[LUconn]

Build tall, not out. A tall stadium is intimidating to walk into.

[jcmanson]

With the new building going up that limits us from being able to add any seats on that side of the stadium. They would have to build up or where the current scoreboard is. I would love a fancy main entrance with columns kinda like UVA's Scott Stadium has.

[A.G.]

You guys slay me, sometimes. Yes, it's dreaming and giving us all something to talk about, but how about building a winning team, first. Drawing more than 3500 fans on something OTHER than opening game and homecoming, before talking about a big stadium.

[PAmedic]

Pessimist.

I'm onboard for the funnel cake idea. just like down the shore, right SCAR?

[bigsmooth]

i agree with AG but it is fun to dream. williams is designed to go up. i would imagine they would put on second deck on the student side first kinda like byrd stadium at maryland. now if they torn down the old fieldhouse and made the bank closer to the field you would have a great hillside to watch the game like at UVA.

[D Edcil]

You guys slay me, sometimes. Yes, it's dreaming and giving us all something to talk about, but how about building a winning team, first. Drawing more than 3500 fans on something OTHER than opening game and homecoming, before talking about a big stadium.

AG I agree 100%. Unfortunately for JF we are not going to be a DI football team in his lifetime. Unless he has some type of Methusala Juice we don't know about. Before everyone gets up in a hysteric roar, the info on what it takes to get INTO 1A should be known. Are we going to get 10,000 attendees at a game, let alone PAID and for a THREE YEAR period. It is nice to have a dream, but let's focus on being the best 1AA team we can be. What is wrong with that.
As for building Williams Stadium UP, that won't happen either, b/c the way the stadium was originally built will not support an "Upper Bowl" a la Notre Dame, UVA etc.

Sorry to be a wet blanket

[LUconn]

Dangit! Halfway through your post I thought, "these guys are such freaking wet blankets". Thanks for beating me to the punch.

[Sly Fox]

We need a 30-thousand seat stadium to meet NCAA guidelines. I would expect them to build bleachers up the hill below the scoreboard. That would add a large portion of the necessary seating. In all likelihood we'll probably go the cheapest way out when we first make the move by putting in temporary bleachers down by the endzone on the open side of the field in front of the fieldhouse with a tunnel through for the players to get onto the field. That would allow us to hit 30k without breaking the bank.

As for a second deck, I believe we could add one on each side but it could have the depth some of you would like due to the architectural issues D Edcil mentioned. We have 30k high school stadiums going up all over Houston and most have a base design similar to what we have now.

Sure I'd love to see a brick wall around the place with some arched gates for appearance sake. But in all honesty I see that being a project a little further down the road.

As for the attendance issues I think we can find a way to get it done. We discussed some ways to accomplish it on the old board including postgame concerts and the like. Bottom line is that it can be done and will happen based on the direction of our Chancellor.

[Stevev]

A.G. is right. First put a competitive team out there then get into a descent conference then talk about 1A and the improvements necessary to do the job right. With that said I think the original plan called for expansion up to 36K and a restaurant above the current field house. Hopefully we would build up and over the current press box and restrooms. Keep end zone seats to a minimum since the view from their kind of sucks. I think that the new operations center and replacing the carpet with field turf is certainly a step in the right direction then we can expand as determined by attendence at the games.

[SuperJon]

Let's get 6000-7000 there on a consistent basis before we talk 16,000.

[D Edcil]

We need a 30-thousand seat stadium to meet NCAA guidelines. I would expect them to build bleachers up the hill below the scoreboard. That would add a large portion of the necessary seating. In all likelihood we'll probably go the cheapest way out when we first make the move by putting in temporary bleachers down by the endzone on the open side of the field in front of the fieldhouse with a tunnel through for the players to get onto the field. That would allow us to hit 30k without breaking the bank.

As for a second deck, I believe we could add one on each side but it could have the depth some of you would like due to the architectural issues D Edcil mentioned. We have 30k high school stadiums going up all over Houston and most have a base design similar to what we have now.

Sure I'd love to see a brick wall around the place with some arched gates for appearance sake. But in all honesty I see that being a project a little further down the road.

As for the attendance issues I think we can find a way to get it done. We discussed some ways to accomplish it on the old board including postgame concerts and the like. Bottom line is that it can be done and will happen based on the direction of our Chancellor.

Good points SLY but we need sustained attendance over a 3 - 5 year period to qualify for D1A status. That is a lot of concerts.
As for a stadium holding 30k, that seems a bit excessive, considering that the Greater Lynchburg Metroplex has only about 75k people.
You did hit the nail on the head (and to harken back to Why Can't We Get....thread) LU WOULD look for the cheap way out and put up bleachers etc., then they would claim to have a "plan" to upgrade in 5 years. This of course would never happen. For proof, I offer student housingin the circle!!

And Did I mention the problems with playing in a relevant conference, going to a bowl or budgetary concerns??

Take the Burn Ban OFF!! I have plenty of wet blankets!!

[bigsmooth]

where do you get your facts edcil? the stadium was built to expand to 36,000 seats. it is architecturally (sp) possible to build a deck on either side, and easier on the student side b/c of no press box. carter-finley stadium was built very similar and designed by the same firm. they started out with a lowel bowl like ours, then built a deck on top, and then filled in the end zones. very possible.

[PAmedic]

one of the items discussed- attendance- seemed to be easily attainable due to the fact that students are already assessed a yearly activities fee; increasing that a bit and including all football games would automatically give you approx 10K paid attendance yearly. This issue would be whether that is the actual number at the gate or merely "paid attendance".

(I'm not indicating one way or the other my position here- just throwing out the idea already put forward)

[BJWilliams]

PA, the students already get into football and basketball games for free

[prototype]

Greater Lynchburg Metroplex has only about 75k people.

You couldn't be more wrong -

Lynchburg MSA
2005 Population Growth 2000-2005
City of Lynchburg 68,000 +4.1%
City of Bedford 6,200 -1.6%
Amherst County 31,900 0 change
Appomattox County 13,900 +1.5%
Bedford County 63,600 +5.3%
Campbell County 51,300 +0.4%

Lynchburg MSA Totals 234,900 +1.62%

PA is right - You have to have a 30K stadium, which Williams is able to expand to. It was built to be able to add on to both sides and the press box doesn't matter, because a new one will be bult soon anyway I'm sure. And the students do pay through the activity fee and that would count towards the required number.

Lynchburg is bigger than everyone gives it credit.

Roanoke only has 295,700
New River Valley (which includes that little school VT) only has 154,300
And do you know that town they call Charlottesville, everyone thinks is larger than Lynchburg - ONLY 100,038

[TallyW]

The people talking about being wet blankets don't know what they're talking about.

The stadium easily can be upgraded. That's so simple it's not worth the discussion.

The attendance is over 2 consecutive years. It has to be EITHER paid or actual attendance. You can use either number but you must use the same data for 2 consecutive years. This is only for home games so you're only talking maybe 14 games? With a winning team and some creative marketing, this wouldn't be a big deal once we're ready to do it. With student population increasing each year and with many LU students living in the area making a better name for LU, Lynchburg will become much more open to LU as a backyard institution.

For people wanting to be a "good 1-AA" first... again I think they are short-sighted. This is a 10 year goal, not a 2 year. We can afford to begin planning now for 10 years away. It is said that "People under-estimate what can be done in 10 years and over-estimate what can be done in 2."

One of the things that ticks me off about this board is when someone who thinks they're smart gets on here and tells the rest of the boad to be quiet on any issue. To jump on and say that it's not worth discussing is (IMHO) not very bright. The point of the board is to talk, speculate, support, encouage and yes dream. I continue to be amazed at people who are affiliated with LU in any capacity who continue to say "that won't happen". To me, these people have to be blind, ignorant or stupid. I'm hoping they're just blind.

[D Edcil]

OH I have been called blind before!!!!
I do stand corrected on the Lynchburg area. However, I am not sure I would take into much account Appomattox, Amherst, half of Bedford, however, the population point is taken. As for ccomparing us to VT or UVa, is an apple and orange argument. They have several other factors that play into their attendance then LU has. I know those counties are in our trading radius, but I don't think, practically, we should count on them. I know "the book" is against me on this, but ....
Attendance is ALWAYS going to be the issue here. We have always been "creative' when it comes to our attendance figures, look at the bball games for proof. The NCAA and ANY conference we want to jump too will want a lot more "realistic" attendance figures before we are accepted. TALLY I disagree, shocked I am sure!, that we should NOT focus on being a powerhouse 1AA team. IF we do that for the next 10 years, then we WILL have a tradition, and maybe, cross your fingers, the attendance figures to justify a move to 1A. Until then, it is pie in the sky.
I will however, still fall on the side of impracticality of expanding the current stadium to accomodate 30k. For starters, look at all the difficulty we had with the ops center and how far the footers had to go over what was thought. Same will hold with stadium expansion. NOW if Proto is right, and we have no reason to doubt that obviously, then a new stadium would take care of it.
TALLY As for your statement regarding wet blankets and people not knowing what they are talking about, you might wanna clarify. Are you saying that since we don't see things from your particular perspective we are stupid? I don't think you are stupid b/c we differ in our views. I have a great wealth of worthless knowledge, and some that even pertains to LU. You are the one who says the "point of this board it to talk speculate supoort and encourage...." don't seem to want others to do that.
For the record, I don't think going Division 1A in football for LU is a good idea. I won't say EVER, b/c you never know how D1 will break down, but in my opinion is it is an idea built for prestige and not realism. That does not mean I don't want LU to succeed. So I may be a wet blanket, but hopefully it is for a hot day when people are experiencing heat stroke!!!

[PeterParker]

Interesting on the demographics stats...It would be nice if they built up so that when one drives onto the campus they don't look over wondering what the hole in the ground is...a regal looking exterior would be pretty cool.

[SuperJon]

App St has averaged 20,000 people the past two years and are still nowhere close to moving to I-A, and they're the national champions. That's because of the financial strain being I-A is.

I would rather be a great I-AA school than a tick-poor I-A school. It's just like I told someone the other day: I would rather play at a great D2 school in baseball than a crappy D1 school.

DI-A is, like was said earlier, mainly for prestige. It's already watered down with crappy conferences it isn't even funny.

Hope, dream, pray, wish, whatever you want, but we will lose so much money when we move to I-A that tuition and everything will have to skyrocket to cover our butts.

[Stevev]

I guess it is okay to talk big as far as planning for 1A but first things first. And that is being a consistent playoff contender in 1AA and competing for the national championship every year or at the very least being competitive against legitimate 1AA competition and yes, getting into a legitimate conference where we can compete against these teams week in and week out and not have to waste our time playing these bottom feeding Big South teams. Our short term goal should be trying to be the next JMU, Delaware, Hofstra, Appy State, Montana, McNeese State, or William and Mary. I would be okay with that if that was as far as we could go. Ounce we get to that point then we could start all of this 1A talk.

[SuperJon]

I agree 100%.

[TallyW]

Surprise... I disagree with the naysayers again...

As for the wet blanket comment, I'm talking about the people who throw in a comment and act as if it's the end of the discussion... like "why talk about this..."
I'm not saying that I only want to hear one sided conversation... that's pointless... I just mean for those who act like they have the end-all point to make.... they should speak their peace but don't ever be so arrogant to think that they have shutdown the thread by their wealth of information.


Okay... back to the 1-AA deal.

What connection on this planet does being a great 1-AA school have to do with being a 1-A school?

You can't compete if you can't get in the door. It doesn't matter how good App state is right now... they won't keep 1-AA talent if they make the jump. It doesn't do them much good on the field at the next level to be good now. You're not promised anything when the level of play shoots up at 1-A. It's not as if you take those 1-AA players and make a splash... you wont!

Once a school (Liberty) gets into 1-A ball, they will recruit ALL NEW players every year. Your past has NOTHING to do with your present in the way of Wins and Losses. For a school like LU it's practically a money and structure issue... I'm all for winning NOW but that doesn't mean that LU should sit around on it's royalties waiting for the program to win some games. If you're looking to make a move in 10 years and you want to be ready in 10 years, you should plan. You decide your goal and ask "how can we get to that goal?" You guys are saying "don't have the goal... it's stupid... wait until we win first." If we can fill the seats to satisfy requirements, fulfill the extra financial burden and create a 1-A mindset at LU NOW... we'll be ready to make the move even if our last season is 5-6. Being App State isn't the point... being Notre Dame is. For those who don't believe it... visit DeMoss and look back to 1971. Very few people would have agreed that LU would have a campus of nearly 10,000 students, number 1 ranked debate team and a law school. They would have said "be practical... Jerry... be a good bible college first... just try to stay at 300 students for 10 years first... then look at becoming Liberal Arts.

To me it seems that this attitude is Leader vs. follower.... Visionary vs. Critic.... Optimist vs. Pessimist.... a classic case of people who can't see past their own nose telling everyone else what they can't accomplish. Great accomplishments don't come from negative doubters. They come because people believe in a vision and they rally around them a group of people who can get the job done. You don't have to have all of the answers before you start... you just have to know who to get and then help them get what they need. Dr. Falwell is beginning to collect a team of people on the mountain who can create a master plan for LU to become a D-1 football program. I assure you that we'll be D-1A within the next 15 years.

Back to your regularly scheduled belly-aching

[Sly Fox]

Tally - Were we separated at birth? Because you sound like me on our boards the past couple of years. Finally somebody else sees the light.

[PeterParker]

Okay, since we are we we are at for now until the shakeup comes, let's assume we are D1AA for 3-5 more years. What conference would be best suited to be in besides the big south? I realize that there has probably been a post about this already, but a new discussion might be nice with new voices added in.

[TallyW]

Sly... I've always felt a kinship with you

Parker...Here we go again... the thread is talking about D1A... now we're going to change the thread halfway to talk about present conference affiliation? If the board want's to go that way... okay... but I'd see that as a COMPLETELY different thread. Short-term thinking vs. Long-term thinking unless they tie in with each other.