Athletic Director Press Conference & Contract Signing
<a href="http://webcast.oir.ucf.edu/Content.asp" target="_blank">http://webcast.oir.ucf.edu/Content.asp</a>
The new AD said that UCF expected to be in the BE or ACC within 5 years.........nice goal but first he'll have to raise some "major" bucks to build a first-rate b-ball arena, and then of course an on campus football stadium. Hope they have lots of alums with "deep pockets", 'cause they're gonna need it.
At present their hoops facility/program would not be worthy of an invite for the MAC, much less a pretigious major conference.
Speaking of facilities....When are you guys gonna get rid of the high school half of your stadium?
The Hawks home looks nice walking toward it....then you turn around and sit down and say "WTF!" It is a serious schitzophrenia in that place. I have never seen such variation in two halves of a field.
State the obvious already. Everyone involved with the program has been saying that a new 12k seat arena will have to be built. A new arena is needed for a "chance", but the Citrus Bowl is fine (for now). I know in the Big East Miami is doing fine with the Orange Bowl and Pitt is using Heinz Field. An off-campus stadium is not a "deal killer", a small crappy arena is though.
<small>[ June 26, 2002, 05:34 PM: Message edited by: Knight Prowler ]</small>
Good shot, Muther, but to put it in perspective no one at Miami (particularly our AD) has predicted that we'd be in a BCS conference within 5 years, now did they?
In answering your question seriously, there is a move afoot to renovate Yager Stadium, but lights and turf may be first in line before major seating re-work is done, plus the school like to build a new Fine Arts Building and a new Ice Arena. Once the Fine Arts Building is completed, then they could conceivably renovate our hoops venue (Millet Hall) to be more of an arena rather than an all purpose facility, but that is years in the future.
My personal thought is that Miami will have torn down all those old away and endzone stands at Yager and have a new horseshoe shaped stadium in time for the Northwestern home game in 2006.
According to talks I've had with two of our "higher-ups," the plans are being drawn (or have already been drawn) to bring the "High School" side of our stadium up to a similar level to our alumni side. Then, they will close in one end zone and make the other a sort of "courtyard of fame."
Right now we are in a "silent phase" of a major fundraising effort.
eCK is right, though, we are also planning to build a new ice arena. Goggin will likely be eventually torn down and an Engineering Building will be in its place.
As far as I know, however, there are no plans to do anything to Millet in the near future. Our President evidentily likes the building. What I don't like about it is how far you are from the court.
An engineering building???? You mean they have BSEE, BSME, BSCE, etc at Miami U. now??
Oh, you must mean the other kind of engineering. Sanitation engineering, etc.
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Hawks home looks nice walking toward it....then you turn around and sit down and say "WTF!" It is a serious schitzophrenia in that place. I have never seen such variation in two halves of a field.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I haven't been to Yager, but I have been to Dix Stadium in Kent. Judging from the pictures, Dix Stadium may be even more schitzo.
Worst of all was Ball State Stadium, which -- up until a few years ago -- had 17,000 seats on one side and little more than a chain link fence on the other.
<small>[ June 26, 2002, 11:14 PM: Message edited by: RochesterFalcon ]</small>
Actually, Yager Stadium is indeed "two stadiums".
When they built Yager the home side was built anew, but the stands in the endzones and away side were relicts of the old Miami Field. They dissasembled the steel bleachers and moved them over to Yager. Why? Lack of money as they did the stadium re-do (and the artificial turf practice field and adjoining track) for about $11 million as I recall.