I didn't think that the sound was that bad. I was sitting towards the back..Nice turnout...Coach was fired up,...tuke got a big ovation...finger food was better than previous years...
Can't wait for FB season...

(02-14-2011 01:22 PM)cyberdawg Wrote:  Like I forecasted last week that there would be an insufficient number of tables and chairs and that was the case.

I arrived five minutes to 1pm . A long time donor and his wife found me at 1:15 and no seating was available for he and his wife. I offered mine to his wife but she declined.

At least the quantity of dorm food available was more than sufficient.

Since my son's plans changed Friday, he was unable to join me at kickoff as planned. I met another stray cat who I invited to join me at table. He is the dad of a red shirted freshman from out of state. Dad had to pay $8.00 to enter Kickoff altho he was unable to stay & attend bball game.

Had I met him in Convo lobby before going downstairs I could have given him my spare game tix unused by my son. What a wacky system to require buying a bball tix to attend free Kickoff. I paid zero to enter into Convo. Dad deserves a refund IMHO if anyone in HASF is interested.

I saw very, very few students fans in attendance. Vast majority attending were mostly ole' farts like me.

Doeren was good, and so were student athletes but the mic sux unless the speaker 's mouth is exactly in the right position which it was oftentimes not.

What did come across is if NIU apparently is truly serious about dreaming the dream of a bcs bowl game in the years ahead, attendance and donations must step up to the plate while raising the bar. Athletic Dept & HASF is likely preaching to the tapped out choir when talking really big dreams and really big money. Not only is IPF a necessary stepping stone upwards so too are a press box and an expaneded stadium when current Huskie Stadium is sold out regularly. All those stepping stones and dreams seem like buzz light years away.

Can we start the next baby step simply with a MACC in 2011? It's a tag line getting as stale as the Cubs & " Wait until next yr."

I liked hearing Doeren say Huskie Stadium needs to become a hostile environment for visiting teams. I have witnessed such an environment perhaps a handful of times in 45 yrs of attending NIU football. The now legendary BGSU-Urban Meyer experience is what comes to mind. There is much work to be done for that to happen regularly.

Doeren exudes confidence and a very professional disposition. I left feeling good about the coming season.

What did impress me was to hear Doeren say he has met individually with 80 players for twenty minutes each. Do the math. He is apparently living and breathing NIU football 24/7 right now. You godda feel for the families of college football coaches and the sacrifices they are required to make.

Overall I give the Dept, coaches and staff a composite grade of "B"......now, if only we could figure out the seating. There is sufficient room to add tables and chairs on the court.

I was just thinking.What if Cybes did give the man his ticket? Could that possibly have been an NCAA infraction of some kind(I know you said you didn't give him one, just curious)?

(02-14-2011 03:26 PM)WhiskeyDick Wrote:  The footprint for an IPF was determined when they built the Yordon Center. I have heard zero to suggest deviation from that. And they're certainly not going to rip out baseball field that was just installed in 2005 to the tune of a pretty good penny.

Until a major donor or three steps up then people are getting carried away with the anticipation thing. I've also heard zero about a possible Spring Game announcement.

You know what? We may not have donors lined up but I am going to guess it was part of Doeren's "negotiations". It may not be written and no one will likely admit it was part of the negotiations but I seem to recall articles with Dowewn talking about a IPF and have noticed more talk about it since he was hired. It is closer to being built than you think. I do think the spring game very well could be the unvailing of the project.

(02-15-2011 03:00 AM)RobertN Wrote:  You know what? We may not have donors lined up but I am going to guess it was part of Doeren's "negotiations". It may not be written and no one will likely admit it was part of the negotiations but I seem to recall articles with Dowewn talking about a IPF and have noticed more talk about it since he was hired. It is closer to being built than you think. I do think the spring game very well could be the unvailing of the project.

I think you are totally correct with this statement.

(02-15-2011 09:22 AM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  

(02-15-2011 03:00 AM)RobertN Wrote:  You know what? We may not have donors lined up but I am going to guess it was part of Doeren's "negotiations". It may not be written and no one will likely admit it was part of the negotiations but I seem to recall articles with Dowewn talking about a IPF and have noticed more talk about it since he was hired. It is closer to being built than you think. I do think the spring game very well could be the unvailing of the project.

I think you are totally correct with this statement.

look, they are pushing as hard as they can to get this IPF done. I think it is of the highest priority. This facility I think will help minor sports getting over the hump and winning championships.

After the Kickoff & while driving home, I too paused to wonder if giving a football dad my free tix wooda violated some ncaa rule.

66Huskie,

My graduation year at NIU -1966. Good of you to make mention of a key hi light --- the well deserved and extended ovation for Tuke...and I missed hearing what Doeren said right afterwards....

(02-15-2011 11:57 AM)cyberdawg Wrote:  After the Kickoff & while driving home, I too paused to wonder if giving a football dad my free tix wooda violated some ncaa rule.

Yes it would

(02-15-2011 11:57 AM)cyberdawg Wrote:  After the Kickoff & while driving home, I too paused to wonder if giving a football dad my free tix wooda violated some ncaa rule.

Even thinking about doing it is a violation, Cybes. Time to self report, share your thoughts, and take your lumps like a man. As punishment, you will need to get down on your hands and knees with pants down and take 25 oiled whip lashings from Shelley, who will be decked out completely in studded leather.

(02-15-2011 01:45 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(02-15-2011 11:57 AM)cyberdawg Wrote:  After the Kickoff & while driving home, I too paused to wonder if giving a football dad my free tix wooda violated some ncaa rule.

Even thinking about doing it is a violation, Cybes. Time to self report, share your thoughts, and take your lumps like a man. As punishment, you will need to get down on your hands and knees with pants down and take 25 oiled whip lashings from Shelley, who will be decked out completely in studded leather.

Sounds like you have gone through this punishment before.

(02-15-2011 11:21 AM)gcd Wrote:  look, they are pushing as hard as they can to get this IPF done. I think it is of the highest priority. This facility I think will help minor sports getting over the hump and winning championships.

The baseball coach has already said in a Norther Star article that he is looking forward to using the IPF for winter and early spring practices. It could possibly help the softball and men's/women's soccer teams too.

Once being punished, you cannot help but go back for more......just kidding....and is Shelley from compliance?

I will then comply with her commands.

My first HASF...

Was very pleased with the turn-out.. Though i did think it was stupid that you had to pay $3 to park eventhough I was just staying for the HASF event. You would think with the record of the basketball team, they would want as many people as possible to come and not charge for parking..

I echo "cyber's comments" not enough seating, but overall a good event...

(02-16-2011 12:36 AM)cartershaw Wrote:  My first HASF...

Was very pleased with the turn-out.. Though i did think it was stupid that you had to pay $3 to park eventhough I was just staying for the HASF event. You would think with the record of the basketball team, they would want as many people as possible to come and not charge for parking..

I echo "cyber's comments" not enough seating, but overall a good event...

What does amaze me is that apparently the Dept/HASF does not learn much from our past mistakes and they repeated the same preparations for seating guests especially knowing of the high interest and anticipation re: meeting new coaching staff and promoting the event being open to public... yeash !!!

(02-16-2011 10:59 AM)cyberdawg Wrote:  

(02-16-2011 12:36 AM)cartershaw Wrote:  My first HASF...

Was very pleased with the turn-out.. Though i did think it was stupid that you had to pay $3 to park eventhough I was just staying for the HASF event. You would think with the record of the basketball team, they would want as many people as possible to come and not charge for parking..

I echo "cyber's comments" not enough seating, but overall a good event...

What does amaze me is that apparently the Dept/HASF does not learn much from our past mistakes and they repeated the same preparations for seating guests especially knowing of the high interest and anticipation re: meeting new coaching staff and promoting the event being open to public... yeash !!!

is there anything, anything some of you guys won't b tch about. Some of you first look to see what is wrong and then later on look at the good. Some of this is so insignificant, give it a rest

(02-16-2011 12:36 AM)cartershaw Wrote:  My first HASF...

Was very pleased with the turn-out.. Though i did think it was stupid that you had to pay $3 to park eventhough I was just staying for the HASF event. You would think with the record of the basketball team, they would want as many people as possible to come and not charge for parking..

I echo "cyber's comments" not enough seating, but overall a good event...

One thing you are forgetting is that the athletics department isn't in charge of parking costs at the Convo.

(02-16-2011 01:51 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(02-16-2011 12:36 AM)cartershaw Wrote:  My first HASF...

Was very pleased with the turn-out.. Though i did think it was stupid that you had to pay $3 to park eventhough I was just staying for the HASF event. You would think with the record of the basketball team, they would want as many people as possible to come and not charge for parking..

I echo "cyber's comments" not enough seating, but overall a good event...

One thing you are forgetting is that the athletics department isn't in charge of parking costs at the Convo.

Correct. And I wish the Convo Center management would get their heads screwed on straight and start charging more for parking. They are not in this to fund a loss and we need the money. It should be $10 a game except for special games (such as games against Aurora College, St. Francis University, or another local Chicagoland team) where the charge for parking should be....oh, somewhere around $46 per car?

Speaking of mistakes and Athletics Department incompetence, I got my HASF packet in the mail today. There's a nice big typo in the pamphlet. In one section they mention the total HASF donations for 2010 were $1,435,420.09. Then right below it in the chart, it shows $1,315,420.09. So which one is correct? A 3rd grader proof reading it could've caught that.

(02-16-2011 06:47 PM)niubrad00 Wrote:  Speaking of mistakes and Athletics Department incompetence, I got my HASF packet in the mail today. There's a nice big typo in the pamphlet. In one section they mention the total HASF donations for 2010 were $1,435,420.09. Then right below it in the chart, it shows $1,315,420.09. So which one is correct? A 3rd grader proof reading it could've caught that.

Sad to say that neither one of them are correct.
Also if you look at the total number of people are the same for both. That number is also incorrect.

How do I know you ask. Well I submitted my first time donation for HASF the week after the Ball State game which was after the release of the 2010 donor numbers and totals. I did not donate $120,000 and I doubt that someone that already was a donor donated an additional $119,900.

On top of that I did not receive an invite to the kickoff in the mail, they did not have a packet for me at the kickoff and after I spoke with Katie on Saturday I still have not received it in the mail.

There seems to be some slight organization needs.

Oh well don't we all.

(02-16-2011 06:47 PM)niubrad00 Wrote:  Speaking of mistakes and Athletics Department incompetence, I got my HASF packet in the mail today. There's a nice big typo in the pamphlet. In one section they mention the total HASF donations for 2010 were $1,435,420.09. Then right below it in the chart, it shows $1,315,420.09. So which one is correct? A 3rd grader proof reading it could've caught that.

They did not originally count my $120,000 donation until they figured out how to do it (or so they thought). To protest the lack of quality games in Huskie Stadium as well as games at SF, I donated $120,000 in a combination of Indian rupees, Polish zlotys, and Mexican pesos. They could not figure out how much money it was, but it sure was a lot of bills. They finally gave up and decided that my donation was $120,000 - even though the true value of the foreign currency was $57.36. I really put one over on them. Now, they may use part of my donation to hire a foreign currency exchange specialist.

that reminds me of my funny experience following international bowl game when I returned home with a few Canadian bills.

When I went to the local Currency Exchange to trade in my meager foreign bill, I learned the exchange service fee was greater than the 5.00 legal tender I possessed. I would owe money to convert Canadian money to American currency. Yes, I simply kept it for some unknown future trip to Canada.