OU Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium

[BoulderSooner]

They should at least have the men's and women's exhibition games there. If they decide to build a new arena it will be on campus, on the Duck Pond parking lot, and will likely be smaller than LNC at 10,000 seats. Such a location encourages people to park in different locations around campus so traffic is not as much of a problem leaving games, and also promotes going to Campus Corner before/after games similar to how the Ford Center, er OKC Arena works with Bricktown. It also gives the OU campus a larger venue for speakers and special events. There are no current plans to do this however.

why would it be smaller .. when even in the middle of the last 2 terrible years there are almost 9k season ticket holders for the mens team

[ljbab728]

Personally I'd rather see the RRR move to home and home, but id rather have it at Jerry World if it's going to stay in Dallas.

Metro, I don't know if you've been to a game at Jerry's World but I went to the BYU game a couple of years ago. It's a beautiful place but I hope I never have to go to an OU game there again. The fan experience was terrible and could never compare to the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair of Texas.

[Kerry]

how about a new basketball stadium south of lloyd noble. that is what we need.

What we need is a new coach and team inside LNC.

[earlywinegareth]

I would like to see something done with the SW and SE corners of the stadium, maybe cantilevered and angled to somewhat mirror the north end. That could boost capacity to ~90K, which is where I think we need to be.

However, I have a feeling Castiglione and Co. are VERY happy with the current capacity b/c it keeps OU tickets in short supply for the big games. It's quite easy to get tix for the early non-conf games, but bring in a national power and tickets are at a premium. This is important to the OU program to keep the supply of tix fairly short so the customers are hyped. The ones WITH tickets have that special feeling. Contrast that with what Texas has done. Their 100K stadium last year looked miserable with vast swaths of empty seats. They lost that special feeling that comes from having a ticket...now it's easy to get UT tix and so it's just no big woop.

No, as much as I'd like to see OU expand some more, I don't think they will. 85K seems to be the right number balancing supply with demand...to keep it full but with tix not always easy to get.

I'd also add that OMS is so much better in person than in pictures. It does look a little odd with the west side/east side, and the north end zone/south end zone being different. But when you're there in person on gameday, it feels sooo right. Kinda like the new generation baseball parks. It adds character that different parts of the stadium look and feel and act differently. I love the sights and smells under the stands. People who know the history of the program can point to different sections of the stadium and say, yeah the north endzone was from Wilkinson's era, the west side upper deck and south endzone was Switzer's, and the east side is Stoopsies. The stadium reflects the program's storied history and that's very cool.

[Pete]

Apart from small upgrades (like bathrooms and concessions) the next big project would be to re-do the press box and add some suits as well -- basically make both of those run the full length of the west upper deck.

Castiglione has said that would be the next step.

[YO MUDA]

That is EASILY the worst idea in this entire thread...

Maybe so, but it was MY opinion, and I can live with it.

[kevinpate]

What we need is a new coach and team inside LNC.

Part of your wish has been granted this month

[Chicken In The Rough]

85K seems to be the right number balancing supply with demand...to keep it full but with tix not always easy to get.

If every game is a sellout, then I think demand may be outweighing supply. I guess it depends on scalper prices and the length of the waiting list. Also, Texas had their worst year in recent memory. So, it's not really a valid comparison. All teams will have ups and downs. When they are down, their stadiums will be half empty. During the Gibbs/Blake/Schnellenberger years, OU's stadium sometimes had large unoccupied areas as well.

The time to push forward is when you're already up. I just think that OU needs to expand to remain competitive with other top programs. Our stadium is currently in a league with Clemson, South Carolina, and Rutgers. These are all good programs, but they are not top-tier. If we want to remain competitive with Michigan, Texas, Penn State, A&M, Alabama, LSU, USC, etc, we need to add about 20,000 seats. We are competing for top talent, and our facilities must be comparable to other colleges.

[BG918]

If every game is a sellout, then I think demand may be outweighing supply. I guess it depends on scalper prices and the length of the waiting list. Also, Texas had their worst year in recent memory. So, it's not really a valid comparison. All teams will have ups and downs. When they are down, their stadiums will be half empty. During the Gibbs/Blake/Schnellenberger years, OU's stadium sometimes had large unoccupied areas as well.

The time to push forward is when you're already up. I just think that OU needs to expand to remain competitive with other top programs. Our stadium is currently in a league with Clemson, South Carolina, and Rutgers. These are all good programs, but they are not top-tier. If we want to remain competitive with Michigan, Texas, Penn State, A&M, Alabama, LSU, USC, etc, we need to add about 20,000 seats. We are competing for top talent, and our facilities must be comparable to other colleges.

If OU wins the national title this year then you will see another stadium expansion. Mark it down.

[BoulderSooner]

If every game is a sellout, then I think demand may be outweighing supply. I guess it depends on scalper prices and the length of the waiting list. Also, Texas had their worst year in recent memory. So, it's not really a valid comparison. All teams will have ups and downs. When they are down, their stadiums will be half empty. During the Gibbs/Blake/Schnellenberger years, OU's stadium sometimes had large unoccupied areas as well.

The time to push forward is when you're already up. I just think that OU needs to expand to remain competitive with other top programs. Our stadium is currently in a league with Clemson, South Carolina, and Rutgers. These are all good programs, but they are not top-tier. If we want to remain competitive with Michigan, Texas, Penn State, A&M, Alabama, LSU, USC, etc, we need to add about 20,000 seats. We are competing for top talent, and our facilities must be comparable to other colleges.

rutgers stadium holds 52k .. south carolina and clemson are just below OUrs

we are less than 10k behind most of the rest of the list .. michigan penn st are 2 of the 3 biggest in america ..

IMHO we should expand by about 10k to have official number at 91ish ... and crowds close to 95 most of the time

[BG918]

rutgers stadium holds 52k .. south carolina and clemson are just below OUrs

we are less than 10k behind most of the rest of the list .. michigan penn st are 2 of the 3 biggest in america ..

IMHO we should expand by about 10k to have official number at 91ish ... and crowds close to 95 most of the time

Very doable, and likely what would happen with another expansion. Closing in the south endzone would bring the total to nearly 95,000 with crowds pushing 100,000 for the biggest games.

[ou48A]

Very doable, and likely what would happen with another expansion. Closing in the south endzone would bring the total to nearly 95,000 with crowds pushing 100,000 for the biggest games.

Compared to several years ago OU doesn’t seem to be getting as many large donations for athletics facilities.
My question is have the needed donors been identified that would be needed for a major expansion or for other major stadium improvements such as a press box?

[BG918]

Compared to several years ago OU doesn’t seem to be getting as many large donations for athletics facilities.
My question is have the needed donors been identified that would be needed for a major expansion or for other major stadium improvements such as a press box?

Donations to OU should be picking up with oil around $100/barrel. .

[ljbab728]

Compared to several years ago OU doesn’t seem to be getting as many large donations for athletics facilities.
My question is have the needed donors been identified that would be needed for a major expansion or for other major stadium improvements such as a press box?

What athletic facilities have they been building or planning that they have been soliciting donations for but haven't been receiving as much as in the past?

[ou48A]

Donations to OU should be picking up with oil around $100/barrel. .

It’s ironic that you should bring that point up because 3 or 4 years ago when crude was more than current prices I told
Dr. Christopher Howard that I was surprised that OU wasn’t getting even more in the way of large donations.

It is good to see oilman Harold Hamm making his recent $20M dollar donation to the diabetes center
but is he an OU football fan? I don’t know? I am not sure if he would ever make a major donation to OU athletics?

But higher oil prices are generally good for the local economy and good for OU football.

[ou48A]

What athletic facilities have they been building or planning that they have been soliciting donations for but haven't been receiving as much as in the past?

They have a long list of ideas but not enough money.
I don’t have a link or any documentation but large the very donations for capital projects just don’t seem to be as easy to come by.
In the past several years I know that they have wanted money donated for several projects
New dorms
A new arena or major modifications to the LNC
New football press box +
Baseball and softball stadium improvements.

[bmrsnrou]

If anything, they will ring the north end zone with more suites and club seats, with a few public seats (much like the east side.) Castiglione has said that there are no plans to enclose the south end zone. Plus, even if it was enclosed, those seats wouldn't be too desirable. Corner seats are usually the cheapest because of the sight lines, and more suites and club seats = more $. Like was already stated, they want to keep more demand than tix. Our stadium is about right for our population and fan base. At the most, 91k would be about it to keep up demand. Look at Michigan. They have a great tradition and the largest alumni base in the country, but huge swaths of that stadium were empty last year. We have to be careful not to overdo it.

[BG918]

If anything, they will ring the north end zone with more suites and club seats, with a few public seats (much like the east side.) Castiglione has said that there are no plans to enclose the south end zone. Plus, even if it was enclosed, those seats wouldn't be too desirable. Corner seats are usually the cheapest because of the sight lines, and more suites and club seats = more $. Like was already stated, they want to keep more demand than tix. Our stadium is about right for our population and fan base. At the most, 91k would be about it to keep up demand. Look at Michigan. They have a great tradition and the largest alumni base in the country, but huge swaths of that stadium were empty last year. We have to be careful not to overdo it.

Exactly why they wouldn't do the north endzone either, who would want a club seat or suite in a corner or in the endzone itself? The south endzone allows for expansion of the Switzer Center underneath so it remains an option, so I've been told. Westside reconstruction to add club seating, suites and press box would happen first.

[ou48A]

While on radio interviews I have heard Joe C. say that they would like to do something with the press box before they do any stadium expansions.

I have also heard Joe C say that if they expand the south end zone they would like to remove the existing decking and reshape it (to the same pitch as the old part of the stadium) and have it wrap around to both the east and west sides with 2 decks.

[BG918]

While on radio interviews I have heard Joe C. say that they would like to do something with the press box before they do any stadium expansions.

I have also heard Joe C say that if they expand the south end zone they would like to remove the existing decking and reshape it (to the same pitch as the old part of the stadium) and have it wrap around to both the east and west sides with 2 decks.

Yes, it needs to match the north endzone. The westside also needs to match the eastside. Both involve a lot of work and expense but is important for the look of the stadium. It's a patchwork of different styles and seating pitches now and could look so much better..

[ljbab728]

Yes, it needs to match the north endzone. The westside also needs to match the eastside. Both involve a lot of work and expense but is important for the look of the stadium. It's a patchwork of different styles and seating pitches now and could look so much better..

I don't see any way they will ever get the west side to match the east side. It would require demolishing the current upper deck and it would be impossible to do that and rebuild a new upper deck section between football seasons. They could not go for one season without all of those seats. Just think about how long it took to build the east upper decks. There would be a revolt among season ticket holders.

[BG918]

I don't see any way they will ever get the west side to match the east side. It would require demolishing the current upper deck and it would be impossible to do that and rebuild a new upper deck section between football seasons. They could not go for one season without all of those seats. Just think about how long it took to build the east upper decks. There would be a revolt among season ticket holders.

LSU and Texas have vacated section during stadium construction. It can be done. In OU's case you set up temporary bleachers during the construction phase.

[Kerry]

If they wrapped the new upper-level from the east side around the north endzone first they could then tear down the old upper deck without losing seating capacity. The seats might not be as good but the numbers would still be there. Then they could then build a new upperdeck on the west side and increase capacity.

[ljbab728]

If they wrapped the new upper-level from the east side around the north endzone first they could then tear down the old upper deck without losing seating capacity. The seats might not be as good but the numbers would still be there. Then they could then build a new upperdeck on the west side and increase capacity.

My seats have been on the 40 yard line in the west side upper deck ever since that deck was built. I promise you I would not be happy with an endzone upper deck seat after all of the money I've donated to them over the years. There would be a mass revolt among donors if that happened. The general esthetics of the stadium have improved greatly after the last renovation but I see no particular need to have the west side match the east side just for that purpose. Texas did not do that with their last expansion.

[earlywinegareth]

^^^I'd say there is exactly 0% chance of that happening.