What Lamar could be...

[AJ25]

As a college athlete and a guy who for some reason loves writing (Writing my first book now), I have a good idea on what goes on in college athletics, and this is my take on what Lamar could be.

[b]Location[/b]: Let's face it, Lamar has one of the best areas of high school football in the state. They're 1 1/2 hours from U of H and Rice, 3 hours from aTm, 4 hours from UT, 5 hours from SMU, UNT, Baylor, and TCU, 4 hours from Tulane, and 3 from ULL and LSU. To me, you're looking at a great engineering school. A school that is having a lot of money pumped into it, arguably more than any other SLC right now. A school with growing athletic facilities, as well as budgets... There is no reason at all that kids from within that SETX and surrounding areas "circle" that should not be going to Lamar if they're good enough. Memorial, West Brook, PN-G, Nederland, (used to be) Lumberton, WO-S, etc... Are constantly sending kids to schools throughout surrounding states, when they could be at Lamar if these coaches worked hard enough; including the school athletic board. I know guys like Christine Michael, Earl Thomas, etc. aren't going to stay at LU, but there's guys that jump at the first offer to get out of here, when they could be building a great thing in Beaumont. "But Lamar isn't big enough, good enough, etc..." Well, if you'd go to Lamar over sitting the bench at a big time school then Lamar would be good enough and big enough.

[b]Stadium[/b]: I don't think anyone will argue.. This thing is great. Only TX State beats it IMO, and they're heading to the WAC next year. This thing will be expanded eventually, once Lamar continually wins and the community WILL be there if Lamar is winning. You have the Montagne Center and the awesome athletic facility to go along with a completely remodeled stadium that is soon to be expanded. You have a fan base that [b]demands[/b] success (that is evident by this board) and a community that will support a winner constantly. AKA, put a winner on the field and this place will always be packed.

[b]School[/b]: A growing campus that is constantly being remodeled and holding more and more on campus students every year. Not much of a Greek life, but that will only grow with the population. Again, you have an outstanding engineering program and nursing program that will pull in athletes on it's own (Trust me, I go to one of the best engineering schools in the midwest and we got a couple guys that came just because of the program, choosing our school over some SEC schools). Believe it or not, a lot of athletes realize how quick college is over and that the future is the most important thing (education). Granted, LU needs to buy some of the surrounding neighborhoods to create a bit of a safer environment, as well as making MORE parking. Relatively cheap tuition, room & board, etc...

[b]Other athletic programs[/b]: You have one of the better baseball programs in the country that should be in the top 45 every year that will constantly produce winners, a great historical basketball program with a new head coach that has brought great excitement. A women's soccer program now, a softball program coming... The school needs to bank on this NOW! Spread excitement throughout the area. Spend $$$ that they do have. Every time I come there, I can barely tell there is a school in BMT unless you go towards Nederland. It is a huge city that has the capability to be a smaller level FBS if the athletic department puts in the work. Almost ALL of their alumni live in the area... HELLO donations and a bigger athletic budget. I feel like Lamar doesn't do enough work to make their school better.

[b]Possible tradition[/b]: New football program with a semi-successful history, great baseball program, could-be great basketball history, soccer, softball coming, etc... What is stopping Lamar? Your answer is... Lamar. Spend money... Get excitement out. There is so many things they could do. So many. You have the community, don't stop yourself from success. If you do, kids from the area will continue going off to other schools instead of being proud in what they have in their own neighborhood.

Sorry this was so sloppy, had to do it pretty quick... Gotta long-distance Skype date (Gotta keep my lady happy ;) )

[NorthoftheBorder]

Good post AJ25!!!

[AshlyHasBeen]

Very well said.

[AJ25]

I don't understand why Dowlen and downtown BMT aren't completely covered in LU stuff. I'm not saying BMT should become a primarily college town, but LU could make a huge impact if they wanted to. Dowlen is the busiest street in BMT and is one of the best places to have a business. LU should put a CO-OP store in one of the shopping centers selling all their gear, tickets, memorabilia, etc... They can make more money and people can be seeing LU stuff everywhere. Have businesses and restaurants that have discounts for LU students and alum. Convince some of the bigger well-known restaurants in BMT have "LU Student" nights where they can go and get 10-15% off from their tab. It doesn't seem like much, but it will bring the business more money and be a good place for students to get together. They need way more billboards, more advertising, etc. They need players making appearances at all the schools in the area, the coaches making appearances at places. They need to give away more tickets... They're not selling out anyway, why not give away tickets to get more butts in the seat? Have notable alums have ads or things like that talking about LU to give them more credit. Have the student government put on concerts with BIG name people to come and play at the Montagne. These are just some of the things Lamar could do that would instantly make it a better school with more name recognition.

[geezer]

I agree there could be more support, but Lamar has name recognition in Bmt area.  To grow to the next level the advertisements and promotions will need to be in Houston, Galveston and places further away so there are more students on campus without local family/friends and work commitments on game days.  If there are roughly 10k tickets sold + student tickets for games then why aren't they in the stands on game day.  There are five seats next to mine that someone has paid to have stadium chair seats put in every game and so far three people have sat in them once, the IW game.  Until there is a winning tradition in football there will be lots of people in this area that pay to have a seat when they want to use it but won't show up regularly, won't find someone to fill their empty seat when they have something more important to them to do and won't routinely work their personal schedule around LU football.  Also doesn't help when there are people on sitting next to the aisle that take up more than their seat and are too self absorbed to make it as easy for people to get past them as possible.  In the section I am sitting in this year there are at least two rows of these types.  To get what you would like to see will take time and unfortunately winning which means the attendance may get worse before it gets better.  The other thing Lamar needs to do to grow is find what is needed to get more students into other areas of study.  You mentioned engineering and nursing, what other degrees can LU promote to get more students?

[SgtRey]

Good Luck!

[shovel]

Good post AJ, and I do hope you continue writing. I have read and enjoyed many of your post on this board. Lamar's problems go back a ways. I'm a former Lamar student back in the day of Billy Tubbs and the sucessful basketball program. Those days shaped Lamar for the next couple of decades. The Lamar Board of Reagants, as well as a lot of the community, wanted LU to be a big-time basketball school, and the football program abandoned. That didnt turn out as planned, and here we are 30 years later, trying to right the ship.
There are a lot of positives with Lamar, and they are heading in the right direction. The evolution is just slower than guys like us want it to be. There are giant obstacles to overcome. Lamar is still seen as a commuter school; even with the new dormitories being some of the nicest in the country. Lamar is trying to recruit good athletes and scholars, but have to compete with bigger and better in-state and out-of-state schools. I want to have patience, but when you see other upstart programs like South Alabama have better success, patiences wanes. Beaumont is not a college town (at least not yet!). Lastly, State funding is decreasing, which will hurt if not stop Lamar's progress. Winning would fix a lot of these issues, but unfortunately, that is a long way off too. Good post and topic AJ.

[ForeverADog]

Lamar has come such a long way in just the couple of years I have been here. I have seen countless improvements. It seems that Lamar is fixing the campus first and slowly branching out. We will keep improving as long as Simmons stays and keeps pushing for it. I like where we are headed but its still a long road to get there.

[AJ25]

The advertising in greater areas is something I've seen for many other schools.. Driving through Houston you can see billboards for UT, TCU, A&M, etc... The same goes for those cities with other schools. Most people have no idea who Lamar is outside of the GT, and that's partially Lamar's fault and the athletic programs fault. It seems like they are just now starting to play those bigger name schools in state where people can see LU at a bigger level. (Basketball at UT last year, Baseball at Baylor, Football at aTm next year, etc...) To me, there is nothing for students to visit LU's campus and just be "wowed" about. It's not all that nice right now, some buildings are run down and old. They could really have a great EXPW department (athletics, KINES, Sports Exercise Science, etc) with the love of sports in the area, but outside of the McDonald gym there is no nice department buildings for it. You have to go and sit in old crappy buildings, and no one wants to do that when you can go to another instate school and sit in nice buildings. (Granted I've never taken a class at LU, but that's just how the buildings look from the outside looking in.) A lot of this is going to have to deal with money, but that's why each department should be calling their alums and giving them good reasons why each alum should donate. (New buildings, remodeled buildings, more equipment, etc) It seems LU doesn't take advantage of the thousands of alum that live right there by the school. That's why I've basically always thought, Lamar is the only thing stopping Lamar.

[TradinUp BH]

Lack of college type of bars, restraunts, places to hang out around campus, lack of a fraternity or sorority row type of atmosphere hurts a little too. They have to be able to buy up all of the land between the campus and MLK (I know they've already bought alot) and build this type of stuff. You have fast food down towards MLK and Washington, but alot of kids don't want to go down there at night. There is almost nothing for the college crowd around the campus. Make ALL kids live on campus Freshmen and Sophmore year (I know it would be expensive for area families, but would create the atmosphere).

[AJ25]

[quote name="Scalp'em" post="1078841" timestamp="1318255348"]
Lack of college type of bars, restraunts, places to hang out around campus, lack of a fraternity or sorority row type of atmosphere hurts a little too. They have to be able to buy up all of the land between the campus and MLK (I know they've already bought alot) and build this type of stuff. You have fast food down towards MLK and Washington, but alot of kids don't want to go down there at night. There is almost nothing for the college crowd around the campus. Make ALL kids live on campus Freshmen and Sophmore year (I know it would be expensive for area families, but would create the atmosphere).
[/quote]

UI've said some of the exact same things before. FORCE freshman to live on campus... What's it going to hurt? It's either Lamar or SFA, Sam, UT, A&M. And if you go off, you still have to live on campus there right? So might as well make the freshman live on campus there. And that's one of the things I was thinking when saying they need to buy all that land...They have to create a college atmosphere if they want to compete with every other school in the state. LU is just a big high school, basically. They need all sorts of things within WALKING distance of campus, including places for night life on the weekends. That's what all other schoos offer that Lamar doesn't. That's why Lamar loses area kids... People want a "college'' like experience and you just can't get that at LU.

[ForeverADog]

That is all being worked on as we speak. They are much closer than many people think to owning all the land around campus from MLK to Lavaca to Jim Gilligan way. Also I have heard Pres. Simmons talking about the LU 2020 Vision plan that he wants to have all kinds of businesses and entertainment adjacent to campus to help get students here and keep them here on nights and weekends. Also as part of that he has lots of plans to renovate and build bigger and better buildings and statues and the like. There is now a whole department of people working on going to millionaire alums for donations. The goal for Simmons is to have as much of all this work done by the year 2020 as he can. So it is coming and improving as fast as the money will allow.

[TBonesLU]

Just FYI...there is a Lamar billboard (not the advertising company) in south Dallas going south on I-45.  It's just as you get out of downtown.  I've seen it there for the last 3 years I've lived in Dallas every time I go back to Orange to visit family.

[SmashMouth]

Do you want to know what the REAL problem is?  We all need to look in our own backyard.  This area does not support local ANYTHING other than High School football. 

We had a semi-pro basketball team that couldn't be beaten...no fan support. 

We had the Padres minor league team, the Beaumont Golden Gators...no fan support. 

LU always has an awesome baseball team...no fan support. 

We had an Arena football team...no fan support. 

Anyone remember the Hockey team (now I realize hockey is a stretch in a SE Texas town) but still, no fan support. 

It is up to US!  Pouring money into it is not the only answer.  I would venture to say that quite a bit has been poured into LU football, but the Home Conference opener crowd was not even 70% capacity (and that's being generous).  Tradition and support start with US! Not fancy billboards and new facilities.  It's not just athletics either.  Look at Crockett Street.  All the businesses went "belly-up" and were taken over by another person.  Downtown Beaumont is still struggling for a resurgence...it may never happen.

WE ARE THE ANSWER AND "WE [b][u]SUCK[/u][/b] AT SUPPORTING ANYTHING LOCAL!"

[AJ25]

I'm going beyond just athletics... I'm talking about the school in general. Football will be far more supported than the arena football team with crappy uniforms, same goes for the semi-pro basketball team. I think the hockey team was run out of town because Ford Arena was charging too much for them to continue playing there because Ford Arena put BMT in debt. But college football will be supported if they maintain success.

[Texantagonise]

[quote name="SmashMouth" post="1078920" timestamp="1318259511"]
Do you want to know what the REAL problem is?  We all need to look in our own backyard.  This area does not support local ANYTHING other than High School football. 

We had a semi-pro basketball team that couldn't be beaten...no fan support. 

We had the Padres minor league team, the Beaumont Golden Gators...no fan support. 

LU always has an awesome baseball team...no fan support. 

We had an Arena football team...no fan support. 

Anyone remember the Hockey team (now I realize hockey is a stretch in a SE Texas town) but still, no fan support. 

It is up to US!  Pouring money into it is not the only answer.  I would venture to say that quite a bit has been poured into LU football, but the Home Conference opener crowd was not even 70% capacity (and that's being generous).  Tradition and support start with US! Not fancy billboards and new facilities.  It's not just athletics either.  Look at Crockett Street.  All the businesses went "belly-up" and were taken over by another person.  Downtown Beaumont is still struggling for a resurgence...it may never happen.

WE ARE THE ANSWER AND "WE [b][u]SUCK[/u][/b] AT SUPPORTING ANYTHING LOCAL!"
[/quote]
We need more of this.  Not what they, the university can do.  But what can I do as a Lamar supporter. Put a little peer pressure on your friends and neighbors ask them repeatedly if they are going to the next game.  If they say no try to get them to make it for tailgating.  Everyone likes food.  The success of football will go a long way into the perception of Lamar as a University.  The people in this area are ate up with football.  When high schools spends millions on artificial turf and you don't hear a huge outcry from the tax payers.  You know they think football  is as important as air.

[SmashMouth]

[quote name="AJ25" post="1078944" timestamp="1318260725"]
I'm going beyond just athletics... I'm talking about the school in general. Football will be far more supported than the arena football team with crappy uniforms, same goes for the semi-pro basketball team. I think the hockey team was run out of town because Ford Arena was charging too much for them to continue playing there because Ford Arena put BMT in debt. But college football will be supported if they maintain success.
[/quote]

I agree with you to a small point...but we need to support LU Football when they are not successful too!  Other schools do it, and that's how they keep a popularized program.  I LOVE LU FOOTBALL, but I don't think this area has the REAL desire to support anything other than High School FB.

[puddin tane]

----the big test is gonna come when those  big wig initial 3 yr deals run out

We've had beautiful weather, its been done up right, ...people are yakking about expanding the stadium...I'm hoping year 4 we average over 7,000

[SmashMouth]

[quote name="puddin tane" post="1078981" timestamp="1318263092"]
----the big test is gonna come when those  big wig initial 3 yr deals run out

We've had beautiful weather, its been done up right, ...people are yakking about expanding the stadium...I'm hoping year 4 we average over 7,000
[/quote]

EXACTLY!

[bigred360]

AJ25, I enjoyed reading all of your post on this subject and agree with just about all of them. I know the guys in athletic development work their tails off but they could be wiser with there time and were they are reaching.

Agree we need to hit Houston, Galveston and even D/FW hard with advertizements. It will be worth the money spent.

Last time I was in a Lamar classroom was about 5 years ago and agree we need to renovate and have new construction on the Lamar campus regarding buildings for education.

Can't wait to see what Vincent-Beck is going to look like after the $5 million renovation next year. I hope we build a first class softball stadium. Read there were about 30 girls on campus for visits this past weekend.

[SmashMouth]

[quote name="bigred360" post="1079003" timestamp="1318264249"]
AJ25, I enjoyed reading all of your post on this subject and agree with just about all of them. I know the guys in athletic development work their tails off but they could be wiser with there time and were they are reaching.

Agree we need to hit Houston, Galveston and even D/FW hard with advertizements. It will be worth the money spent.

Last time I was in a Lamar classroom was about 5 years ago and agree we need to renovate and have new construction on the Lamar campus regarding buildings for education.

Can't wait to see what Vincent-Beck is going to look like after the $5 million renovation next year. I hope we build a first class softball stadium. Read there were about 30 girls on campus for visits this past weekend.
[/quote]

That's awesome about Vincent-Beck.  Hell we got a top notch stadium and workout facility for the football program.  Til we get LOCAL fan support, it will go by the wayside like everything else...  Go to the next LU home game (or away game for that matter) and make a habit of supporting our local treasure.

[coachacola]

Lamar owns the land at the corner of Virginia and MLK and they were hoping to get a developer to build some retail stores and/or restaurants there.  Not sure if Lamar had any takers on that.

The $100 million capital campaign is up to $87 million now.  Along with the higher admission standards and a priority on retaining students, enrollment should be over 15K in the next few years.

Lamar has about $178 million in new construction planned over the next 5 years.  Next year they have a new $3.5 million alumni and visitors center planned.  In 2013 they should start on a new $25 million science building, renovations to the Sezter Center and Vincent-Beck, plus the new softball stadium.

The Lamar police will also be patrolling a larger area around the university to make that area safer.

Even with a tighter state budget, great things are still happening at Lamar.

Here's a side note:

Karl Benson, the commissioner of the WAC, will be at the Lamar-Texas State game this Saturday.  It's probably more than a coincidence he chose this game to attend.

[westendfirst]

[quote name="SmashMouth" post="1078920" timestamp="1318259511"]
Do you want to know what the REAL problem is?  We all need to look in our own backyard.  This area does not support local ANYTHING other than High School football. 

We had a semi-pro basketball team that couldn't be beaten...no fan support. 

We had the Padres minor league team, the Beaumont Golden Gators...no fan support. 

LU always has an awesome baseball team...no fan support. 

We had an Arena football team...no fan support. 

Anyone remember the Hockey team (now I realize hockey is a stretch in a SE Texas town) but still, no fan support. 

It is up to US!  Pouring money into it is not the only answer.  I would venture to say that quite a bit has been poured into LU football, but the Home Conference opener crowd was not even 70% capacity (and that's being generous).  Tradition and support start with US! Not fancy billboards and new facilities.  It's not just athletics either.  Look at Crockett Street.  All the businesses went "belly-up" and were taken over by another person.  Downtown Beaumont is still struggling for a resurgence...it may never happen.

WE ARE THE ANSWER AND "WE [b][u]SUCK[/u][/b] AT SUPPORTING ANYTHING LOCAL!"
[/quote]

I mostly agree with your post.  In many ways we are our own worst enemy.  How many local people actually WANT their kids to go to LU?  It is ridiculous.  We probably have more damn Aggie fans in southeast texas than LU fans.  One other thing is the University is having to overcome the McLaughlin/Franklin disaster years.  They almost completely destroyed the University.  They were anti 'college experience'.  I was in a fraternity at LU and it made my experience there a blast.  We lived on campus either in the fraternity house are nearby apartments.  Intramural sports, camping out for basketball, raising hell at football games, having parties on campus with sororities and other students.  Franklin and McLaughlin hated us.  They ran all the fraternities and sororities off campus.  They got rid of football.  It was like they were saying "ok, how can we make this total hell".  Thank God Simmons is there and undoing all of the crap they did.  He's got YEARS of damage to fix and is doing a fantastic job.  Oh, and while our crowd was disappointing, I thought it was better than 70%, probably closer to 80%.

[puddin tane]

i would venture to say, most of the LAMAR haters/aggie/horn wannabes havent:

-a-EVER seen LU
-b-havent been there in years

I've got a lil brother..graduated from Tech Arts..never been to [u][b]any[/b][/u] athletic event at LU

supports high school only, watches Big 12 on Saturdays........He is a poster child for the Golden Triangle's support problem

[geezer]

These alums that you want to donate to Lamar so Lamar can by the land need to start buying up the land between Lamar and Highland avenue and start creating the college atmosphere that you refer to.  What Lamar needs to add to the mix is a first class education and continuing to improve the quality of athletics.  The other thing the LU alums need to help with is increasing the coaching salaries to either keep a successful coach or entice a proven coach to come here in the future.