2011 UNT Kickoff Cookout Thoughts

UNTflyer · August 1, 2011

What was the count on UT douchers and did Dmac kick them in the balls as I predicted?

Zero, though I did spot one Patriots jersey.

UNT 90 Grad · August 1, 2011

What was the count on UT douchers and did Dmac kick them in the balls as I predicted?

I did see one guy there with a UT lanyard hanging out of his pocket. Unfortunately it was my cousin's kid, who is also a current UNT student. Very disappointing.

bstnsportsfan3 · August 1, 2011

Zero, though I did spot one Patriots jersey.

BUT THAT ISNT A BAD THING :thumbsu:

Green2012 · August 1, 2011

I will accept the Patriots jersey as an excuse from an assumed extremely patriotic citizen that wishes to display his patriotism and loyalty to football through a patriots jersey. Yes, I'm assuming much to allow him a slide.

As for the current UNT student with a UT Douche lanyard, he should be stoned.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Green2012

GreenEagleEye · August 1, 2011

What a wonderful turnout it was. The parking was a slight example of game day. Basically, if you are not a suite holder, you are not parking close in. If you have club level, you are nearby over at Victory Hall parking lot and the adjacent one that was built I was told. As for tailgating, it will be all over the place. The rest of us can park at Fouts and get a little exercise, not to mention a bit extra this first season as the foot bridge will not be completed until next season. No shuttles as of yet, or atleast that they will admit to. The traffic will be nuts so plan to arrive way early or you will be more than irate by the time you park! The roads just simply are not big enough to handle the flow in their current state.

I heard a few folks grumble about the suites being closed for the event. An inspection taking place on Monday prevented it as they wanted to keep it in shape without all the extra fingerprints, etc. we were told. Makes total sense as the facility is not 100% complete as most think.

Loved the amount of restrooms and concession stands. What will be the nice touch of class is the fact that all of the outside vendors will be in a permanent stand and not look like the fairgrounds! As for the beloved funnel cake guy, sorry but he's out. Someone will be selling them though, in a stand so we were told. As for tailgaters and those who are in need of a drink or dog, there will be the stands on the East side that will be open before the stadium so that you don't starve.

I heard someone mention that the black rubber pellets had not "settled" yet. Funny in a sort of way as the turf has to be machine swept every 30-40 some odd hours. They won't settle much as they are "broomed" to keep the turf in shape. Seems like I heard somewhere around 40 tons of that stuff was put on the field. It was over 200 of those large bag/bundles that are on the back side of Fouts. The turf alone was in excess of $400k and is the same as in quite a few NFL stadiums. The foreman that oversaw our install for the turf company is the one who only does the NFL teams for that company.

I really wish they had some more stuff rotating on the video board as it is a really nice screen, but they do have to keep some suspense to the place. Heck the smaller board of the two is almost as large as the one in Fouts if I am not mistaken. The speakers are going to be loud as ever. Way more speakers and amplifiers driving this system than what we are used to. If anyone has noticed, there is twice as many lights in the new stadium that will illuminate the field/seats. There will be no comparison in the daylight effect when compared to Fouts.

As far as the gift shop goes, there will be mannequins in each window with attire that is for sale. Due to the contract relationship with the bookstore and the company that runs/owns it, they are the one's selling the stuff. All of the Nike gear ships today, so expect it in the store in 5-7 days. Expect to see quite a bit more attire in the shop soon along with jerseys I was told. This was just a teaser! If you don't see what you want, go talk to Rodney the bookstore manager. Maybe he can bring it in.

The stadium has obviously been constructed with alot of aforethought. I believe it shows and everyone I came across appeared in awe of the facility that they have longed for. For those of us that know Brian Bethea, we owe him a big thanks as the man has spent countless hours on this project. RV gave him a quick atta boy, but I got to tell you, he is owed alot more than that. If it were not for Brian, RV would not be looking so well on this project.

For those not aware, the facility is way more accommodating to the TV crews for games. On the South end of the stadium, they have it set up so the satellite trucks can set up there, plug in their wires to the boxes, go set up their cameras in place, and run very little wiring. Cameras on the field have wiring access points at field level. What does that mean to us you might ask. More televised games as the overhead costs of setting up has been reduced by 75% for those folks. You throw in some wins and we will reach more fans across the nation alot faster.

Some may not like to hear this, but I saw it the other night and I have to admit, it bothered me. A brand new stadium with top notch everything and people are too damn lazy to throw their trash away! Really? For crying out loud, don't literally trash the palace. Be a good steward, have more pride and show your love through a simple act of cleaning up after yourself. Yes I know they have clean up crews but would it hurt if we all picked up after ourselves? The less crews it takes, the less money is expended on that and it can be better spent elsewhere. Just a thought for those who care about our "new home".

All in all, what a wonderful new stadium. Lot's of smiles I saw as people seemed genuinely pleased with what they saw. We have taken a giant step and I am proud of it. You should be to!

Edited August 1, 2011 by GreenEagleEye

UNT90 · August 1, 2011

I would encourage everyone to start the push with friends and other alumni to make sure we have a full stadium on September 10, and to make sure it is full of UNT fan. There should be only one spot of red, and that should be in the visitor ticket section.

Start the push early, make sure they know they date when single game tickets go on sale (August 15) and try and make sure they get them early.

Ya, it's real nice. Now, let's fill it up!

mrsgreengoblin · August 1, 2011

We had a fantastic time! That climb to the top of the wing is brutal. I ran halfway up and took two steps at a time. Definitely a nice workout.

We already had season tickets but ended up donating more money on Saturday to upgrade our seats.

And then went and bought a bunch of stuff from the spirit shop. I'd be curious to know how much they sold on Saturday. There was a long line the entire time we were there. It was a blast and so exciting to see everyone there. It was an added bonus to tailgate before hand with some of our GMG.com bowl game friends too.

We are bringing several TCU alumni and fans with us on opening day. They are pretty excited to see the new stadium.

untgirl04 · August 1, 2011

I can live without the funnel cakes, but what about the kettle corn?

UNT 90 Grad · August 1, 2011

As for the current UNT student with a UT Douche lanyard, he should be stoned.

He might be. You know, it is UNT and we've had that sort of reputation at times in the past.

adman · August 1, 2011

This. I switched my seats yesterday and got a look at sections on their computer screen. Tons of open seats. The paper tags on the "available seats" was purely a marketing ploy to create a sense of urgency.

And a very shrewd one at that. Scarcity creates demand. I heard several people walking around looking at the seats with tags on them and debating which ones to get and how they better do it right then. Very smart move on the AD marketing department's part. :goodjob:

KRAM1 · August 1, 2011

It was an added bonus to tailgate before hand with some of our GMG.com bowl game friends too.

Well, let me just say, the "bonus" was all mine, my bride's and the other GMG.com Bowl fans who stopped by to tailgate with you guys. It made the wait until the stadium opened pass very quickly indeed...want to say many thanks for cold beer as well! GMG.Com Bowl folks and cold beer...before the Kickoff Cookout...doesn't get much better than that...thanks for making a great evening even greater!!!!

GO MEAN GREEN!!!!!