http://hamptonroads.com/2015/06/hey-odu-...n-stadium#
Hey ODU, want prosperity? Tear down this stadium.
Take it down: Nobody ever argued that Foreman Field was worth saving when its primary tenant was ODU's championship field hockey teams. If anybody spoke in sentimental tones about the "atmosphere" of the Depression-era WPA building project, its timeless significance or the importance of preserving the footprint, I never heard it. It was a serviceable, but unremarkable facility that few beyond campus thought much about. Renovations made it functional for a football startup, but as the years advance, sometimes old is simply old. And unsalvageable. Preservationists hoping to save Foreman Field mean well, but ultimately should be tuned out after presenting an agenda that fails to take into account the up-to-date needs of ODU football and its fans.
Just wait. The people who will scream the loudest about saving Legion Field will be folks that hadn't set foot in it in 20 years.
Quoth the smokin' hot Mrs. Smaug, "Some of them think it still has an upper deck."
(06-19-2015 06:25 AM)Smaug Wrote: [ -> ]Just wait. The people who will scream the loudest about saving Legion Field will be folks that hadn't set foot in it in 20 years.
Quoth the smokin' hot Mrs. Smaug, "Some of think it still has an upper deck."
This is soooooooooooooo true!
It was Legion Field's upper deck where the "FOOTBALL CAPITAL OF THE SOUTH" claim was painted. Like the claim itself, the upper deck is gone.
The only reason Legion Field still exists is the refusal of suburban voters to approve a replacement by the MPF in 1998 and since. The city has tried repeatedly to build the MPF, but can't afford to do it by itself (not unlike any other city). Mayor Langford even staged a "ground breaking ceremony" in an attempt to get the ball rolling.
We wait to see if the suburban support for UAB football will translate into local metro support for the MPF which would benefit the whole area's economy just as UAB does.
I say when LF gets torn down, we run an auction for them to get a part of Bear/UAT history - great way to fund/pay off our new OCS stadium
I'd be for preserving the sleeping lions. The rest: scrap heap.
(06-19-2015 06:39 PM)Smaug Wrote: [ -> ]I'd be for preserving the sleeping lions. The rest: scrap heap.
Those lions were sculpted by the same artist who designed "Vulcan" for B'ham. He also did a bust of Christ's head in marble which has been preserved.
The last mayor to call for Legion Field to be demolished was Larry Langford who championed the MPF to replace it. He wanted to turn the area into a large city park with additional attractions on the order of Railroad Park.
If UAB can escape being degraded by the system BOT, I would still like to see UAB acquire that entire park property for development of a UAB West Campus. Over time, it would have the same positive effects on that area as the main campus has had on the southside..
I've never been to Legion Field, but Foreman Field is a nice, quaint, and very outdated stadium for ODU football. The new stadium needs to be by the Elizabeth River, and some of the aspects of Foreman Field - particularly the seal of the City of Norfolk and the brick overlay - should be incorporated into the new home of ODU football.
Legion Field is a relic from the Coolidge Administration in a rotten neighborhood 2 miles from campus (it's a long two miles).
Oh, and it seats 72K.