Southside Social is where the official JMU Duke Club pregame social is Saturday at 12!

(09-18-2019 09:35 AM)DirtyDukes Wrote:  Southside Social is where the official JMU Duke Club pregame social is Saturday at 12!

Shame yall aren't coming to town next weekend, our Homecoming...Terrell will be there and maybe you could have got him to play a game of ping pong :)

The Chattanooga area has so much Civil War history as I am sure yours does too being from Virginia. One little interesting fact I always like to pass on is as you are sitting in the stadium Saturday look to your left. In the distance you will see Missionary Ridge running from north to south. Along this ridge it was where the northern army broke out of Chattanooga to start their march to the sea. On the northern end of Missionary Ridge there was a Wisconsin regiment. They were battling their way up the side of the ridge when their guideon went down, the soldier carrying their regimental flag. A young officer in his late teens went and picked up the flag and yelled ON WISCONSIN! (which in some variation is now the state song and battle cry of Univ of Wisconsin) He led the regiment up the ridge where they overtook the southern forces. For this bravery he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. His name Arthur McArthur. He would later have a son named Douglas. Yes, that Douglas McArthur.

Also, if you have time you can go visit the Chattanooga National Cemetery, the nation's second largest behind Arlington. Some gravesites to note are as you drive in you will see this:



It is a monument to the men who stole the General in the Civil War. The action made famous in the movie The General and The Great Locomotive Chase. Behind the monument in a semi-circle are the men who were hung for doing this.They were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Also in the cemetery is this gravesite:



Desmond Doss is the hero depicted in the recent movie Hacksaw Ridge. He had lived much of his later life in the Chattanooga area.

For those who really enjoy history just south of Chattanooga is the Chickamauga battlefield. Chickamauga is the first and largest of the national battlefields. You can tour and they have a museum.

(09-18-2019 08:57 AM)GoMocs57 Wrote:  

(09-18-2019 08:51 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  Since we have a few Mocs attention, there's several of us wanting the championship game to return to Chatty, what's the chance of going after it when the current contract ends and the bidding begins.

Honestly I think the powers that be that run the stadium have lost interest in it. But I might be surprised if they ever bid it again. Something like 70% of the FCS teams are east of the Mississippi...makes sense to have it in this part of the country. More people are within a 1 day drive.

The NCAA is a joke for not more seriously entertaining cities other than Frisco. They’re getting lazy and the Frisco city council keeps singing new contracts as long as the bison keep showing up in droves.

I’d want it back in Chattanooga in a heartbeat compared to Frisco.

(09-18-2019 08:51 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  Since we have a few Mocs attention, there's several of us wanting the championship game to return to Chatty, what's the chance of going after it when the current contract ends and the bidding begins.

I loved the two hour drive from Atlanta in 2004. That game got me hooked back into JMU football.

(09-18-2019 11:01 AM)Potomac Wrote:  

(09-18-2019 08:57 AM)GoMocs57 Wrote:  

(09-18-2019 08:51 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  Since we have a few Mocs attention, there's several of us wanting the championship game to return to Chatty, what's the chance of going after it when the current contract ends and the bidding begins.

Honestly I think the powers that be that run the stadium have lost interest in it. But I might be surprised if they ever bid it again. Something like 70% of the FCS teams are east of the Mississippi...makes sense to have it in this part of the country. More people are within a 1 day drive.

The NCAA is a joke for not more seriously entertaining cities other than Frisco. They’re getting lazy and the Frisco city council keeps singing new contracts as long as the bison keep showing up in droves.

I’d want it back in Chattanooga in a heartbeat compared to Frisco.

My recollection is the past few times the FCS AD committee in charge of this just exercised an "option" to extend the existing Frisco contract. Not sure, but they may be able to do this indefinitely, short of some public outcry or pressure from other ADs.

As long as we are still FCS, I'd like to see Nooga again. But it would take a serious effort to get the committee to open it up for bids, and it also sounds like some nudging to get Nooga to make a bid.

Edit - current Frisco contract goes thru 2025/6:
https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/artic...ption-2026

The FCS NC game was a big event in Chattanooga. I am guessing in Frisco/Dallas most people could care less. I too would love for it to return.

I likely won’t go again unless it moves out of “generic suburbia multi-purpose facility.com”. Wherever that may be.

I’d go back in a wink to chatty, Even a move to some other godforsaken place in corn country might be fun.

But Dallas burbs? Yea, no thanks.

I would much rather the game be in Chatty too, even though I live 20 minutes from Toyota Stadium. Chatty was a much better atmosphere. I prefer the game in a college town, which Frisco is not.

Just give me a football stadium with a decent capacity and concessions ready for all those people. It's really not that hard.

(09-19-2019 01:03 PM)jmufan2008 Wrote:  Just give me a football stadium with a decent capacity and concessions ready for all those people. It's really not that hard.

I guess the hard part of that is it all depends on who is in the final game. If it is JMU and NDSU, then it is a sellout. If it is one or the other and a team that doesn't draw so great, it is about right at 80%+ capacity. If it is two teams that don't draw well, it is a ghost town and they are giving tickets away. There is such a range in FCS between teams like 'nova or Towson with their limited following and the other end of the spectrum, JMU and NDSU.

(09-19-2019 01:39 PM)Purple Wrote:  

(09-19-2019 01:03 PM)jmufan2008 Wrote:  Just give me a football stadium with a decent capacity and concessions ready for all those people. It's really not that hard.

I guess the hard part of that is it all depends on who is in the final game. If it is JMU and NDSU, then it is a sellout. If it is one or the other and a team that doesn't draw so great, it is about right at 80%+ capacity. If it is two teams that don't draw well, it is a ghost town and they are giving tickets away. There is such a range in FCS between teams like 'nova or Towson with their limited following and the other end of the spectrum, JMU and NDSU.

Well, it's been 8 straight years of NDSU or JMU being in the championship. I'd be willing to bet this year will make 9. I don't know what oddsmakers would put the chances at that one of us would make the championship each year, but it's probably 75%+ (hell, NDSU alone making it is probably 60%+ on any given year). I completely agree that if neither of us make it, they'd struggle to get 10k there with nearly any other FCS teams, but the odds are pretty overwhelming that that's not going to be in danger anytime soon.

(09-19-2019 02:33 PM)jmufan2008 Wrote:  

(09-19-2019 01:39 PM)Purple Wrote:  

(09-19-2019 01:03 PM)jmufan2008 Wrote:  Just give me a football stadium with a decent capacity and concessions ready for all those people. It's really not that hard.

I guess the hard part of that is it all depends on who is in the final game. If it is JMU and NDSU, then it is a sellout. If it is one or the other and a team that doesn't draw so great, it is about right at 80%+ capacity. If it is two teams that don't draw well, it is a ghost town and they are giving tickets away. There is such a range in FCS between teams like 'nova or Towson with their limited following and the other end of the spectrum, JMU and NDSU.

Well, it's been 8 straight years of NDSU or JMU being in the championship. I'd be willing to bet this year will make 9. I don't know what oddsmakers would put the chances at that one of us would make the championship each year, but it's probably 75%+ (hell, NDSU alone making it is probably 60%+ on any given year). I completely agree that if neither of us make it, they'd struggle to get 10k there with nearly any other FCS teams, but the odds are pretty overwhelming that that's not going to be in danger anytime soon.

Yep - they had 7 years covered.
We had two

Say what folks want, but NDSU's run has been amazing in so many aspects. They are not even in an attractive place to live in the winter. And so far they appear to be the team to beat again. Multiple QBs & Head coaches and they just keep dominating.

(09-19-2019 01:03 PM)jmufan2008 Wrote:  Just give me a football stadium with a decent capacity and concessions ready for all those people. It's really not that hard.

Apparently it is. The ncaa can’t seem to even get these requirements met.

(09-19-2019 07:48 AM)JMUDunk Wrote:  I likely won’t go again unless it moves out of “generic suburbia multi-purpose facility.com”. Wherever that may be.

I’d go back in a wink to chatty, Even a move to some other godforsaken place in corn country might be fun.

But Dallas burbs? Yea, no thanks.

I agree on having no multiple purpose facility, but I don’t mind Frisco or the DFW metro, or any other major airline hub, major city or suburbs. Easy, not expensive direct flights for most people. Plenty of hotel rooms. If you can’t get a room in Frisco, can in nearby Plano or rest of DFW area. I wouldn’t want it in a place that’s more than a couple hr drive from a major airport where most people have to do either connecting flights and/or more than a days’s drive, or not enough hotels rooms for 20-25k people (insert god forsaken place in corn country). Chatty worked because fans of more schools could drive it, and if flew ATL under 2 hr drive. UTC’s Finely about identical 20.5k capacity to Frisco. Would like to see a little bigger stadium..

My big gripe is with the Frisco stadium, not the location..

(09-19-2019 01:03 PM)jmufan2008 Wrote:  Just give me a football stadium with a decent capacity and concessions ready for all those people. It's really not that hard.

Yep. Frisco a made for soccer stadium with too small video boards, too small temp scoreboard, inadequate concessions (was the case 2017 JMU/NDSU), inadequate capacity, construction limited capacity 2016-2017)..Having the game in a soccer stadium should be a non starter..

(09-21-2019 08:49 AM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(09-19-2019 01:03 PM)jmufan2008 Wrote:  Just give me a football stadium with a decent capacity and concessions ready for all those people. It's really not that hard.

Yep. Frisco a made for soccer stadium with too small video boards, too small temp scoreboard, inadequate concessions (was the case 2017 JMU/NDSU), inadequate capacity, construction limited capacity 2016-2017)..Having the game in a soccer stadium should be a non starter..

Agree.

(09-21-2019 08:44 AM)BDKJMU Wrote:  UTC’s Finely about identical 20.5k capacity to Frisco. Would like to see a little bigger stadium..

My big gripe is with the Frisco stadium, not the location..

I read somewhere that the capacity of toyota stadium dropped by approximately 1,000 seats after their renovation because they installed permanent seat backs instead of the bleachers it used to be. You can't put as many people in the same space.

Their wikipedia page says 20,500, but I feel it is out of date. It references an article from 2005 as its source. It's probably 19,500 now, which makes it slightly smaller than Finley Stadium in Chattanooga was (20,668 seats).

I agree that the DFW area is fine, albeit too far from most of the country's population and FCS schools.

Using the "the stadium is appropriately sized for most FCS fan bases" argument doesn't really work when every year in Frisco so far except for the first one has featured either JMU or NDSU, some of the largest fan bases in the country that travel well. NDSU's dynasty is showing no signs of stopping either. Montana may be on the way back, along with Montana State. Zero excuse to downgrade your facility's seating capacity but the incompetence of the NCAA knows no bounds.