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golf4501 Offline
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Post: #1
facility upgrades
https://niuhuskies.com/news/2022/4/1/wom...9EmDBoGCJA

The master plan 8 years in the making...
04-01-2022 05:11 PM
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Stay Cool Offline
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Post: #2
facility upgrades
Long overdue upgrades, but Curious when we'll see the football upgrades actually happen so we don't look so small time

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04-01-2022 05:16 PM
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epasnoopy Offline
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RE: facility upgrades
(04-01-2022 05:16 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Long overdue upgrades, but Curious when we'll see the football upgrades actually happen so we don't look so small time

Considering it took 8 years for $2 million in upgrades in Olympic sports, I'd say we will see some upgrades at Huskie Stadium in the year 2040.
04-01-2022 05:58 PM
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pvk75 Offline
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RE: facility upgrades
Great that this is happening, but making it sound like part of the original 2014-15 master plan is a misnomer. Take note: Frazier refers to it as "a realization of a project initiated as part" of that plan, rather than actual project(s) from that plan.

That master plan called for a new baseball stadium west of the Stevenson parking lot northeast of the Convo. When that happened, the site of the existing baseball stadium would have been used for two new facilities: an indoor-outdoor tennis center, and an Olympic Village sports facility. The "OV" is no longer mentioned, and tennis is now inside Evans Fieldhouse.

Still, with the changes in the economy, state funding, budget cuts, smaller athletic budget, etc., NIU is to be commended for coming up with workable ways to upgrade the facilities it has.

I'm still waiting for the announcement of the sale of Convo naming rights, which was "initiated" in 2018.
04-01-2022 06:11 PM
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golf4501 Offline
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RE: facility upgrades
(04-01-2022 05:16 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Long overdue upgrades, but Curious when we'll see the football upgrades actually happen so we don't look so small time

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Funny you mention that. I tailgate on the east side of the stadium. Around 2016 or so an individual from athletics came by our tailgate, and said "next year we will be moving you as construction for the new suites will be taking place and impacting your spot...."

I'm still waiting!
04-01-2022 06:16 PM
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Post: #6
facility upgrades
(04-01-2022 06:16 PM)golf4501 Wrote:  
(04-01-2022 05:16 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Long overdue upgrades, but Curious when we'll see the football upgrades actually happen so we don't look so small time

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Funny you mention that. I tailgate on the east side of the stadium. Around 2016 or so an individual from athletics came by our tailgate, and said "next year we will be moving you as construction for the new suites will be taking place and impacting your spot...."

I'm still waiting!


Better renew your parking fast before they rip up the east side lot!
04-01-2022 06:21 PM
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IWokeUpLikeThis Offline
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RE: facility upgrades
(04-01-2022 06:16 PM)golf4501 Wrote:  
(04-01-2022 05:16 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Long overdue upgrades, but Curious when we'll see the football upgrades actually happen so we don't look so small time

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk

Funny you mention that. I tailgate on the east side of the stadium. Around 2016 or so an individual from athletics came by our tailgate, and said "next year we will be moving you as construction for the new suites will be taking place and impacting your spot...."

I'm still waiting!

That’s incredible.

The WMU weeknight game in 2019 had only 1 car in the East Lot (I have photos on my phone). I‘m not sure if that was intentional or if no one showed up.

Unrecognizable from how it used to be.
04-01-2022 07:11 PM
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Schaefer Beer Offline
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RE: facility upgrades
(04-01-2022 07:11 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  
(04-01-2022 06:16 PM)golf4501 Wrote:  
(04-01-2022 05:16 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Long overdue upgrades, but Curious when we'll see the football upgrades actually happen so we don't look so small time

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk

Funny you mention that. I tailgate on the east side of the stadium. Around 2016 or so an individual from athletics came by our tailgate, and said "next year we will be moving you as construction for the new suites will be taking place and impacting your spot...."

I'm still waiting!

That’s incredible.

The WMU weeknight game in 2019 had only 1 car in the East Lot (I have photos on my phone). I‘m not sure if that was intentional or if no one showed up.

Unrecognizable from how it used to be.

Reminds me when in 1986 when we thought it would be cool to tailgate for the annual spring game. We were the only car in the East Side. But I must admit, NIU police did not bother us.
04-01-2022 09:22 PM
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Schaefer Beer Offline
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RE: facility upgrades
(04-01-2022 06:11 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  Great that this is happening, but making it sound like part of the original 2014-15 master plan is a misnomer. Take note: Frazier refers to it as "a realization of a project initiated as part" of that plan, rather than actual project(s) from that plan.

That master plan called for a new baseball stadium west of the Stevenson parking lot northeast of the Convo. When that happened, the site of the existing baseball stadium would have been used for two new facilities: an indoor-outdoor tennis center, and an Olympic Village sports facility. The "OV" is no longer mentioned, and tennis is now inside Evans Fieldhouse.

Still, with the changes in the economy, state funding, budget cuts, smaller athletic budget, etc., NIU is to be commended for coming up with workable ways to upgrade the facilities it has.

I'm still waiting for the announcement of the sale of Convo naming rights, which was "initiated" in 2018.

Agree 100%. Whether these were on the Master Plan to have top grade facilities for athletic teams or the facilities are so bad, we have no choice scenario, it's still an improvement amid budget cuts and low enrollment.

These upgrades are not the ones that we were hoping for, but I think the most important was the soccer facilities upgrade. If we want to keep the upward trajectory of a top notch program, we have to have top notch facilities.
04-01-2022 09:44 PM
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HawaiiToNIU Offline
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RE: facility upgrades
(04-01-2022 05:11 PM)golf4501 Wrote:  https://niuhuskies.com/news/2022/4/1/wom...9EmDBoGCJA

The master plan 8 years in the making...

Where they gonna play floor hockey now?
04-01-2022 11:19 PM
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NIUfilmmaker Offline
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Post: #11
RE: facility upgrades
Grateful for the alumni that chipped in on these upgrades, but this is a complete failure on the behalf of Frazier. He shows off standard plans for a new baseball stadium, new tennis center (facilities other mid-majors have pulled off in recent years), and almost a decade later he delivers a few watered down improvements and pats himself on the back. STF sucks.
04-02-2022 08:51 AM
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epasnoopy Offline
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Post: #12
RE: facility upgrades
(04-02-2022 08:51 AM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  Grateful for the alumni that chipped in on these upgrades, but this is a complete failure on the behalf of Frazier. He shows off standard plans for a new baseball stadium, new tennis center (facilities other mid-majors have pulled off in recent years), and almost a decade later he delivers a few watered down improvements and pats himself on the back. STF sucks.

Everyone wants to say lack of funding but it is really a failure to fundraise. I have not seen major fundraising campaigns to build these facilities. Apparently the Tennis Center is named after the Nelson's. Sounds like they didn't want to fundraise so they just asked one well-off donor for some money to renovate Chick Evans.
04-02-2022 08:54 AM
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Schaefer Beer Offline
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RE: facility upgrades
(04-02-2022 08:54 AM)epasnoopy Wrote:  
(04-02-2022 08:51 AM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  Grateful for the alumni that chipped in on these upgrades, but this is a complete failure on the behalf of Frazier. He shows off standard plans for a new baseball stadium, new tennis center (facilities other mid-majors have pulled off in recent years), and almost a decade later he delivers a few watered down improvements and pats himself on the back. STF sucks.

Everyone wants to say lack of funding but it is really a failure to fundraise. I have not seen major fundraising campaigns to build these facilities. Apparently the Tennis Center is named after the Nelson's. Sounds like they didn't want to fundraise so they just asked one well-off donor for some money to renovate Chick Evans.

The alternative is to get emails, texts , tweets, phone calls and letters asking for money every day. At this point in my life, I don't have much money to spare and the money I donate will go to Ukrainian first.
(This post was last modified: 04-02-2022 09:12 AM by Schaefer Beer.)
04-02-2022 09:09 AM
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HUSKiESbelieve Offline
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Post: #14
RE: facility upgrades
These are excellent upgrades and I especially like the conversion of the field house to the Nelson Tennis Center. I hope they put up large lighted names of the facilities near the entrances to showcase the facilities like I have seen at other universities which would give it a top notch look for the university. NIU athletics is very fortunate to have all the sports fields centered around campus and they are very easily accessible for student athletes. A little sprucing up of the Pathways and Signages would look great for campus tours.
04-02-2022 12:25 PM
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NIUSAE Offline
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RE: facility upgrades
Nelson's have been major funding source last couple of years. Hope the well doesn't run dry.
04-02-2022 01:08 PM
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stpeterocketfan Offline
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RE: facility upgrades
Chick Evans was a great place to see a basketball game. Last time I went was when Kenny Battle played for NIU. The convocation has felt empty ever since when I see it on TV. I am glad that it was turned into tennis courts.
04-02-2022 02:35 PM
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randyfensfanclub1 Offline
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RE: facility upgrades
I just want to know where this money everyone wants is to come from?

I have no idea how much money was raised after the 2012 season. I know that they should have done more to get fans interested in football, buy tickets. That didn't occur.

Once the Orange Bowl passed, most of the Johnny come lately's bailed. And how many of them actually donated? I would say next to to none.

STF has to focus on the whales. How many has he brought on? My guess, not many.

Alumni don't donate. Never have. They don't go to see a successful team now, enrollment is down. So the few that even step foot on campus again is even less. I mean I bet 90% never step foot on campus again that have no relative /friend attending. After 5 years, I bet it's 95+%. People don't care. They move on.

DeKalb is not a big city, It's not Buffalo or Toledo getting local business to donate. Individual NOT alumni. How many who donate to NIU didn't go to NIU? That's what the difference is between P5, some G5 and NIU. On top of generations attending a school the go there because of generations of sports loyalty. It's legacy NIU was a teacher's school 50 years ago or so. One bowl game until 2000's.

I think once again we need to face reality. I go back to the P5 dream. Go back to these threads. Just read the comments of falacy. If you bought the pipe dream, sorry. But I think those who did actually believed in it did so w/o STF saying it. It was always in their mind. It was never going to happen, NIU as a whole never was going there nor did they warrant it.There is no savior coming any time soon to raise 100 million short of one alumnus making it happen. Come to a realization of what NIU is and enjoy it be it football....tennis....golf.....education.....the campus.

Or at least see it for what it is even if you don't like it.
(This post was last modified: 04-02-2022 03:16 PM by randyfensfanclub1.)
04-02-2022 03:12 PM
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Dog Fan Offline
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Post: #18
facility upgrades
(04-02-2022 02:35 PM)stpeterocketfan Wrote:  Chick Evans was a great place to see a basketball game. Last time I went was when Kenny Battle played for NIU. The convocation has felt empty ever since when I see it on TV. I am glad that it was turned into tennis courts.


Chick Evans was a wonderful place to watch basketball because people attended the games. It was well attended because the team played well. Move the current team there and it would be empty - just like the Convo is. If the team ever plays well again and people start attending the games, the Convo will be one jumping place. But, at this time, it’s just a dream.
04-02-2022 03:42 PM
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Dog Fan Offline
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Post: #19
facility upgrades
(04-02-2022 03:12 PM)randyfensfanclub1 Wrote:  I just want to know where this money everyone wants is to come from?

I have no idea how much money was raised after the 2012 season. I know that they should have done more to get fans interested in football, buy tickets. That didn't occur.

Once the Orange Bowl passed, most of the Johnny come lately's bailed. And how many of them actually donated? I would say next to to none.

STF has to focus on the whales. How many has he brought on? My guess, not many.

Alumni don't donate. Never have. They don't go to see a successful team now, enrollment is down. So the few that even step foot on campus again is even less. I mean I bet 90% never step foot on campus again that have no relative /friend attending. After 5 years, I bet it's 95+%. People don't care. They move on.

DeKalb is not a big city, It's not Buffalo or Toledo getting local business to donate. Individual NOT alumni. How many who donate to NIU didn't go to NIU? That's what the difference is between P5, some G5 and NIU. On top of generations attending a school the go there because of generations of sports loyalty. It's legacy NIU was a teacher's school 50 years ago or so. One bowl game until 2000's.

I think once again we need to face reality. I go back to the P5 dream. Go back to these threads. Just read the comments of falacy. If you bought the pipe dream, sorry. But I think those who did actually believed in it did so w/o STF saying it. It was always in their mind. It was never going to happen, NIU as a whole never was going there nor did they warrant it.There is no savior coming any time soon to raise 100 million short of one alumnus making it happen. Come to a realization of what NIU is and enjoy it be it football....tennis....golf.....education.....the campus.

Or at least see it for what it is even if you don't like it.


I agree with what you’re saying. However, STF has to go after the whales because he (and the university in general) is disgustingly bad at courting donors smaller than whales. A lot of smaller donors put together is a big donor. They have never seemed to learn this simple fact. Plus, once they can get somebody to donate, it will be easier for that person to donate again - and maybe even more. But, that donor needs to feel important and that his donation really matters.
04-02-2022 03:50 PM
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Big Red Online
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RE: facility upgrades
(04-02-2022 03:42 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  
(04-02-2022 02:35 PM)stpeterocketfan Wrote:  Chick Evans was a great place to see a basketball game. Last time I went was when Kenny Battle played for NIU. The convocation has felt empty ever since when I see it on TV. I am glad that it was turned into tennis courts.


Chick Evans was a wonderful place to watch basketball because people attended the games. It was well attended because the team played well. Move the current team there and it would be empty - just like the Convo is. If the team ever plays well again and people start attending the games, the Convo will be one jumping place. But, at this time, it’s just a dream.

No one is going to argue that NIU hoops has been anything but a disappointment while playing in the Convo, but let's not act like a historically sub-.500 program was a team that played well enough to entice substantially larger crowds to Chick Evans.

Evans probably benefitted from a location advantage as it is in a much more accessible (walkable) location but that's not a good enough reason to continue playing there. The school needed an upgrade and building it where they did was about as good of a place as they could have selected.

There are a bunch of reasons the team draws poorly. The success of the program is just one of them.
04-02-2022 04:57 PM
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