Shrinkage: New Tulsa Stadium Re-do Cut Size From 40k To 30k Seats

NT80 · February 12, 2008

New perks are a new pressbox, suites, and endzone facility, but overall capacity is greatly reduced (with the oft-used "can be expanded later if needed") ....

http://www.gtrnews.com/greater-tulsa-repor...ew-team-stadium

TheTastyGreek · February 12, 2008

New perks are a new pressbox, suites, and endzone facility, but overall capacity is greatly reduced (with the oft-used "can be expanded later if needed") ....
http://www.gtrnews.com/greater-tulsa-repor...ew-team-stadium

Pfft.. Idiots.

They'll never get into C-USA now!

UNTFan23 · February 12, 2008

Don't let Plummer see this. He'd throw a fit on how NT would be selling itself short by building a stadium within a range (35,000) that NT could sell out easily compared to the amount he'd rather see built (50,000).

emmitt01 · February 12, 2008

“The shrinkage will help,” he says. “The atmosphere of the game will be completely different. We should be able to sell out every week. If it turns out we have a greater demand, the stadium can be expanded.”

Blasphemy! What is this guy thinking? That building for where your program is now, thereby allowing yourself a sold out, loud, intimidating home field, is a good thing? I sure hope they have good asylums for crazy people like Todd Graham. :blink:

UNTflyer · February 12, 2008

Tulsa was in the pool! They were in the pool!

GreenMachine · February 12, 2008

I guess shrinkage affects more than just us guys in a cold pool.

ADLER · February 12, 2008

Tulsa University is 10% the size of North Texas and a 30K-40K stadium is sufficient for them even during their most successful seasons.

The University of North Texas will have an enrollment of at least 35,000 when the new stadium is built. There isn't an immediate need for 70,000 seats but to not plan for success would be pure stupidity. Crowds of 40,000 should not only be anticipated, they should be planned.

The 'perfect' stadium design ould be to take a stadium like Notre Dame's or the lower bowl at LSU as a blueprint. Build the sideline seating between the goal lines up to the press box level on the western side, matching seating on the eastern side, and a small ammount of seating enclosing the north end zone. The stadium could then systematically be expanded as needed until it formed a completed bowl. More luxury boxes and upper deck seating could be added to the perimeter of the stadium if ever needed.

Putting in a 'good enough to get by' design is what got us in this Fouts mess to begin with.

Eagle1855 · February 12, 2008

Pfft.. Idiots.
They'll never get into C-USA now!

under-appreciated

DeepGreen · February 12, 2008

Adler, you are talking about vision. Need I remind you that this is North Texas?

PlummMeanGreen · February 12, 2008

Don't let Plummer see this. He'd throw a fit on how NT would be selling itself short by building a stadium within a range (35,000) that NT could sell out easily compared to the amount he'd rather see built (50,000).

Well, I know I've never said 50K (as others have) but 40K has been my nirvana number for UNT with 35K being very tolerable but I'll add another wrinkle and say this.....

..........If UNT choses or foresees another 10 years in the Sun Belt--we really don't need to waste money on a new stadium at all--seriously. Most likely it is our SBC membership that is keeping us from gaining the imagination of a Big Donor as it is. The SBC will most likely keep us at the same per game averages we had even during each of those 4 bowl years. Anyone care to tell the rest of the newbies on this GMG.com what those averages were? Yeppers, I'm sure you don't want to advertise those numbers.......

Again for those of us Baby Boomers who attended and or graduated from NTSU in the mid 70's, its almost turned out to all but be a curse what some of us got to witness during the Fry Era because that became our barometer for Mean Green football. While on that subject, would not that have become the barometer for most any NT Ex no matter the era if such feats similar to those in the mid-1970's might have been duplicated during each of their own eras as NT students and.......no matter who the UNT Head Football Coach would have been during such an era?

So go for it, you who are our usual less than a handful of alums on this forum who just love their athletic mediocrity in Denton and whose posts & responses prove it to all. The rest of us are all listening, but do come up with some fresh new reasons for UNT to not duplicate the kind of wins we did (in deed) have in the mid-to-upper 1970's in Denton. Tell us all why we should not (at least) "try" to attain such feats again here in this new millenium--and try to cut all the sarcasm and funny stuff as you try to explain your reasons, too (if that at all possible).

Edited February 12, 2008 by PlummMeanGreen

greenjoe · February 12, 2008

I wonder how the "Skelly" family feels about getting bumped form the stadium in favor of "Chapman" ?

I wonder how the "FOUTS" family would feel if we remodeled Fouts and changed the name to Plummeangreen or something similar ?

GO MEANGREEN

adman · February 12, 2008

I wonder how the "Skelly" family feels about getting bumped form the stadium in favor of "Chapman" ?
I wonder how the "FOUTS" family would feel if we remodeled Fouts and changed the name to Plummeangreen or something similar ?
GO MEANGREEN

The field is Fouts. The stadium has no name.

PlummMeanGreen · February 13, 2008

I wonder how the "Skelly" family feels about getting bumped form the stadium in favor of "Chapman" ?
I wonder how the "FOUTS" family would feel if we remodeled Fouts and changed the name to Plummeangreen or something similar ?
GO MEANGREEN

The Denton Bicycle Center-Dome (oh, gosh, now we need a domed stadium)?...........anyway, the DBC-Dome has a much better ring or sound and it would be from a, uh, Denton-based business, too, greenjoe. :rolleyes:

PS: greenjoe, do you recall that I once bought a Raleigh bicycle from you too long ago to mention? It was the best bike I ever had! Shop Denton, folks!

Edited February 13, 2008 by PlummMeanGreen

NT Drummer · February 13, 2008

Hey, I bought a Raleigh bicycle at Denton Bicycle Center back in the early '80s when I was a student! So I guess I kinda know greenjoe. It's like "6 degrees of gmg.com".

But to get back somewhat on topic - changing the stadium's name is a very Tech thing to do, isn't it? As for us, since we're building a new stadium, it's fine with me if it has a new name. Of course, we could have "Fouts Field" at "Texas Instruments Stadium" (my dream corporate donor!). Too bad DLP isn't the technology used for making jumbotrons...

February 13, 2008

Hey, I bought a Raleigh bicycle at Denton Bicycle Center back in the early '80s when I was a student! So I guess I kinda know greenjoe. It's like "6 degrees of gmg.com".
But to get back somewhat on topic - changing the stadium's name is a very Tech thing to do, isn't it? As for us, since we're building a new stadium, it's fine with me if it has a new name. Of course, we could have "Fouts Field" at "Texas Instruments Stadium" (my dream corporate donor!). Too bad DLP isn't the technology used for making jumbotrons...

Doubtful. TI money tends to go to UTD. I seem to recall TI has given them massive amounts of money. UTD was actually founded by TI executives.

February 13, 2008

The field is Fouts. The stadium has no name.

Until recently, when the highdomes came up with a way to milk the donors for more revenue, there was no difference. It was either called Field or Stadium. The stadium was named for former coach and athletics director Theron J. Fouts. The field was considered a part of the stadium.

I believe that the Fouts family donated something like $25,000 (probably ten times that in today's dollars) to get the stadium started and that name has been before the public for more than 50 years so I'd say that they got their money's worth. If they want to split the name of the stadium and field and can find donors, then I say let them do it. I don't really like it but if it will get the stadium fund rolling then bring it on.

DallasGreen · February 13, 2008

Until recently, when the highdomes came up with a way to milk the donors for more revenue, there was no difference. It was either called Field or Stadium. The stadium was named for former coach and athletics director Theron J. Fouts. The field was considered a part of the stadium.
I believe that the Fouts family donated something like $25,000 (probably ten times that in today's dollars) to get the stadium started and that name has been before the public for more than 50 years so I'd say that they got their money's worth. If they want to split the name of the stadium and field and can find donors, then I say let them do it. I don't really like it but if it will get the stadium fund rolling then bring it on.

As in Joe Jamil Field at DKR Memorial Stadium?

ADLER · February 13, 2008

The field is Fouts. The stadium has no name.

The stadium is Eagle Stadium. It was listed as such throughout the 1950s and 60s.

PlummMeanGreen · February 14, 2008

Actually, the only time I think "shrinkage" can ever be a positive is when it concerns tumors.

I would love to hear the Tulsa HFC continue to play "spin-meister" and tell us all how, uh............"shrinking"................ the Golden Hurricane's football stadium by 10,000 seats is such a "hip-hop/whoopty-doop" deal & how it may very well become the latest trend among those in the non-BCS.

Funny thing is (if that were the case) I just cannot think of the next school who would even think of doing such, especially any D1-A school in the Lone Star State, whereas a school that would even entertain any semblance of an idea of doing such would be laughed off the face of the nation of Texas, especially if that school were one of its Top 3 Largest Universities.

Truth Squad Interrpretation of TU's Loss of 10,000 Seats at the Former Skelley Stadium is:

Tulsa U had no other viable or available real estate in their athletic complex area to put such a facility--so out with the end zone seats, OKIE's!

Meanwhile....

GMG!

Edited February 14, 2008 by PlummMeanGreen

SCREAMING EAGLE-66 · February 14, 2008

The stadium is Eagle Stadium. It was listed as such throughout the 1950s and 60s.

I was at UNT (aka NTSU) from 1964-66, I never heard it refered to as Eagle Field... always Fouts. Are you sure that was not the name used for the prior stadium that was located where the library is now?

Edited February 14, 2008 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

NT80 · February 14, 2008

I was at UNT (aka NTSU) from 1964-66, I never heard it refered to as Eagle Field... always Fouts. Are you sure that was not the name used for the prior stadium that was located where the library is now?

The first Eagle Stadium was over by the Library mall. However, I have a 1950's postcard showing illustrations of three NT athletic venues for that time: Men's gym, women's gym, and what is now Fouts but labeled Eagle Stadium under the illustration. I believe T.J. Fouts was AD in the early 50's after coaching in the 20's and the stadium/field renamed for him a couple years after it was built in 1952.

Edited February 14, 2008 by NT80

February 14, 2008

The first Eagle Stadium was over by the Library mall. However, I have a 1950's postcard showing illustrations of three NT athletic venues for that time: Men's gym, women's gym, and what is now Fouts but labeled Eagle Stadium under the illustration. I believe T.J. Fouts was AD in the early 50's after coaching in the 20's and the stadium/field renamed for him a couple years after it was built in 1952.

You are absolutely right about Eagle Stadium being where the Mall/Willis Library is now. I saw games there in 1950. I was in the service all of 1951 through 1954 but I happened to be home on leave when they played the first game as Fouts Field in 1952. It was known as Fouts Field then and has been to this day.

Theron Fouts was a North Texas coach and AD in the 20s and 30s.

Edited February 14, 2008 by GrayEagleOne

NT80 · February 16, 2008

You are absolutely right about Eagle Stadium being where the Mall/Willis Library is now. I saw games there in 1950. I was in the service all of 1951 through 1954 but I happened to be home on leave when they played the first game as Fouts Field in 1952. It was known as Fouts Field then and has been to this day.
Theron Fouts was a North Texas coach and AD in the 20s and 30s.

This is the 50's era postcard I had seen previously with Fouts labeled just as "Eagle Stadium"....

http://cgi.ebay.com/DENTON-TX-North-Texas-...bayphotohosting