Lamar stadium wish list tops $18 million

[UNLV]

Sorry about the sloppy illustration, but it makes my point. The stadium needs to be made into

a complete bowl. The ends do not need to be as large as the sides, as illustrated. This would

give a college feel, instead of high school. It'll make the endzones louder, advantage Lamar.

Larger crowds, larger exposer, smaller number jumping off the bandwagon after the first season.

The stadium will look and feel different from the 1980's.

Cost; using concrete stands $3 - $5 million. Aluminum; half that.  This would not break the bank.

Leaving the stadium as is with a few upgrades including VIP's for the rich, will not put fans

in the stadium. Lamar football will fail again.

i LOVE this idea. i'd go with aluminum seats at first though, just because it's cheaper.. but it'll get the job done for the first few years. but to me, the FIRST step to this process.. TURF! Screw all the VIP seats for the rich, make it look better (field wise) then do the bleachers, THEN VIP boxes.

Finally a wise opinion. Yes, this design would not cost much money but the new feel for fans, screaming fans in the endzones for cardinal players,

and bragging rights is priceless. I would rather $2 million go to aluminum stands to complete the bowl than VIP suites. Both would be better. Tubbs, if you

are reading this, go with the wise and not the nay sayers.

[Guest coachacola]

I don't see the logic in putting up cheap end zone seats that would probably go empty or Lamar would have to give away tickets just to fill instead of building VIP suites for the big spenders that Lamar will need to support football, especially if Lamar wants to go FBS.

You've been complaining about Cardinal Stadium looking like a high school stadium and now you want to put up aluminum stands on the cheap and no VIP suites (just like HS stadiums).  It'll probably be someone in a VIP suite who will donate the money to expand the stadium when the time is right, or who'll provide the financial support for Lamar's move to a FBS conference.

[UNLV]

I don't see the logic in putting up cheap end zone seats that would probably go empty or Lamar would have to give away tickets just to fill instead of building VIP suites for the big spenders that Lamar will need to support football, especially if Lamar wants to go FBS.

You've been complaining about Cardinal Stadium looking like a high school stadium and now you want to put up aluminum stands on the cheap and no VIP suites (just like HS stadiums).  It'll probably be someone in a VIP suite who will donate the money to expand the stadium when the time is right, or who'll provide the financial support for Lamar's move to a FBS conference.

Empty seats, look who is being negative. Those aluminmum seats or concrete is better than those high school hills. Just for the record, I

had lots of memories rolling on those hills as a kid. But, they gotta go. SETX will support big time football at Lamar, not this popwarner FCS crap

this forum is pushing. Baylor, UH, NT, and La tech. NOT Tarleton st, NOT abilene christian, NOT Nichols st, and NOT Miss. College. Coach Tubbs shoot as high as you can go.

Waiting only risk not getting into a FBS and maybe an anti-football president after you and Dr Simmons leave. Ignore the nay sayers. I think Terror is controling them.

[WOS95]

i would like to have a big stadium too, but who is going to pay for it?  and as far as SETX supporting big time football, for arguments sake, suppose we do join a conference with teams like U of H, Baylor and UNT.  and just suppose we are the celler dweller every year in that conference, i want to see how long those aluminum end zone seats stay filled, much less the rest of the 17,000 seats.  then where would we go from there?  i trust that Dr. Simmons and Billy Tubbs know what their doing.  if they stay FCS i will be happy, if they go FBS i will be happy too.   

[DP#1FAN]

i would like to have a big stadium too, but who is going to pay for it?  and as far as SETX supporting big time football, for arguments sake, suppose we do join a conference with teams like U of H, Baylor and UNT.  and just suppose we are the celler dweller every year in that conference, i want to see how long those aluminum end zone seats stay filled, much less the rest of the 17,000 seats.  then where would we go from there?  i trust that Dr. Simmons and Billy Tubbs know what their doing.  if they stay FCS i will be happy, if they go FBS i will be happy too.   

Good point and agree.

[UNLV]

i would like to have a big stadium too, but who is going to pay for it?  and as far as SETX supporting big time football, for arguments sake, suppose we do join a conference with teams like U of H, Baylor and UNT.  and just suppose we are the celler dweller every year in that conference, i want to see how long those aluminum end zone seats stay filled, much less the rest of the 17,000 seats.  then where would we go from there?  i trust that Dr. Simmons and Billy Tubbs know what their doing.  if they stay FCS i will be happy, if they go FBS i will be happy too.   

What if the teams I mentioned before move up and out the slc, ofcourse laughing at Lamar.

Do you think fans will support Lamar vs Tarleton st, Abilene Christian, Nicholls st, Delta st?    I say 7,000 fans if we are winning.

What if Lamar is losing against those teams, celler dwellers?      maybe 3,500

If Lamar goes FBS, Lamar could get non-conference home and home with Baylor, UH, Tech, UTEP, New Mexico st... +25,000 if they bowl it like I said.

[Guest coachacola]

I'm not sure why you think Lamar has to build a horseshoe stadium right now to go FBS 5 years from now, especially when there's not enough money to expand the stadium at the moment.  You have no idea what the stadium will look like after they spend $20+ million on it so shouldn't you reserve judgment until you've actually seen some drawings?  I also don't understand why you think fans won't show up just because there's not 30K seats in the stadium.  I guess you think people will come to the games and stare at awe at the big stadium Lamar has instead of watching the games.

This is my last post on the subject, we're both getting repetitive and I'm sure everybody's tired of it.

[UNLV]

I'm not sure why you think Lamar has to build a horseshoe stadium right now to go FBS 5 years from now, especially when there's not enough money to expand the stadium at the moment.   You have no idea what the stadium will look like after they spend $20+ million on it so shouldn't you reserve judgment until you've actually seen some drawings?  I also don't understand why you think fans won't show up just because there's not 30K seats in the stadium.  I guess you think people will come to the games and stare at awe at the big stadium Lamar has instead of watching the games.

This is my last post on the subject, we're both getting repetitive and I'm sure everybody's tired of it.

How do you know how much money Lamar raised. I heard it was far more than $20 million.

I said bowl, look at the picture. However if Lamar can spend $20 million on the stadium, why not an

extra $5 million to complete the bowl at the lower level. I use $5 million as max, I bet they can do it for less.

And yes I think extra fans will come because of the bowl, college feel.

[Guest coachacola]

Ok, I lied. That wasn't my last post on the subject.  ;D  I do agree with you that if Lamar has the money to expand then do it, but not by cutting out VIP suites or anything else.  No need to take shortcuts just for a larger stadium.

I think they're planning a big end zone complex like ODU or Tulsa's that has some seating available.  They can also extend the grand stands from the goal lines to the back of the end zones and that would increase capacity to around 22K.

Then when Lamar goes FBS and there's demand for 30K fans then build an upper deck on both sides.  There's room for it if you overhang the lower stands a little and everyone would have great views of the field.  If each upper deck was built to hold just 6K then capacity at the stadium would go from 22K to 34K.

[UNLV]

Ofcourse I preferr both, the expanding stadium and VIP's. I preferr the bowl over the upper deck.

I want the endzones very hostile. Besides the bowl seating would be far cheaper. Upper deck would cost about

10 times more.

[AJ25]

Ofcourse I preferr both, the expanding stadium and VIP's. I preferr the bowl over the upper deck.

I want the endzones very hostile. Besides the bowl seating would be far cheaper. Upper deck would cost about

10 times more.

i think the bowl has a more college feel to it. plus, way cheaper. to me, turf, pressboxes, ticket booths, and end zone bleachers in that order

[Guest coachacola]

Why did they build the Montagne Center so close to the football field?  That's the end they need to bowl because it would help hide the refinery plus they could still build the athletic facility with VIP suites on the south end. 

[AJ25]

Why did they build the Montagne Center so close to the football field?  That's the end they need to bowl because it would help hide the refinery plus they could still build the athletic facility with VIP suites on the south end. 

good question. either way, they need a new fieldhouse, which they are getting. along with a new scoreboard. but still, turf alone will make that place look so much better. but the bad thing is, they are probably going to have to spend a little of month dressing up the side of the montagne center that faces the field. because you can fix up the field all you want, but you don't wanna look over and see a crappy lookin building sitting there.

[UNLV]

I was thinking maybe cut a section out of the Montagne. Put the VIP's suites in that section. Then those same suites

could be used for football and basketball.

[Guest abovetherim]

UNLV, the Red Room in the Montagne Center already over-looks Cardinal Stadium. I am pretty sure the VIP suites will be somewhere in the new fieldhouse.

[AJ25]

UNLV, the Red Room in the Montagne Center already over-looks Cardinal Stadium. I am pretty sure the VIP suites will be somewhere in the new fieldhouse.

thats what i was thinking. has this bond (or whatever its called) been approved yet?

[Houston Poke]

42,000 square feet is HUGE! That will make it the biggest 'Athletic Facility' in the southland right? Winning will bring money in... need to get a good coach too.

That would indeed be a nice sized facility...

McNeese's new facility will be 46,413 SF once it is completed in 2009.  This figure does NOT include the visitors dressing room, which is located in a separate facility located on the Southeast Corner of the stadium.  It's about 1,600 square feet if I remember correctly.

The MSU Weight room will be the largest in the State of Louisiana (even bigger than LSU's).  It will have an indoor 40 yard track in it too.

Here is what it will look like:

[KFDM COOP]

8) Man that's nice!

[Houston Poke]

If Lamar wasn't thinking of a possible move to FBS in the future 5-10 years away why would they build a home locker-room for 100 athletes?

Small point here...

MOST SLC teams carry around 100 players, when you count the scout players and such.

In the FCS teams are allowed a max of 63 scholarships.  HOWEVER, those scholarships may be split up among a total of 85 players...  That leaves a school around 15 or so for the scout team.

[Houston Poke]

I LOVE this idea. i'd go with aluminum seats at first though, just because it's cheaper.. but it'll get the job done for the first few years. but to me, the FIRST step to this process.. TURF! Screw all the VIP seats for the rich, make it look better (field wise) then do the bleachers, THEN VIP boxes.

If you don't have Corporate Boxes than you just assume stop what you are doing now, because it will all be for nothing...

McNeese makes about 675K a year from it's 6500 season ticket holders, which we hope to up to 8,000 season tickets this year.  BUT, McNeese makes apx. 350,000 a year off of the 13, ten seat VIP Suites and the 190 Club Seats it has in the SkyRanch (see Photo).  That's around $1,100 per seat per year from the VIP BOX, and only about $15 per seat per year from the season ticket holders.

You get much more bang for your buck with the VIP seats. 

That is why McNeese thought about including 450 more Club seats over the new field house.  But now there is some talk about an addition to the SkyRanch now that it is paid for.  It streatches from 30 to 30 with 4 decks.  I guess they want to take it from EZ to EZ next.

[Houston Poke]

8) Man that's nice!

I kind of like those Box suites on the ODU conceptual drawing...

I think Lamar would do well by adding something like that in the North EZ, and and try to attach a new field house to it as well.  Possibly by digging out the hills and attaching it to the M-Center and then building the Club Seats and Suites above the field level field house.

That way you can just use Huggins for the visiting teams to dress in.  That will keep the home team and the visiting team from having to share the same access point to the field,

Anyway...

JMHO..

[AJ25]

8) Man that's nice!

I kind of like those Box suites on the ODU conceptual drawing...

I think Lamar would do well by adding something like that in the North EZ, and and try to attach a new field house to it as well.  Possibly by digging out the hills and attaching it to the M-Center and then building the Club Seats and Suites above the field level field house.

That way you can just use Huggins for the visiting teams to dress in.  That will keep the home team and the visiting team from having to share the same access point to the field,

Anyway...

JMHO..

sounds like a good idea to me. but thats a lot of money, and they won't do it. so the hills will most likely stay. but i'm starting to change my position on the vip boxes. i think they're a good idea. they will bring in money. IF we get a good coach. and IF we win. lol

[McTailGator]

8) Man that's nice!

I kind of like those Box suites on the ODU conceptual drawing...

I think Lamar would do well by adding something like that in the North EZ, and and try to attach a new field house to it as well.  Possibly by digging out the hills and attaching it to the M-Center and then building the Club Seats and Suites above the field level field house.

That way you can just use Huggins for the visiting teams to dress in.  That will keep the home team and the visiting team from having to share the same access point to the field,

Anyway...

JMHO..

sounds like a good idea to me. but thats a lot of money, and they won't do it. so the hills will most likely stay. but i'm starting to change my position on the vip boxes. i think they're a good idea. they will bring in money. IF we get a good coach. and IF we win. lol

WINNING is indeed the key to ANY successful athletic program.

Lake Charles is NOT a Basketball town.  We live breath and sleep football.  BUT we paked Burton Coliseum in 2002 when the played the Semi's and Finals of the SLC Basketball tourney in Lake Charles.  We had a really good team that year.  It was fun having 6,800 fans screaming in that ole Barn of an arena.

I wish we could build us a new on campus Basketball Arena, but as long as we don't win more basketball games, what's the point. 

[AJ25]

well when are they voting on this bond for it?

[Guest abovetherim]

There will not be a vote for bonds. Lamar is using the bonds to pay for the renovations of the football facilities and the student fee which already passed will be used to finance the complex. Except for the 1/4 Lamar must have in private funding. Let's say Lamar is spending $20 million, they would need $5 million in private donations.