New U Of Houston Facilities Upgrades

[Varsity]

I wonder if UH will ever build that. Going to Robertson was a step backward and they don't have the financial support to get that new facility done. I grew up in the Houston area going to Cougar games in the Astrodome during the Bill Yeoman Veer days and I haven't seen their overall fan support rise one bit since then. The Run-n-Shoot/ Ware Heisman years boosted their profile but not their support.

Edited September 10, 2010 by Varsity

[forevereagle]

Houston is an intriguing school on all fronts. They are in the center of one of the largest cities in the country, top 5 media market, about 35-40k students, and turning around the athletics program in the sports and facilities like the new stadium. Not to mention they were part of the old SWC and have had a history in being good. They would be an attraction for any BCS conference except the maybe Big 12 but who is to say the B12 would never add them at some point? There are only a few schools that are on the cusp of having a chance at a BCS invitation one day and UH is one of them. I would also put TCU and BYU there.

I don't think so. Last I saw, Houston is not in the top 5.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

I could care squat, but I'll say this - what they are getting for the money doesn't look all that fantastic. Actually, although I'm happy with what we're getting, for the price, it's not overly spectacular either.

All of the stadium makeovers and new-builds have too much of a corporate-looking feel to me. They are new, but not unique. I think 10 years down the road we'll be looking at these new stadiums and commenting on how dated they look.

In the college football facility arms race, originality has been the sacrificial lamb. Everyone hires the same company (out of Kansas City, I think) and they all get a tweaked version of what they build.

[Green Mean]

I don't think so. Last I saw, Houston is not in the top 5.

Wow that's surprising. I could have sworn that maybe 5 years ago DFW and Houston were pretty neck and neck as far as major media markets went. They must have dipped.

[VideoEagle]

Wow that's surprising. I could have sworn that maybe 5 years ago DFW and Houston were pretty neck and neck as far as major media markets went. They must have dipped.

No, Houston has always been quite a bit behind DFW in market rankings. They just recently got up to #10. In the early 80s we were the 10th market while they were the 20th. That's why moving from KHOU to WFAA is a big promotion.

[foutsrouts]

I wonder if UH will ever build that. Going to Robertson was a step backward and they don't have the financial support to get that new facility done. I grew up in the Houston area going to Cougar games in the Astrodome during the Bill Yeoman Veer days and I haven't seen their overall fan support rise one bit since then. The Run-n-Shoot/ Ware Heisman years boosted their profile but not their support.

I'm a native Houstonian as well (my older brother dated Yeoman's daughter who lived around the corner), and I remember the vacant Astrodome games as well, but from what I have seen lately they have garnered quite a bit more support over the past 5 years or so. Unlike us thus far, they seem to find the MAJOR donors (Robertson/Moores etc), so I wouldn't rule it out that they can find the financing. The only thing holding them back is location.

[Green Mean]

I'm a native Houstonian as well (my older brother dated Yeoman's daughter who lived around the corner), and I remember the vacant Astrodome games as well, but from what I have seen lately they have garnered quite a bit more support over the past 5 years or so. Unlike us thus far, they seem to find the MAJOR donors (Robertson/Moores etc), so I wouldn't rule it out that they can find the financing. The only thing holding them back is location.

I was casually stopping by the game today on ESPN and it looked to be a sellout and the crowd was very lively and into it. I don't think it is the same type of following anymore of the older days.

[NTSUEagle]

I wonder if UH will ever build that. Going to Robertson was a step backward and they don't have the financial support to get that new facility done. I grew up in the Houston area going to Cougar games in the Astrodome during the Bill Yeoman Veer days and I haven't seen their overall fan support rise one bit since then. The Run-n-Shoot/ Ware Heisman years boosted their profile but not their support.

Yeah, UofH draws over 32k for a 9:15 pm start on a Friday Night. We probably won't even sniff that today at Fouts, even with the Rice Alums. But before 'ya lambaste the support of the Cougars, check what Briles and Sumlin have done down here in Houston the past couple of years, compared to Dodge.

[NTXCoog]

I'm a native Houstonian as well (my older brother dated Yeoman's daughter who lived around the corner), and I remember the vacant Astrodome games as well, but from what I have seen lately they have garnered quite a bit more support over the past 5 years or so. Unlike us thus far, they seem to find the MAJOR donors (Robertson/Moores etc), so I wouldn't rule it out that they can find the financing. The only thing holding them back is location.

Playing in the Astrodome was a MAJOR money loser for the Cougars. Just like playing in Reliant is. If the Cougars played at Reliant, they'd have to average tens of thousands more fans just to break even.

But support for the team has picked up drastically this season. The 1st two games were sellouts and there are 3000-4000 tickets left for every game on the schedule. So every game should be a sellout for the 1st time ever. The season ticket base raised dramatically too this season. I believe we had the largest percentage increase (or one of the largest) in season tickets of any team, almost doubling the number of tickets sold. Once you reach that critical point where people know that finding a ticket will be tough, that boosts season ticket sales even more. That critical mass also makes the new stadium project a higher priority because the demand has been demonstrated.