Stadium On The Way Soon

[good_ken]

Al Goldfield tried to give the North Texas athletic department a boost in the form of a large donation long before the retired businessman donated $1.5 million toward a new football stadium late last year.

"I offered at one point to underwrite a whole baseball program at North Texas and they turned me down," Goldfield said. "They didn't want to have baseball back then."

UNT was more than willing to accept a large donation when Goldfield offered a second time. Al and his wife, Shirley, announced late last year that they were giving the largest donation in UNT athletic department history to help in the early stages of a campaign for a new football stadium.

The couple was honored for the donation during halftime of the UNT men’s basketball team’s win over Middle Tennessee on Thursday night.

Al Goldfield, a retired businessman, is the founder, former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of CellStar Corp.

Goldfield said he made the donation largely because of his confidence in the athletic department and the progress it has made the last few years under athletic director Rick Villarreal.

"Rick came out to talk with me at Oakmont Country Club," Goldfield said. "It was the coldest darn day, but he went out and played golf with me, which showed me a lot. The more I got to know him I saw how he worked to get his program going. Then I met [uNT president Gretchen Bataille]. I have never seen a university where the president and athletic director work so well together. They impressed me."

Goldfield believes UNT will reach its goal of building a new stadium largely because of that partnership.

"I know it is going to happen because people here are dedicating themselves to making it happen," Goldfield said.

The Goldfields are Denton County residents and longtime supporters of the Mean Green.

UNT plans to build a football stadium as part of Villarreal's "Soaring to Victory" campaign that has included the addition of multiple facilities in the last few years. UNT has opened the Mean Green Athletic Center, the Waranch Tennis Pavilion and built a new softball complex during Villarreal's tenure, which began in 2001.

UNT plans to build a new stadium to replace Fouts Field just outside the Mean Green Athletic Center. Fouts was built in 1952.

"It is a remarkable compliment to the type of people Al and Shirley are when they make such a generous donation to this university and this athletics department," Villarreal said when the donation was originally announced last year. "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."

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

[Eagle-96]

Where did it say the stadium is on the way soon?

[chrisfisher]

Have I said, "Thanks RV" lately? I haven't, so here it goes:

THANK YOU Rick Villarreal! I appreciate your hard work and dedication to making UNT a nationally respected and competitive institution. We are very fortunate to have you!

[good_ken]

Where did it say the stadium is on the way soon?

The headline.

[stebo]

If the ZGoldfields were willing to uderwrite an entire baseball program then they might have more money then we know about. The estimated start up costs for that projet are about $7 million and the underwriting costs would be in the area of $1.5 million a year to keep it afloat with minimal funds. I think that it was a smart move on RV's part to cultivate this relationship and make sure that the money went to a project that was needed first (in Phase Three rather then Phase Four) and wait until the right time to take the donation from this generous family.

After reading that, I believe that there are hige announcements on the horizon - we just might get that stadium after all!!!!! Fo anyone that has not given RV his props up until this point - shame on you... the man has been a huge saviour for the program. When RV retires, I hope that he is a first round ballot North Texas Hall of Famer. He has saved our program, heck - he has saved the entire department.

[EagleD]

Fouts was named after an AD, right.

Villareal Stadium? Maybe. He's done more for NT athletics than anyone I've ever experienced.

GO MEAN GREEN !!!!!

BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME.

[Eagle-96]

The headline.

It just looked like sensationalism from Vito to have that headline and then no substance.

[Green Mean]

Fouts was named after an AD, right.

Villareal Stadium? Maybe. He's done more for NT athletics than anyone I've ever experienced.

GO MEAN GREEN !!!!!

BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME.

How about naming the village after him? Like Villareal Mean Green Village or something like that.

[Green Nightmare]

Stebo,

Al and Shirley have an insane amount of money. Last i heard he was still a consultant at Cellstar with a 6-7 figure salary.

Hell their house alone is $40M

[Green to the Bone]

It just looked like sensationalism from Vito to have that headline and then no substance.

Vito didn't write the headline. The reporter never does; that's done by a copy editor after the story is submitted, and the reporter almost never sees the headline in advance. The copy editor probably just read between the lines.

[Cool]

Stebo,

Al and Shirley have an insane amount of money. Last i heard he was still a consultant at Cellstar with a 6-7 figure salary.

Hell their house alone is $40M

That's it! They sell the house and buy a residential penthouse condo on top of the new stadium. It worked at Texas Motor Speedway. Think of the peace and tranquility (windows closed) and the awesome view of I-35 in every direction. Go to the roof and get the sound of the speedway 24/7.

Please, show come class and gratitude for such awesome people as the Goldfields. Heap praise where praise is due and make it easy for them to do more. It’s not how much you have but rather what are you doing with what you have. I don’t know what % of their wealth is represented by $1.5 million but if enough others gave the same proportion its likely the stadium would be funded this month, as would everything else in RV’s vision.

As for UNT, nothing will work until the grass roots takes over and the little guys do all that they can do. There are well over 150,000 other alumni that can help UNT who have not donated a penny. How much would it take on average if 100,000 donors funded a stadium? How much more awesome would that story be than doing it the way most schools do (Mr./Mrs. Big Bucks). There are enough graduates and fans from UNT to fund this stadium within a week. I personally think Al knows that and is trying to give RV a shot to get things going. Anyone game?

[Smitty]

I wonder what kind of corporate dollars UNT can get. I don't know what the rules are on that for colleges, but it seems a natural would be American Airlines and American Eagle. I have no idea if AA would be interested, but how about naming it American Eagle Stadium?

Edited January 27, 2007 by Smitty

[NT80]

"It is a remarkable compliment to the type of people Al and Shirley are when they make such a generous donation to this university and this athletics department," Villarreal said when the donation was originally announced last year."

It would have been nice for Vito to get a more current quote from RV on this stadium issue. Why do I feel like Vito has been in RV's doghouse for a couple years now? His articles never have quotes from the AD who has all the answers.

[MeanGreen61]

"The more I got to know him I saw how he worked to get his program going. Then I met [uNT president Gretchen Bataille]. I have never seen a university where the president and athletic director work so well together. They impressed me."

That says a lot for the future of UNT athletics. Bataille continues to impress and be giving RV the support he needs .

Edited January 27, 2007 by MeanGreen61

[Cool]

I wonder what kind of corporate dollars UNT can get. I don't know what the rules are on that for colleges, but it seems a natural would be American Airlines and American Eagle. I have no idea if AA would be interested, but how about naming it American Eagle Stadium?

Unfortunately corporate money is like the chicken and egg or cart before the horse. Corporations typically pay for current eyeballs and seldom gamble on a "build it they will come" concept. Local businesses that would benefit from increased traffic on game days should be all over this; however, they represent a small crowd.

That's where affiliation relationships like the Goldfields and the thousands of others from UNT come in. It takes people that have a vested interest beyond what is justified as by % return on investment. How many big donors does it take for a movie to bring in $150 million at the box office, zero? It takes about 21.5 million people at $7 a ticket who want to be entertained. TD will be bringing the entertainment. The challenge in then near term is believing without seeing. It’s only 150,000 tickets if the price averages $1,000 per ticket, 40,000 if they can average $3,750/ticket. That's possible with some doing $25 on the low end and others doing up to $10,000,000+ on the high side. I think the high end will come to finish something off if they see the ground swell of lower level support getting things going. I once read that where your money is your heart is also. I think it's time to bring some hearts back to UNT.

Edited January 27, 2007 by Cool

[Green Mean]

I figure corporation money will be extra money that the school can make...Once the stadium is a go and its about to break ground then UNT has the right too and should go to corporations for naming rights. There are tons of corps out there willing to buy naming rights. If the stadium is an unbelievable concept and design and something to brag about they will pay more for it. Thats just the nature of the business ESPECIALLY with the kind of situaiton NT athletics and football is in. If you build it then they will ALL come....fans, students, casual fans, non unt fans, money, donors, and corporation money.

CORRECTION: If you build it RIGHT then they will ALL come....fans, students, casual fans, non unt fans, money, donors, and corporation money.

Edited January 27, 2007 by Green Mean

[UNT_playmaker]

This story piece was just a repeat of what was released by the Athletic Dept during the thanksgiving break, I know the DRC has a bunch of buffons in the Sports Dept but rewriting an already published story....Thats a new low....

Besides I dont get it, Stadium on the way, what new information is there in that article to back that up...dates? maybe

[Zeke]

Besides I dont get it, Stadium on the way, what new information is there in that article to back that up...dates? maybe

The same new information from your "breaking news" post a couple days back.

[trud1966]

I figure corporation money will be extra money that the school can make...Once the stadium is a go and its about to break ground then UNT has the right too and should go to corporations for naming rights. There are tons of corps out there willing to buy naming rights. If the stadium is an unbelievable concept and design and something to brag about they will pay more for it. Thats just the nature of the business ESPECIALLY with the kind of situaiton NT athletics and football is in. If you build it then they will ALL come....fans, students, casual fans, non unt fans, money, donors, and corporation money.

CORRECTION: If you build it RIGHT then they will ALL come....fans, students, casual fans, non unt fans, money, donors, and corporation money.

I agree. Surely some of you guys out there work in commercial real-estate and can fill in the blanks on a huge venture like this. So many people on here seem to think that we literally have to have 60 million in the bank to break ground. Surely UNT can go to a lender and present a proposal outlining costs for such a loan. A large part of the costs could be rolled into student fees over the course of 5 years couldnt it? I'm sure UNT has some dollars put away, has received donations, anticipate other donations, can count on at lthe very least a small percentage of corporate sponsors. Top that off with a flat $15.00 "stadium fee" (or "facility fee" so you dont have an uprising of people) to your each of 28,000+/- student bodies and SURELY there's enough money there to justify a lender to ok the deal. Anyone out there have experience in what percentage it takes to justify this type of deal with a lender? 20%, 30% 40%? And yes, I've taken in consideration ticket sales will have to presented, which as of lately, is embarressing. But I do believe if a facility is built correctly, it's one giant piece of advertising and makes money. I know alot of people that have basically quoted something like "I'd love to go to UNT game, but I just cant stand that stadium" Atmosphere is everything...

[the real grad88]

I agree. Surely some of you guys out there work in commercial real-estate and can fill in the blanks on a huge venture like this. So many people on here seem to think that we literally have to have 60 million in the bank to break ground. Surely UNT can go to a lender and present a proposal outlining costs for such a loan. A large part of the costs could be rolled into student fees over the course of 5 years couldnt it? I'm sure UNT has some dollars put away, has received donations, anticipate other donations, can count on at lthe very least a small percentage of corporate sponsors. Top that off with a flat $15.00 "stadium fee" (or "facility fee" so you dont have an uprising of people) to your each of 28,000+/- student bodies and SURELY there's enough money there to justify a lender to ok the deal. Anyone out there have experience in what percentage it takes to justify this type of deal with a lender? 20%, 30% 40%? And yes, I've taken in consideration ticket sales will have to presented, which as of lately, is embarressing. But I do believe if a facility is built correctly, it's one giant piece of advertising and makes money. I know alot of people that have basically quoted something like "I'd love to go to UNT game, but I just cant stand that stadium" Atmosphere is everything...

I agree totally. UNT is going to have to get creative to get this stadium done. We do not have to have 60 million in donations to get it done, but we do have to have a 20 million donation to get the process started without doing a student fee. The real answer is to just do the student fee and build it and let the donations go to enhancements like club seating and suites and such.

[UNT_playmaker]

Those are great ideas that should have been thought up of by the AD.

[PHSCoach]

Interest on a bond of $40,000,000 is $3,400,000 per year at the bond level that UNT would get today

[untgirl04]

Those are great ideas that should have been thought up of by the AD.

Your appalling use of prepositions aside, how do you know whether or not the AD has considered those options? Perhaps he's considered them and discarded them for a very good reason.

[Bryan316]

Your appalling use of prepositions aside, how do you know whether or not the AD has considered those options? Perhaps he's considered them and discarded them for a very good reason.

Or thought of them and keep them inside the department, where they belong, instead of yelling them from a mountain like everyone thinks he should.

[UNTLifer]

but we do have to have a 20 million donation to get the process started without doing a student fee.

We do???

I look at it this way. The Goldfields aren't going to throw $1.5 million out there just to research the possibility of a new stadium. They must have known something is in the works to make this initial investment.