273074456] [quote author=coachacola link=topic=69403.msg797936#msg797936 date=1273069481] Looks like she made the 5A All-State Basketball team and according to one website she's the 12th best player in Texas and the 53th best in the country for 2010.  Not sure if that means anything but here's the link: [url=[Hidden Content] Scout Top 100[/url] [/quote] I saw that too, but if you look at the last names on the list from Scout, it is in alphabetical order. [/quote]Maybe we are in that parrallel universe whereas it just so happen to turn out that way.   [/quote] Now thats funny! ;D

[quote name="AggiesAreWe" post="797422" timestamp="1272923679"] Texas Bob has the capacity at 9,300 but that was before they added the semi horseshoe seating. I was told the capacity was right at 10,000 now. [Hidden Content] Also, according to Texas Bob, Lumberton's Raider Stadium has a capacity of 10,000. [Hidden Content] [/quote] I think the capacities of both stadiums are questionable.  I'm not sure that just because TexasBob's has them at 10k that makes it accurate.  In the end it's no big deal whether they are 8,500, 9,300, or 10,000.  I do think that Lumberton's stadium is not big enough when they play PNG, Nederland or Vidor in Lumberton.  It is big enough when they play everyone else.

[quote name="AggiesAreWe" post="797300" timestamp="1272904675"] [quote author=blackflag link=topic=67969.msg791993#msg791993 date=1271696847] [quote author=The Real McCoy 12 link=topic=67969.msg790802#msg790802 date=1271379098] [quote author=JoesBros link=topic=67969.msg790550#msg790550 date=1271341659] I hear that the Kirbyville game will be played in Silsbee now. [/quote] yes the kirbyville game is goin to be played in silsbee cause kirbyville stadium was not big enough [/quote] Silsbees' stadium will not be large enough either. We played there once and it doesnt hold enough people , especially on the visitors side. [/quot Silsbee's Tiger Stadium holds 10,000. It is plenty big enough for a Kirbyville/Vidor game. ::) [/quote] I have been in that stadium numerous times and even with the addition of the seating in the west end zone I find it hard to believe it holds 10,000.  Lumberton's stadium I have been told holds 8,500 which is 5,000 on the home side and 3,500 on the visitors and by comparison it appears to be every bit as big as Silsbee's stadium.

Coachacola, why don't you take the schematic off the Athletic site under the ticket sales button and photoshop a bowl on tthe south end and a upper deck on the east side with extended sides toward the Montagne.  That would give us something to talk about.

I think Roc is going to sign more players than Woodard did.  I think he likes to generate speculation and buzz on this board by not releasing info if you ask me.

Yep, thats what I saw.  It's going to be real nice.

I'm going to see Lamar.

The JUCO he played at listed him at 6'7" 235lbs.

[quote name="AJ25" post="795559" timestamp="1272437456"] I'm excited to finally get to go see if once I get home from school. One thing that I've been saying for a long time is that they should just get metal bleachers and put those in front of the Montagne, and get them as high as they can be so that the people in the suites can still easily see every part of the field. I know bleachers seats don't sound great, but UT has a set under their big screen that I think holds 2,000 people, and it doesn't look bad at all. And that's a perfect idea of what Lamar could do. And since there is the hill, the could just bulldoze it all the way back to the Montagne, it would be fairly easy and it would open up more room for seating. I still say that the Montagne has to have a facelift or at least a pressure washing on the side facing the field. I have a hard time believing that they can put a second deck on top of the side of the stadium with the press box cause of how close it is to the high way. But, I don't see why they couldn't do what TX State has done and put an upper deck on the other side that could hold anywhere from 5-10 K. But yes, this stadium should basically be new. Did they just pressure wash the bleachers or paint them as well? [/quote] They could probably bulldoze it back to the montagne and add a concrete structure with bleacher seats that would only be 10-12 rows high but bowl it around to both sides and that would work and add maybe 2-3,000 seats and it would look good.  Also they would probably need to add a auxiliary scoreboard on the North side against the Montagne if they bowl the south end.  Still would like to see atrist renditions of the stadium.

Went by the stadium after work and found an opening in the fence so went in and did some looking around.  Here is some observations: the luxury suites are actually going to be in the Montagne Center structure where it comes out toward the stadium and beside the stairwell and elevator shaft and not on ground level with the field.  It appears that the slope beneath it would be to steep for burm seating, would be like a tubing hill with snow; after taking a long hard look at the bleachers on both sides, 15-16k is about all that it will hold.  I'm just not sure there is enough room for a deck on the east side.  Maybe with some big time engineering it would work but there is definately some space restrictions for people ramps and such.  It maybe better to just extend the sides upward with some ramps and a concourse underneath.  I'm not a civil engineer so I don's know how it would work.  You can defintely extend the sides toward the Montagne on both sides beyond the endzone and pick up considerable seating.  A bowl on the south end will work but it will cut out the view of the athletic complex altogether but would be need for seating capacity.  It's going to be real nice and when you look at it you get excited for the upcoming season.  It is easy to picture a full stadium.  Can't wait.

[quote name="coachacola" post="795409" timestamp="1272399054"] I noticed that Terror's post disappeared soon after he posted it.  I don't know if he deleted it or the moderator.  The Katfans board likes to trash both Lamar and Texas State, probably because SHSU isn't located in a metro area which will make it hard for them to draw enough fans to go FBS. [/quote] I didn't see it.  Can anyone paraphrase what he said?

[quote name="coachacola" post="795415" timestamp="1272400023"] I think they'll be able to squeeze around 20K into the stadium if they need to.  I think there's going to be a lot of open area in each corner for people to stand in. If the extend the stands down to the endzones and wrap them a little that would get seating up to around 25K.  Add about 10K or so of upper deck seating and you're looking at a 35K+ seat stadium, about average for stadium in a non-BCS conference.  What's nice is the stadium will be like new and it won't be one of those erector-set stadiums like UCF. [/quote] I think making the bowl around the south end is a must, and then take the north side's closer to the Montagne.  That could add about 10-12k which would get you 26-28k capacity.  Then add a large deck on the east side, maybe 8-10 k and you could get up to maybe 38k plus luxury suites which additional ones with an expanded press box could be added on the west side.  Wow, that could be a really nice stadium that could attract some mid and lower tier BCS conference schools to come in.  Don't think you would get a Texas, Florida, USC, Ohio State caliber team with that stadium, but maybe an Ole Miss, Baylor, Iowa State, South Carolina, Minnesota, NC State caliber team.  Just dreaming!

Looked at the webcam this morning and the view toward the Athletic Complex.  Looking at it is doesn't appear their will be much room for burm seating in the South end zone with the two side ramps coming down for each team to access the field and the locker rooms.  With the suites on the north side there will be little or no room for burm seating.  I agree with Coachacola that the total bleacher capacity for the stadium will be around 16k and the 15,300 is the total fan/student seating (bleachers).  That said, with overflow on burm seating it will be hard to get even 20k for a game.  Would still love to see artist rendition of the new configuration and an expanded stadium to it's maximum potential.  Does anyone know if those exist and who may have them?  Hoopinsider Cooper why don't you file a freedom of information request of the athletic office and Simmons to ge these released?

[quote name="fanofthegame7" post="794714" timestamp="1272239165"] [quote author=NorthoftheBorder link=topic=68767.msg793490#msg793490 date=1271956834] I agree with the money spent wisely issue.  PNG has a very nice stadium that is more than adequate for Championship football.  That said, I am sure that Lamar has a architectural drawings that are similar that would give us better picture than what we have seen so far. [/quote] [IMG][Hidden Content]] [/quote] Is there a lot more of these kind of picture somewhere we can view them?