Memorial Stadium Master Plan

[OKVision4U]

Your argument is so riddled with holes and vague generalities that I'm not sure where to start. First, please start by explaining how TCU, a program that has literally not beaten OU on the field or in recruiting recently, and has an awful record and is not going to make a bowl game this season, is beating OU. Lol.

Dankrutka, start w/ the facts. Maybe you're not the familar w/ OU's football program. Some here ( Venture & youself ) may not know that TCU was our first Home Loss 05' before our long winning streak w/ Bob S. So, TCU can & does beat us. They almost did again this year. If you don't remember this game, I will remind you...Chuck Long laid an egg as the OC and we took TCU for granted as the first home game in 05' and got beat. We let this mid-major win a big game at our house, and it gave them a huge boost in their program. Do you even keep up w/ College Football ? This may not be your strength.

Dantkrukuakalara, how does that crow taste? ....ooops.

[venture]

Dankrutka, start w/ the facts. Maybe you're not the familar w/ OU's football program. Some here ( Venture & youself ) may not know that TCU was our first Home Loss 05' before our long winning streak w/ Bob S. So, TCU can & does beat us. They almost did again this year. If you don't remember this game, I will remind you...Chuck Long laid an egg as the OC and we took TCU for granted as the first home game in 05' and got beat. We let this mid-major win a big game at our house, and it gave them a huge boost in their program. Do you even keep up w/ College Football ? This may not be your strength.

Dantkrukuakalara, how does that crow taste? ....ooops.

LMAO. I think most Sooner fans know about the 2005 loss.

Regardless...this is a thread about the stadium master plan. There is a football thread in the sports section where you can share your self-assumed wisdom there and let us go back to discussing this topic seriously.

[dankrutka]

Yes. I remember the game. I was there. I don't consider 2005 recent. OU is 2-0 (undefeated) against TCU since they joined the Big 12 and also walloped them in 2008 (a convenient omission in your last post). TCU is 4-6, 2-5 in the Big 12, and is likely to lose their next two games... and their fan support is very weak. Yet you're still hanging on to the argument that they've surpassed or are competing with OU as a program.

I have no problem with you arguing that OU has to improve, but your argument has to at least be supported by facts before we move forward. There are plenty of schools you could have used to make a plausible argument. TCU is not one of them.

[ou48A]

The recent success that TCU has enjoyed under Paterson was largely based on playing an extremely weak schedule.
Now that the harsh reality’s of playing in a some what tough conference has set in, TCU has basically returned to their old SWC form. TCU has a very nice small stadium but they have a pathetic college football fan base who largely seem most interested in being pampered at the game.

I would hate to create anymore of soft game fan environment at OU than we already have.

[boitoirich]

The recent success that TCU has enjoyed under Paterson was largely based on playing an extremely weak schedule.
Now that the harsh reality’s of playing in a some what tough conference has set in, TCU has basically returned to their old SWC form. TCU has a very nice small stadium but they have a pathetic college football fan base who largely seem most interested in being pampered at the game.

I would hate to create anymore of soft game fan environment at OU than we already have.

It could have something to do with the fact that the old Big 12 schools and West Virginia were privileged enough to be in BCS conferences, which might have helped a little bit with recruiting. How was Patterson supposed to recruit against that? TCU will be just fine with a few recruiting cycles under their belt.

[ou48A]

It could have something to do with the fact that the old Big 12 schools and West Virginia were privileged enough to be in BCS conferences, which might have helped a little bit with recruiting. How was Patterson supposed to recruit against that? TCU will be just fine with a few recruiting cycles under their belt.

Big 12 membership will not help TCU any more than SWC membership did.
Nearly every Big 12 conference member has or will soon will have nice football facilities and in some cases expanded stadiums.
Not many top recruits are going to like playing before such small passive TCU home crowds.
TCU is no longer the flavor of the moment that helped them sign a few good prospects in prior years.

[ljbab728]

Might even place THE PRIDE of Okalhoma in the Center of the South End, and a cap for the South end too.

Uh, no. That's not going to happen. As a previous member of the PRIDE, that would be very disrespectful to relegate them to the end zone from the prime seating they have always had.

[soonerfan_in_okc]

How about all of you guys shut the hell up and not litter this thread with garbage that doesn't belong here, okay?

[OKVision4U]

Uh, no. That's not going to happen. As a previous member of the PRIDE, that would be very disrespectful to relegate them to the end zone from the prime seating they have always had.

My idea was not to move them to let other have a better seat, but if the South End Zone was a Large area that "amplified" The Pride and placed them in a Highly Visible ( Center ) setting. I would not think of lessing The Pride in any way when it comes to OU football. ( it's not a game w/o them.)

[OKVision4U]

How about all of you guys shut the hell up and not litter this thread with garbage that doesn't belong here, okay?

Now what was your idea re: Stadium Expansion? Thoughts?

[ljbab728]

My idea was not to move them to let other have a better seat, but if the South End Zone was a Large area that "amplified" The Pride and placed them in a Highly Visible ( Center ) setting. I would not think of lessing The Pride in any way when it comes to OU football. ( it's not a game w/o them.)

It may be highly visible to the crowd but is much worse seats for those in the band. They normally enjoy watching the game also. I remember as a member of the Pride when we had good seats in the stands at the Cotton Bowl for the Texas game. It really sucked when the band was moved to the field.

[warreng88]

OKVision4U, you are acting like the only thing that will bring recruits in is making the stadium nicer and that is probably a factor, but a very minute reason. As I have said before, recruits are more likely to go to a school where they feel comfortable with their head coach and position coach, their ability to be prepared for the NFL (playing time and coaching), proximity to home, studies/degree and sometimes, uniforms. They are not going to go to OU because where there was 30 rows of fans, now there are suites. The only thing stadium-wise that would impact them would be the fans and you can't very well replace the people who sit on their hands all game who have had the same tickets for 30 years with a screaming fan. And before you ask, yes I am aware of OU's tradition, Bob, Barry and Bud, the 2005 TCU loss, the 2001 OSU loss, the other home losses and all the big home wins. Also, I am familiar with John Blake and Howard Schnellenberger... Oh and are you familiar with the outrage that has come with removing some of the pregame band activities this year? The director's head is being called for by former and current band players because of what he did to the pregame tradition. Now, how do you think moving the entire band to the south endzone would go over with the people who've had those tickets for years and now they have to move somewhere else?

[ou48A]

There are some very interesting rumors floating around about the magnitude of what OU may be planing with its stadium and associated amenity’s. If these are true(?) then OU has revived commitments of very large donations.

[warreng88]

I am curious what will happen with the people who have tickets on the west side upper deck if that were to be torn down and rebuilt. Something like that cannot be done in an offseason. Also, where would the media and coaching staff be relocated to? Makeshift suites on the east side until the new west side upper deck is finished?

[OKVision4U]

There are some very interesting rumors floating around about the magnitude of what OU may be planing with its stadium and associated amenity’s. If these are true(?) then OU has revived commitments of very large donations.

...well this may be great timing for that Large probject I am hoping for. ha ha.

[PhiAlpha]

Looks like OKVision4U got tired of making off the wall comments about he mayoral election and has moved on to doing the same for Memorial Stadium.

[venture]

Looks like OKVision4U got tired of making off the wall comments about he mayoral election and has moved on to doing the same for Memorial Stadium.

You must have missed the slight detour about wanting a 20 story residential tower south of the OU campus on Highway 9 away from any sense of population density.

[PhiAlpha]

You must have missed the slight detour about wanting a 20 story residential tower south of the OU campus on Highway 9 away from any sense of population density.

I didn't ever think there was a question about how necessary that would be to successful recruiting... sounds like he's really on to something...

[sroberts24]

Read on another forum that a recruit had mentioned in an interview seeing a $300 Million master plan for the stadium on his recruiting visit.

[ou48A]

Read on another forum that a recruit had mentioned in an interview seeing a $300 Million master plan for the stadium on his recruiting visit.

If some of the rumors are true this (on the link) looks something like what we might end up with....?
Except OU would have more suits.
For several reasons I'm still a little skeptical about something being built on this scale anytime soon

imgur: the simple image sharer

[SoonerDave]

If some of the rumors are true this (on the link) looks something like what we might end up with....?
Except OU would have more suits.
For several reasons I'm still a little skeptical about something being built on this scale anytime soon

imgur: the simple image sharer

I, frankly, would be stunned if they truly undertook to destroy the entire current west deck just to match the east side. It would be staggeringly expensive to say nothing of how much time it would take merely to clear the site before they could start reconstructing it, combined with the fact there would be no way they would have anything ready in time for the next football season this fall even if they let contracts out for it today.

A press/suite facility along the west side plus a bowled-in south endzone surely seem to me to be the most likely results of this. To be sure, $300M is a lot of money, but thinking the scope of a multi-story press/suite facility + demo of the existing press box, and a bowled in S Endzone...suddenly $300M doesn't seem like quite so much.

I'm not particularly an advocate of tossing a bunch of money to build so-so seats, and while I appreciate the aesthetic notion of bowling in the endzone, it's surely never held the practical appeal to me it does for others.

Be interesting/exciting to see what they have opted to do.

[OKVision4U]

Looks like OKVision4U got tired of making off the wall comments about he mayoral election and has moved on to doing the same for Memorial Stadium.

Well, it looks like I am the one that is far more tied into this great universities future. PhiAlpha, OU48A, warreng88, Venture you will see that all my comments regarding Memorial Stadium have been 100% in line w/ the $300 M expansion. Hmmm? why is that?

[john60]

Kyle Field (Texas A&M)'s renovation is $450 million by comparison. It looks like they are rebuilding the upper decks on their press box side.

FAQ | Redevelopment of Kyle Field

[ou48A]

I, frankly, would be stunned if they truly undertook to destroy the entire current west deck just to match the east side. It would be staggeringly expensive to say nothing of how much time it would take merely to clear the site before they could start reconstructing it, combined with the fact there would be no way they would have anything ready in time for the next football season this fall even if they let contracts out for it today.

A press/suite facility along the west side plus a bowled-in south endzone surely seem to me to be the most likely results of this. To be sure, $300M is a lot of money, but thinking the scope of a multi-story press/suite facility + demo of the existing press box, and a bowled in S Endzone...suddenly $300M doesn't seem like quite so much.

I'm not particularly an advocate of tossing a bunch of money to build so-so seats, and while I appreciate the aesthetic notion of bowling in the endzone, it's surely never held the practical appeal to me it does for others.

Be interesting/exciting to see what they have opted to do.

While I agree with almost everything you said I don't think it would be necessary to totally destroy the west upper deck to rebuild it..... One of the most time consuming parts of stadium construction is the building of the support structure.... I believe most of this could be saved and then modified to meet the needs of a newly constructed west upper deck that would be built using large amounts of pre-cast concrete.

The entire west upper deck including the current press box was built between the 1974 and 1975 seasons. They literally started on the current west upper deck just as soon as the last of the crowd cleared out after the last home game in 1974. Some work could be done during the season.

[ou48A]

My concern is where would 300 million come from.... who would donate that much money?
None of OU's boosters have ever seemed willing to donate that much money for sports.
…...and do we really have a ticket demand for an expansion of that size?