(09-12-2016 08:08 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(09-12-2016 07:17 PM)OldOwl Wrote:  Did it help them win more games?

(09-08-2016 02:58 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Didn't know David Beaty's team also had some renovations to their locker room. This does seem to be a recent big trend in making these things look like video-game arcades; for I think ours is fine, while it may need some paint, wall-hangings and graphics:

New $2 million Kansas football locker room features barber shop, personalized lockers with Twitter handle

Posted by Liam McGuire on Aug 29, 2016 11:20



The Kansas Jayhawks football team’s latest locker room upgrades unsurprisingly border on the excessive side.

On Sunday, Kansas unveiled its upgraded locker room and player lounge. The $2 million facelift implemented many lavish details.

The connected player’s lounge has a pool table, shuffleboard, gaming consoles, arcade games and a barber shop among other entertainment options. The Jayhawks re-designed locker room now includes player pictures and Twitter handles in personalized lockers, an illuminated LED Jayhawk logo on the ceiling and sound system upgrades throughout.

“I could not believe how big and flashy it was when we walked in,” senior safety Fish Smithson said. “I knew it was going to be nice, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. Our lockers have all of the fancy extras you would want in there.”

Kansas’ changes aren’t as extravagant as Clemson’s $55 million facility, featuring a nap room, bowling alley, and golf simulator. Nor is it as fancy as Oregon’s impressive 30,000 square feet Marcus Mariota Sports Performance Center.

Still, it’s hard to argue the millions spent on upgrades will provide any benefits to Jayhawks players aside from entertaining them on off days. The upgrades, in this case, are largely unnecessary and were made to boost the aesthetics of the facility and attract future players.

Given that Kansas is 12-60 over the last six years and coming off a winless season last year, anything is worth a try to make the program feel better about itself.

TBD. Just opened from the looks of the article.

Right now, they've crushed a bad FCS team at home (Rhode Island) and lost at home by 16 to a middling Ohio team, being outgained in the first half 359-21.

It is extremely difficult to maintain a winning football program at a "basketball" school (Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas), though David Cutcliffe (and Steve Spurrier, briefly) have had decent success at Duke. North Carolina has not had a top football program, even with the help of massive (un-penalized) cheating.

(09-13-2016 12:11 AM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  It is extremely difficult to maintain a winning football program at a "basketball" school (Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas), though David Cutcliffe (and Steve Spurrier, briefly) have had decent success at Duke. North Carolina has not had a top football program, even with the help of massive (un-penalized) cheating.

Well there you go. Rice's problem isn't the underperforming football program, it's the fact the basketball program isn't performing (yet) well enough for Rice to be considered a "basketball" school.

Well, since the webcam is still down, can't see if they ended up getting the scoreboard finished or if they made any other changes like painting the tub ring wall or finishing the pressure washing on the lower level corners and East stands (Loki's pic a few posts above showed the upper West stands being pressure washed). Guess we'll see tonight.

Still miss the webcam.

(09-16-2016 11:26 AM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Well, since the webcam is still down, can't see if they ended up getting the scoreboard finished or if they made any other changes like painting the tub ring wall or finishing the pressure washing on the lower level corners and East stands (Loki's pic a few posts above showed the upper West stands being pressure washed). Guess we'll see tonight.

Still miss the webcam.

They were still working on the scoreboard side panels yesterday.

(09-16-2016 11:28 AM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  

(09-16-2016 11:26 AM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Well, since the webcam is still down, can't see if they ended up getting the scoreboard finished or if they made any other changes like painting the tub ring wall or finishing the pressure washing on the lower level corners and East stands (Loki's pic a few posts above showed the upper West stands being pressure washed). Guess we'll see tonight.

Still miss the webcam.

They were still working on the scoreboard side panels yesterday.

Thanks, Tiki. Any news about the sound system? Anyone heard it yet at any previous events? Is it improved from what we had before? Will spectators be able to hear the MOB scripts better?

saw these posted today:

Rice Announces Improvements to Fan Experience

Rice Fan Survey Report

...of course there is one glaring fan improvement still missing at HRS. Maybe they'll address it this offseason.

Hope to see some posts of any new HRS pics from tonight's game, and fan/crowd size pics here for those of us out of towners who can't get to the game.

Hopefully, espn will take a break from promoting their P5 matchups, pan the cameras around the stadium and talk about the recent improvements to HRS to help promote Rice a bit to national viewers who tune in. And hope they do that early in the game while we (hopefully) have the attention of TV viewers.

(01-23-2015 03:36 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  while we're waiting for construction pictures to come:

Rice Football Truck images:
http://atlantamafia.com/CUSA_Transports.htm











and hadn't seen these before:

I forgot about the 2006 truck-other than the giant jerk in the middle, it was actually pretty good. Kinda like the mural at the Toyota Center honoring the Rockets Championship teams-the largest photo in the middle is Alexander, who without him, they would have never won-ahh no-he may be a bigger jerk than the toad.......

The Toad put "We Will Win" on the side of the truck. Didn't like the guy, but I like that attitude.

Any stadium pics from the game? Crowd? East/West decks?

Facility looks much nicer. I'm not embarrassed to bring people to a game anymore.

How were the restrooms?
How were the concessions?
How was the sound?

(09-16-2016 11:02 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  How were the restrooms?
How were the concessions?
How was the sound?

Did not go for the first two, but the sound was crystal clear.

(09-16-2016 11:02 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  How were the restrooms?
How were the concessions?
How was the sound?

Better than any other major college football stadium. Granted we weren't as crowded.
Good. They brought in extras. There were lines but they moved fast.
Better than it's ever been. Good selection on the new scoreboard.

One thing that I thought was really cool were the MNF football style introductions.. "Alex Lyons, Desoto, TX", etc.

The stadium and the new audio visual was excellent. The concessions were a disappointment. They were not prepared for the big crowds. Long lines with only one person working in them in some stations.

(09-16-2016 11:27 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  One thing that I thought was really cool were the MNF football style introductions.. "Alex Lyons, Desoto, TX", etc.

(09-16-2016 11:35 PM)OldOwl Wrote:  The stadium and the new audio visual was excellent. The concessions were a disappointment. They were not prepared for the big crowds. Long lines with only one person working in them in some stations.

(09-16-2016 11:27 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  One thing that I thought was really cool were the MNF football style introductions.. "Alex Lyons, Desoto, TX", etc.

Concessions need a major improvement in terms of staffing, efficiency, and quality of product.

Scoreboard had a nice picture, but the graphics need major work. They were posting game scores with a time, but mention of the quarter.

Also, the camera work still left a lot to be desired.

Concessions were still terribly crowded and slow, in my opinion. About a half-hour line to get a burger. Jeff Van Gundy was waiting by himself in the line adjacent to mine, which was pretty fun.

We were having issues connecting the computer stats to the scoreboard, but I think they finally figured it out at the end of the game and that shouldn't be an issue the rest of the season (I hope.....).