Boise State

ColoradoEagle · January 3, 2007

I'm not so much asking what people would like to have, I'm asking "what can we possibly attain?" What do we NEED to do in what timeframe to optimize our chances of obtaining our goal?

Honestly, we already have it.

President Bataille is pushing athletics even further than Pohl did (not to discount Pohl, he was a savior)
We've fired a losing coach for football and brought someone in who impresses (at least on paper)
The basketball team has had some quality wins this year (Rice, Tulsa, Charlotte, Western Kentucky)
We have $1.5 million that's being used to draw up plans for the stadium (ie. it's no longer a pipe dream)
The school is hitting record enrollment, and starting to receive more endowments

There are also negatives, obviously, but those are really things we can't do much about right now. We needed a better football stadium yesterday, we need baseball, and we need more recognition nationally for academics and research. All of those are coming, but they take a while to complete and aren't something you can just flip the switch on. If Conference USA loses a member or two, and if they decide to expand back to 12, we're the most logical choice at this point in time. A lot of the time, though, logic is the last thing they care about; see UTEP in CUSA. It's not that UTEP isn't a strong pick so much as it's a team way out west with no traveling partner.

ADLER · January 3, 2007

Athletics to use $1.5 million gift for planning new stadium

By: Michelle Hale

Denton County residents Shirley and Al Goldfield recently gave the Athletics Department $1.5 million — the largest monetary contribution the department has ever received.

The gift will be used primarily to develop a plan for a proposed stadium adjacent to the current Mean Green Athletics Center on the Eagle Point campus, according to Rick Villarreal, director of athletics.

The Goldfields are longtime Denton County residents and UNT supporters. Al Goldfield is the founder and former chairman of the board and chief executive officer for CellStar Corporation, a leader in the wireless communication industry.

“Shirley and I have been impressed with the improvements that have been made with the athletic programs and facilities at North Texas and felt that it was time for us to get involved with our time and resources,” says Al Goldfield. “We admire the clear vision of Rick Villarreal and President Gretchen Bataille and believe in their direction for North Texas athletics. We are confident that our commitment will encourage others to join the effort and be involved.”

Villarreal says the donation endorses the direction of the athletics program and speaks about the high caliber of people the Goldfields are.

“It is a remarkable compliment to the type of people that Al and Shirley are when they make such a generous donation to this university and this athletics department,” Villarreal says. “It is a validation to the direction of this program and it will benefit the interests of our student-athletes and the entire Mean Green community for generations.”

PlummMeanGreen · January 3, 2007

Athletics to use $1.5 million gift for planning new stadium
By: Michelle Hale
Denton County residents Shirley and Al Goldfield recently gave the Athletics Department $1.5 million — the largest monetary contribution the department has ever received.
The gift will be used primarily to develop a plan for a proposed stadium adjacent to the current Mean Green Athletics Center on the Eagle Point campus, according to Rick Villarreal, director of athletics.
The Goldfields are longtime Denton County residents and UNT supporters. Al Goldfield is the founder and former chairman of the board and chief executive officer for CellStar Corporation, a leader in the wireless communication industry.
“Shirley and I have been impressed with the improvements that have been made with the athletic programs and facilities at North Texas and felt that it was time for us to get involved with our time and resources,” says Al Goldfield. “We admire the clear vision of Rick Villarreal and President Gretchen Bataille and believe in their direction for North Texas athletics. We are confident that our commitment will encourage others to join the effort and be involved.”
Villarreal says the donation endorses the direction of the athletics program and speaks about the high caliber of people the Goldfields are.
“It is a remarkable compliment to the type of people that Al and Shirley are when they make such a generous donation to this university and this athletics department,” Villarreal says. “It is a validation to the direction of this program and it will benefit the interests of our student-athletes and the entire Mean Green community for generations.”

And I suppose we can all keep our fingers crossed that the Goldfield family keeps getting impre$$ed? :rolleyes: Hearsay is this fine Denton County family has no shortage of the kind of bucks that can build a, well, uh.....................you know.

Cerebus · January 3, 2007

I'm not so much asking what people would like to have, I'm asking "what can we possibly attain?" What do we NEED to do in what timeframe to optimize our chances of obtaining our goal?

In the last round of CUSA expansion, the number one thing that hurt is was lack of committed fan base. How did CUSA measure that? Season ticket sales, and athletic foundation membership. UTEP killed us in those numbers. I was never able to see raw numbers, but was assured those were not small leads.

I was able to go back and look at 5 years worth of attendence numbers, and UTEP averaged 20,000 more at the gate than us.

What does the school need to do? They need to increase those three numbers. Hiring Coach Dodge is a great start, it will have to be followed up by great promotions, good customer service, a fun atmosphere, and most importantly a quality product on the field.

island eagle · January 3, 2007

In the last round of CUSA expansion, the number one thing that hurt is was lack of committed fan base. How did CUSA measure that? Season ticket sales, and athletic foundation membership. UTEP killed us in those numbers. I was never able to see raw numbers, but was assured those were not small leads.
I was able to go back and look at 5 years worth of attendence numbers, and UTEP averaged 20,000 more at the gate than us.
What does the school need to do? They need to increase those three numbers. Hiring Coach Dodge is a great start, it will have to be followed up by great promotions, good customer service, a fun atmosphere, and most importantly a quality product on the field.

You are absolutely right. If there is one element that has held this program back more than any, it has been a history of mediocre attendence. Fix that and lots of good things will happen. Poor attendence cost us a Liberty Bowl bid in the Fry era (also became the straw that broke the camel's back as far as Hayden was concerned). It cost us a chance at a CUSA bid.

When we average 25,000 or more a game, no matter who we play, lots of opportunities will open for us.