(11-07-2011 02:50 PM)Red Puma Wrote:  

(11-07-2011 01:37 PM)NoQuarter08 Wrote:  THIS. I'm not neccessarily a Memphis supporter but Houston hasn't actually done a damn thing and if I recall correctly they've had problems securing the funds. I hate to say it but yes....the Liberty Bowl IS a crap hole. Sorry but it is and I've been there in 2009 and can't say I left impressed.

That would be news to me.

Unlike some states, no state supported college or university in Texas can get a new stadium or athletic facility with the use of taxpayers dollars. We're raising the funds on our own, and as the article says, we're 3/4 of the way there.

Link

We also have Reliant Stadium for a back-up....We'll be just fine.

Good for Houston then. I haven't looked into it in a while but I think I recall the funding got off to a slow start. That's the right way to do it though. Pay for it with private $$.

That looks kind of like what we did back in 98 or so when we added the North Side upper deck. We added real parking spots with grass medians to tailgate in.

You are right I havent been since, but it is apparent that this is just a section of the parking area that was used during the 09 Liberty Bowl. Those fences in the photo are other parking areas and I'm sure they havent been treated yet. As I said before, there is a long way to go to get to the point of what ECU has. If you dont believe me, come to next year's game in DFS. Just be sure to get there about 5 hours prior so you dont have to walk more then a mile.

(11-07-2011 05:00 PM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  You are right I havent been since, but it is apparent that this is just a section of the parking area that was used during the 09 Liberty Bowl. Those fences in the photo are other parking areas and I'm sure they havent been treated yet. As I said before, there is a long way to go to get to the point of what ECU has. If you dont believe me, come to next year's game in DFS. Just be sure to get there about 5 hours prior so you dont have to walk more then a mile.

You admit you haven't been back since, so you have no idea what you're talking about. Tiger Lane is completed, and it's one of the nicest tailgating areas in the Southeast.

(11-07-2011 05:09 PM)TOGC Wrote:  

(11-07-2011 05:00 PM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  You are right I havent been since, but it is apparent that this is just a section of the parking area that was used during the 09 Liberty Bowl. Those fences in the photo are other parking areas and I'm sure they havent been treated yet. As I said before, there is a long way to go to get to the point of what ECU has. If you dont believe me, come to next year's game in DFS. Just be sure to get there about 5 hours prior so you dont have to walk more then a mile.

You admit you haven't been back since, so you have no idea what you're talking about. Tiger Lane is completed, and it's one of the nicest tailgating areas in the Southeast.

Not doubting its not nice, but how many parking spots is it really? Enough for maybe 1,000 cars? That would be less then 5,000 people. I know there was some tailgating at a park about a few blocks from the Liberty Bowl. Just saying it still doesnt compare. ECU has about 5-10K tailgating that never go into the stadium. We take over whole neighborhoods, schools, streets, and shopping centers. Outlets arent needed when you have gas grills, generators, even houses to tailgate in.

The Tiger Lane spots are sold out. Yes, fans pay for tailgating spots at Memphis football games.

(11-07-2011 07:37 PM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  

(11-07-2011 05:09 PM)TOGC Wrote:  

(11-07-2011 05:00 PM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  You are right I havent been since, but it is apparent that this is just a section of the parking area that was used during the 09 Liberty Bowl. Those fences in the photo are other parking areas and I'm sure they havent been treated yet. As I said before, there is a long way to go to get to the point of what ECU has. If you dont believe me, come to next year's game in DFS. Just be sure to get there about 5 hours prior so you dont have to walk more then a mile.

You admit you haven't been back since, so you have no idea what you're talking about. Tiger Lane is completed, and it's one of the nicest tailgating areas in the Southeast.

Not doubting its not nice, but how many parking spots is it really? Enough for maybe 1,000 cars? That would be less then 5,000 people. I know there was some tailgating at a park about a few blocks from the Liberty Bowl. Just saying it still doesnt compare. ECU has about 5-10K tailgating that never go into the stadium. We take over whole neighborhoods, schools, streets, and shopping centers. Outlets arent needed when you have gas grills, generators, even houses to tailgate in.

I have been in every stadium in the conference including ECU's as late as last season and the only thing the Liberty Bowl Stadium needs to be the best stadium in the conference are new video boards and about 10k-15k less seats. There are not 20 schools in the the country that need a stadium as large as what we have.

And yes, Ford Stadium @ SMU is a nice stadium for what it is but it it isn't anything special. You guys can knock what don't know but, if you have not been to the Liberty Bowl Stadium within the past two seasons, you have not been to the Liberty Bowl Stadium. It will park over 10k vehicles within the grounds including what was the old Tim McCarver Field and the old Liberty Land area that are now grass lots if needed.

The new practice fields, complete with new drainage, sod or fieldturf, the state of the art weight room, the renovated locker rooms that are all recently completed and the new indoor practice facility that will replace the existing building will place our facilities within the top 25 in the country. Even UCF's AD and football coach said last year when they were practicing there for the Autozone Liberty Bowl that what we have is now top of the conference and that is without the new IPF which we will break ground for after the first of the year.

Yeah, we might have slept late for the bell but we are catching up and passing people fast with facilities. The recruiting will continue to improve tremendously.

(11-06-2011 01:11 PM)NJRedMan Wrote:  

(11-06-2011 01:05 PM)bearcat PACO Wrote:  Memphis should be #12, it helps with the loss of Bball powers and provides a long term potentially good football program. Would love to start playing them again.

They need to make a bigger financial commitment to their athletics. They need a new FB stadium, new training facilities and just a show that you are committed long term to top quality athletics. UH last year committed 120 mil to a new FB stadium and a 40 mil to renovate their BBall arena. UCF has built new everything from FB to golf! The Memphis fans keep talking about FedEx money but why haven't they put that money into building new arenas?

We are getting new football training facilities right now, the Larry Finch Center for basketball is top notch and the Liberty Bowl is better than anything in the BE except for the NFL stadium that USF gets to use.

(11-08-2011 04:00 AM)ImsogladIwenttotheUofM Wrote:  

(11-06-2011 01:11 PM)NJRedMan Wrote:  

(11-06-2011 01:05 PM)bearcat PACO Wrote:  Memphis should be #12, it helps with the loss of Bball powers and provides a long term potentially good football program. Would love to start playing them again.

They need to make a bigger financial commitment to their athletics. They need a new FB stadium, new training facilities and just a show that you are committed long term to top quality athletics. UH last year committed 120 mil to a new FB stadium and a 40 mil to renovate their BBall arena. UCF has built new everything from FB to golf! The Memphis fans keep talking about FedEx money but why haven't they put that money into building new arenas?

We are getting new football training facilities right now, the Larry Finch Center for basketball is top notch and the Liberty Bowl is better than anything in the BE except for the NFL stadium that USF gets to use.

Wow! Now its better then Louisville's stadium too. I honestly like the Liberty Bowl, it has a sense of history to it, but you say its so great EXCEPT for videoboards and too many seats. Which means its not great. The LB is an off campus stadium in a relatively mediocre neighborhood of Memphis. Its grounds were atrocious and apparently they have been cleaned up. Its got a fresh coat of paint or whatever. Its got some premium tailgate spots. Has the whole fairground property been fixed, all of it? The Armory Building that sits next to the entrance? Is the neighborhood anymore involved then it was. Any private investment going on? Do people walk to games? This is the setting you have at East Carolina, at SMU, at UCF, at Southern Miss, etc...and those stadiums fit the size of their fanbases better. They are much better places to watch a football game and always will be until the LB gets close to full. The LB reminds me of RFK in Washington DC (Pirate fans will know what I mean), where there is a big parking lot surounded by a few buildings such as Armory Buildings in an area of town that has been forgotten. I would love for the LB to have a renassiance but $15 million isnt going to do it. Cleanup doesnt equal great atmosphere, it just gets done what HAS to be done to get anyone to show up. Its why Legion Stadium will never work at UAB.

Memphis should have been in the Big East in 2004.

Not sure what is going on but they are a shoe in basketball wise/culture/geography and are a sitting giant for football.

My guess? Basketball schools are scared? Dunno. It's retarded.

(11-08-2011 09:19 AM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  

(11-08-2011 04:00 AM)ImsogladIwenttotheUofM Wrote:  

(11-06-2011 01:11 PM)NJRedMan Wrote:  

(11-06-2011 01:05 PM)bearcat PACO Wrote:  Memphis should be #12, it helps with the loss of Bball powers and provides a long term potentially good football program. Would love to start playing them again.

They need to make a bigger financial commitment to their athletics. They need a new FB stadium, new training facilities and just a show that you are committed long term to top quality athletics. UH last year committed 120 mil to a new FB stadium and a 40 mil to renovate their BBall arena. UCF has built new everything from FB to golf! The Memphis fans keep talking about FedEx money but why haven't they put that money into building new arenas?

We are getting new football training facilities right now, the Larry Finch Center for basketball is top notch and the Liberty Bowl is better than anything in the BE except for the NFL stadium that USF gets to use.

Wow! Now its better then Louisville's stadium too. I honestly like the Liberty Bowl, it has a sense of history to it, but you say its so great EXCEPT for videoboards and too many seats. Which means its not great. The LB is an off campus stadium in a relatively mediocre neighborhood of Memphis. Its grounds were atrocious and apparently they have been cleaned up. Its got a fresh coat of paint or whatever. Its got some premium tailgate spots. Has the whole fairground property been fixed, all of it? The Armory Building that sits next to the entrance? Is the neighborhood anymore involved then it was. Any private investment going on? Do people walk to games? This is the setting you have at East Carolina, at SMU, at UCF, at Southern Miss, etc...and those stadiums fit the size of their fanbases better. They are much better places to watch a football game and always will be until the LB gets close to full. The LB reminds me of RFK in Washington DC (Pirate fans will know what I mean), where there is a big parking lot surounded by a few buildings such as Armory Buildings in an area of town that has been forgotten. I would love for the LB to have a renassiance but $15 million isnt going to do it. Cleanup doesnt equal great atmosphere, it just gets done what HAS to be done to get anyone to show up. Its why Legion Stadium will never work at UAB.

I tell you what. Drag yourself over here when you guys play in the stadium, just as I have done many times when we play in yours, and take a look for yourself. It is not recognizable if you have not been here in a couple of years. Otherwise, your opinion is dated and ignorant.

And your erector set stadium on campus is not a draw itself, if you want to know the truth.

(11-08-2011 09:19 AM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  

(11-08-2011 04:00 AM)ImsogladIwenttotheUofM Wrote:  

(11-06-2011 01:11 PM)NJRedMan Wrote:  

(11-06-2011 01:05 PM)bearcat PACO Wrote:  Memphis should be #12, it helps with the loss of Bball powers and provides a long term potentially good football program. Would love to start playing them again.

They need to make a bigger financial commitment to their athletics. They need a new FB stadium, new training facilities and just a show that you are committed long term to top quality athletics. UH last year committed 120 mil to a new FB stadium and a 40 mil to renovate their BBall arena. UCF has built new everything from FB to golf! The Memphis fans keep talking about FedEx money but why haven't they put that money into building new arenas?

We are getting new football training facilities right now, the Larry Finch Center for basketball is top notch and the Liberty Bowl is better than anything in the BE except for the NFL stadium that USF gets to use.

Wow! Now its better then Louisville's stadium too. I honestly like the Liberty Bowl, it has a sense of history to it, but you say its so great EXCEPT for videoboards and too many seats. Which means its not great. The LB is an off campus stadium in a relatively mediocre neighborhood of Memphis. Its grounds were atrocious and apparently they have been cleaned up. Its got a fresh coat of paint or whatever. Its got some premium tailgate spots. Has the whole fairground property been fixed, all of it? The Armory Building that sits next to the entrance? Is the neighborhood anymore involved then it was. Any private investment going on? Do people walk to games? This is the setting you have at East Carolina, at SMU, at UCF, at Southern Miss, etc...and those stadiums fit the size of their fanbases better. They are much better places to watch a football game and always will be until the LB gets close to full. The LB reminds me of RFK in Washington DC (Pirate fans will know what I mean), where there is a big parking lot surounded by a few buildings such as Armory Buildings in an area of town that has been forgotten. I would love for the LB to have a renassiance but $15 million isnt going to do it. Cleanup doesnt equal great atmosphere, it just gets done what HAS to be done to get anyone to show up. Its why Legion Stadium will never work at UAB.

The Armory building was replaced with the Children's Museum of Memphis back in 1990.



The ENTIRE FAIRGROUNDS AREA has been completely changed. All of the fairground buildings were demolished years ago.

I'm starting to think you haven't been to the Liberty Bowl since 1989, not 2009.

I was at the Memphis ECU game a few weeks ago. The city of Memphis has definitely cleaned up the stadium and the area immediately surrounding it. Calling it the best in CUSA is most definitely a stretch, but it is MUCH nicer than it was just a few years ago. The bathrooms were very nice actually. At least Memphis isn't playing in some giant NFL stadium. To me, that isn't impressive. The only thing worse than watching a college game in a half empty NFL stadium is watching a game played in front of 25k people slapping thundersticks together.

The potential is there for Memphis. IMO, they need to get rid of RC and go find a new football coach who can bring some excitement back to UofM football. They've had great support in the past, and my guess is that it will come back.

(11-08-2011 01:31 PM)TOGC Wrote:  

(11-08-2011 09:19 AM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  

(11-08-2011 04:00 AM)ImsogladIwenttotheUofM Wrote:  

(11-06-2011 01:11 PM)NJRedMan Wrote:  

(11-06-2011 01:05 PM)bearcat PACO Wrote:  Memphis should be #12, it helps with the loss of Bball powers and provides a long term potentially good football program. Would love to start playing them again.

They need to make a bigger financial commitment to their athletics. They need a new FB stadium, new training facilities and just a show that you are committed long term to top quality athletics. UH last year committed 120 mil to a new FB stadium and a 40 mil to renovate their BBall arena. UCF has built new everything from FB to golf! The Memphis fans keep talking about FedEx money but why haven't they put that money into building new arenas?

We are getting new football training facilities right now, the Larry Finch Center for basketball is top notch and the Liberty Bowl is better than anything in the BE except for the NFL stadium that USF gets to use.

Wow! Now its better then Louisville's stadium too. I honestly like the Liberty Bowl, it has a sense of history to it, but you say its so great EXCEPT for videoboards and too many seats. Which means its not great. The LB is an off campus stadium in a relatively mediocre neighborhood of Memphis. Its grounds were atrocious and apparently they have been cleaned up. Its got a fresh coat of paint or whatever. Its got some premium tailgate spots. Has the whole fairground property been fixed, all of it? The Armory Building that sits next to the entrance? Is the neighborhood anymore involved then it was. Any private investment going on? Do people walk to games? This is the setting you have at East Carolina, at SMU, at UCF, at Southern Miss, etc...and those stadiums fit the size of their fanbases better. They are much better places to watch a football game and always will be until the LB gets close to full. The LB reminds me of RFK in Washington DC (Pirate fans will know what I mean), where there is a big parking lot surounded by a few buildings such as Armory Buildings in an area of town that has been forgotten. I would love for the LB to have a renassiance but $15 million isnt going to do it. Cleanup doesnt equal great atmosphere, it just gets done what HAS to be done to get anyone to show up. Its why Legion Stadium will never work at UAB.

The Armory building was replaced with the Children's Museum of Memphis back in 1990.



The ENTIRE FAIRGROUNDS AREA has been completely changed. All of the fairground buildings were demolished years ago.

I'm starting to think you haven't been to the Liberty Bowl since 1989, not 2009.

I took my kids to the museum when I was there. That is a nice facility and was impressive. And I see that some of those "other" buildings have been torn down...as they should have been. Maybe it wasnt "the" armory building, but there is a bunch of old buildings on the old fairgrounds property.

Again, though...that doesnt mean you have a great facility. The LB is ok, I dont mind it, but it looks dated, the grounds look dated (overall) and there is no atmosphere about it. There is no color and it just sits on its own.

If you've been to ECU in the last few years, you need to walk around and get a real feel for it, even when we play Memphis...for hours and hours prior to the game. And check out the whole facility, the Club Level, the Club Building, Boneyard, Pirate Statue, etc...

(11-08-2011 06:37 PM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  I took my kids to the museum when I was there. That is a nice facility and was impressive. And I see that some of those "other" buildings have been torn down...as they should have been. Maybe it wasnt "the" armory building, but there is a bunch of old buildings on the old fairgrounds property.

Again, though...that doesnt mean you have a great facility. The LB is ok, I dont mind it, but it looks dated, the grounds look dated (overall) and there is no atmosphere about it. There is no color and it just sits on its own.

If you've been to ECU in the last few years, you need to walk around and get a real feel for it, even when we play Memphis...for hours and hours prior to the game. And check out the whole facility, the Club Level, the Club Building, Boneyard, Pirate Statue, etc...

Again, you really have no clue what the Liberty Bowl, the fairgrounds, or Tiger Lane look like these days.

There are no old buildings on the fairgrounds property. Years ago, fire destroyed a lot of them and the city bulldozed them rather than rebuilding them.












It's a beautiful stadium.

(11-07-2011 01:18 PM)Gray Avenger Wrote:  

(11-06-2011 01:25 PM)NJRedMan Wrote:  Thats your issue. Everyone is building new state of the art stadiums and you guys are staying with the stone age Liberty Bowl.

What in hell does a St Johns fan know (or care) about football anyway? I smell a rat in the woodpile - thou dost protest too much.

Because I didnt choose my schools based on sports? Yeah great argument. You know the majority of people in the country who go to college go to one without a major FB program right? And the rat you smell is the Liberty Bowl.

(11-09-2011 07:51 AM)NJRedMan Wrote:  

(11-07-2011 01:18 PM)Gray Avenger Wrote:  

(11-06-2011 01:25 PM)NJRedMan Wrote:  Thats your issue. Everyone is building new state of the art stadiums and you guys are staying with the stone age Liberty Bowl.

What in hell does a St Johns fan know (or care) about football anyway? I smell a rat in the woodpile - thou dost protest too much.

Because I didnt choose my schools based on sports? Yeah great argument. You know the majority of people in the country who go to college go to one without a major FB program right? And the rat you smell is the Liberty Bowl.

Based on the ignorance of your posts, you didn't learn anything at St. John's.

(11-09-2011 07:51 AM)NJRedMan Wrote:  

(11-07-2011 01:18 PM)Gray Avenger Wrote:  

(11-06-2011 01:25 PM)NJRedMan Wrote:  Thats your issue. Everyone is building new state of the art stadiums and you guys are staying with the stone age Liberty Bowl.

What in hell does a St Johns fan know (or care) about football anyway? I smell a rat in the woodpile - thou dost protest too much.

Because I didnt choose my schools based on sports? Yeah great argument. You know the majority of people in the country who go to college go to one without a major FB program right? And the rat you smell is the Liberty Bowl.

Nice try at changing the subject. I was not referring to how you chose your school (and don't really give a damn), but how you run your mouth about what football schools need to do.

Well Louisville went through the same thing from the 70's - the 90's and into the 2000's. State money was going to Lexington fixing up "Big Brothers " facilities but the Fans of UL had a vision to help build our own Facilities to get things rolling. You need a fanbase willing to commit to Season ticket sales, corporate sponsorships on board, Have an AD with great vision to hire great coaching talent in all sports to stimulate community interest in those other sports, recruit great student atheletes willing to build a program and not leave early. Generate Large TV interest, even if playing during the work week and keep an eye out for opportunities that arise unexpectedly. after success the State couldnt over look us anymore on Staduim expansion and a state of the art arena in downtown Louisville that revitalized a center that once rolled up the carpets after 5pm. Now we fill a 22,000 seat arena even for exhibition games, great Concerts, conventions,ect and put nearly 50,000 fans for each home game.
It really helps for the fans of each school to be Vocal about moving forward in upgrading current facilities or Having new ones built
Good Luck to all of You !

Memphis will move up in the next few years. Book it -write it down - take it to the bank.