Troy To Host Oklahoma State In Espn2 Game

[MeanGreen61]

Trojans to Face Oklahoma State on ESPN2

Ricky Hazel 02/08/2007

TROY, Ala. – Troy University Director of Athletics Steve Dennis announced today that the Trojans football team will host Oklahoma State University on Friday night, September 14, at Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium.

The game is being moved back one day from its originally scheduled day to accommodate a national television broadcast on ESPN2. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (CT).

"We are very excited about ESPN coming back to Troy to televise the Trojans," Dennis said. "It is a great opportunity to showcase not only our football program, but our entire University to a national audience. I hope that all Troy fans will start making their plans to be at Movie Gallery Stadium so that we can show the nation what Trojans football is all about."

The Trojans, who are coming off an 8-5 season that produced the first Sun Belt Conference title in school history as well as the first bowl victory, a 41-17 win over Rice in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl that was also televised by ESPN2, will be making their first regular season appearance on ESPN since a 24-14 victory over then 19th ranked Missouri in 2004.

Oklahoma State finished the 2006 campaign with a 7-6 record that included an Independence Bowl victory over Alabama. The Cowboys will be making their first trip to Troy and it will be the first meeting on the gridiron between the two schools. The Trojans are schedule to make a return trip to play Oklahoma State in Stillwater in 2008.

"Any time you play on national television it is great for your program and the University," Blakeney said. "The fact that we will be facing a top 20 caliber program, one that is coming off a bowl victory over a program that is very familiar to people in this part of the country, should get our fans very excited about this game.

"We want to make a great impression on both ESPN and the national audience, and the best way to do that is to have a stadium packed with loud and enthusiastic Troy fans."

The 2007 Trojans are scheduled to open spring practice on Friday, February 23. Spring drills are scheduled to run through March 14 with the annual T-Day Game set for Saturday, March 10.

[MeanGreenBuzz]

and the dreams of Fouts burning to the ground continue to dance in my head...

[NT80]

But you can't host a Big12 team or an ESPN game in a 30,000 seat stadium....or can you?

[PlummMeanGreen]

But you can't host a Big12 team or an ESPN game in a 30,000 seat stadium....or can you?

You can in a (still) rather new'ish TV camera-friendly stadium (Troy U) that actually has an elevator to its press box, but I doubt a Texas-based D1-A school like UNT could ever host a UT, TAMU, Iowa or an OU in a similar sized stadium. Why not build to bring the Big Fish into Denton? TCU hosted OU a few years ago, but in a 47,000 seat ACS. Sorry, but OSU is still not a Big 12 "Big Fish" and their number of recent Big 8 or Big 12 titles would confirm that.

If UNT builds a football stadium smaller than our present one (which seats 30,500), then I think it would be time for NT Exes to march up that mountain trail with lighted torches (a la that old Frankenstein movie scene) and set the Denia Duck Pond on fire!

What we build initially for a capacity with our new football stadium will not be expanded in any of you Young Gun Alum's (or maybe even your own children's) lifetimes--it would be so "un-UNT'ish" for our alma mater to do such.

Jeez, if we can build a 30K stadium with the money we will (still) need from some Big Donor(s) to jump-start this project, why not 40K (with the money we would have to have for either capacity)? It will truly be most tempting for present UNT officials to build just about anything that's new over at the Mean Green Village, but lets also not forget that most of us are the ones who will have to live with whatever is built for the rest our our lifetimes, too.

Edited February 9, 2007 by PlummMeanGreen

[NT80]

You can in a (still) rather new'ish TV camera-friendly stadium (Troy U) that actually has an elevator to its press box, but I doubt a Texas-based D1-A school like UNT could ever host a UT, TAMU, Iowa or an OU in a similar sized stadium. Why not build to bring the Big Fish into Denton? TCU hosted OU a few years ago, but in a 47,000 seat ACS. Sorry, but OSU is still not a Big 12 "Big Fish" and their number of recent Big 8 or Big 12 titles would confirm that.

If UNT builds a football stadium smaller than our present one (which seats 30,500), then I think it would be time for NT Exes to march up that mountain trail with lighted torches (a la that old Frankenstein movie scene) and set the Denia Duck Pond on fire!

What we build initially for a capacity with our new football stadium will not be expanded in any of you Young Gun Alum's (or maybe even your own children's) lifetimes--it would be so "un-UNT'ish" for our alma mater to do such.

Jeez, if we can build a 30K stadium with the money we will (still) need from some Big Donor(s) to jump-start this project, why not 40K (with the money we would have to have for either capacity)? It will truly be most tempting for present UNT officials to build just about anything that's new over at the Mean Green Village, but lets also not forget that most of us are the ones who will have to live with whatever is built for the rest our our lifetimes, too.

40K for UNT's new stadium should be the goal. 30K at a nice facility will get some teams to come, but 40K could handle any college program's visit.

[runt96]

40K for UNT's new stadium should be the goal. 30K at a nice facility will get some teams to come, but 40K could handle any college program's visit.

40K but expandable(in due time) to at least 60K.

[Smitty]

This could be a big game for the Sun Belt, as the conference desperately needs to win games like this. I'll be by the set rooting for Troy against OSU.

[the real grad88]

Folks we ain't got the money for a 30K seat stadium yet. We haven't even done a feasibility study. Let's not put the cart before the horses. As for as hosting big-name schools, OSU is a big name school. ANY SCHOOL in the BigXII is a big name school. If we hosted Baylor, we can host OSU....right now! OU and UT are different stories...they have such followings that they LOSE money to play away in a smaller venue.

[Stan R]

Damn you grad88 and your facts!

[Eagle1855]

Folks we ain't got the money for a 30K seat stadium yet. We haven't even done a feasibility study. Let's not put the cart before the horses. As for as hosting big-name schools, OSU is a big name school. ANY SCHOOL in the BigXII is a big name school. If we hosted Baylor, we can host OSU....right now! OU and UT are different stories...they have such followings that they LOSE money to play away in a smaller venue.

Also, Boone Pickens holds 45k and Floyd Casey holds about 50k. I think Ok State actually has the smallest stadium in the Big 12.

Ok State would come to Fouts if the deal was right or it worked with both of our schedules. They came to SMU a few years ago.

[NT80]

Folks we ain't got the money for a 30K seat stadium yet. We haven't even done a feasibility study. Let's not put the cart before the horses. As for as hosting big-name schools, OSU is a big name school. ANY SCHOOL in the BigXII is a big name school. If we hosted Baylor, we can host OSU....right now! OU and UT are different stories...they have such followings that they LOSE money to play away in a smaller venue.

These studies were done when the golf course land transferred back to UNT for Eagle Point. It's somwhere on the masterplan for Eagle Point that environmental, noise, drainage, traffic, and other studies were completed. Also, a firm has been hired for the capital campaign and funding plans. The $1.5 million recently donated as seed money plus numerous references to a new stadium by NT admins and coaches and 2009 tells me something is in the works. It was mentioned by RV as his top priority in an article by Vito.

[the real grad88]

These studies were done when the golf course land transferred back to UNT for Eagle Point. It's somwhere on the masterplan for Eagle Point that environmental, noise, drainage, traffic, and other studies were completed. Also, a firm has been hired for the capital campaign and funding plans. The $1.5 million recently donated as seed money plus numerous references to a new stadium by NT admins and coaches and 2009 tells me something is in the works. It was mentioned by RV as his top priority in an article by Vito.

I am really not trying to rain on anyone's parade and am not being negative...just trying to add fact to the mix. The firm that was hired was hired to do a feasibility study and THEN to head up a campaign IF the study showed that adequate support is there from donors to start the campaign. Adequate support means some big donors willing to step up to the plate for a minimum of 1/3rd of the cost of the project. I love the 1.5 million dollar gift...we need about 15 more of them.

[NT80]

I am really not trying to rain on anyone's parade and am not being negative...just trying to add fact to the mix. The firm that was hired was hired to do a feasibility study and THEN to head up a campaign IF the study showed that adequate support is there from donors to start the campaign. Adequate support means some big donors willing to step up to the plate for a minimum of 1/3rd of the cost of the project. I love the 1.5 million dollar gift...we need about 15 more of them.

I appreciate the information. I have to wonder if this firm's findings were accurate if they are saying there is not enough donors. How can this firm already know how much donors would or would not give without asking them? I'm not rich, but I wasn't asked; and you would think they would start by asking MGC members if they would donate to a stadium and how much? I don't know of anyone that was asked for a financial commitment, only given a survey of what's important to them.

Edited February 10, 2007 by NT80

[the real grad88]

I appreciate the info. I have to wonder if the firm's findings were accurate if they are saying there is not enough donors. How can this firm already know how much donors would or would not give without asking them? I'm not rich, but I wasn't asked; and you would think they would start by asking MGC members if they would donate to a stadium and how much? I don't know of anyone that was asked for a financial commitment, only given a survey of what's important to them.

There is so much misunderstanding about how fundraising is done on a large scale. You pose some good questions. For a large project like the new stadium, smaller donor prospects are not even approached during the feasibility study. Only VERY LARGE donor prospects are approached about their willingness to give to the project in a big enough way to actually start a campaign. If there isn't enough large donor support to raise 1/3rd of the project, then the campaign will not be started...and the smaller donor will never know about it. The mid-size and smaller donors are for the "cleanup" stage only...to push the fundraising over the top. Make no mistake about it...without the large donors first, this project will never go public and will never happen. That is just the way it works. The only way around that is for RV to do some creative measures with a student fee or something...but many people think that will never happen again.

Edited February 10, 2007 by the real grad88

[NT80]

One thing is certain: some year there WILL be a new stadium on the Eagle Point property. Fouts will eventually be deemed structurally and electrically obsolete and not worth the expense to maintain. The Fouts land will become more valuable to the core campus as academic buildings land than as an aged, outdated athletic venue. The new football locker rooms and deck on the AC will be used as designed eventually. What year that all happens is the only question.