I made an artists' rendering in Photoshop of what Arizona Stadium would look like fully enclosed at the north end with a football center. Apologies to NC State.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
New Arizona Stadium
I made an artists' rendering in Photoshop of what Arizona Stadium would look like fully enclosed at the north end with a football center. Apologies to NC State.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
It's gonna take money
Here for your consideration is a plan on how to bring Arizona football back. It reads like an official UA website but it is mostly my own creation. Portions of it were plagarized from other schools such as Indiana, NC State and Oklahoma. Let me know what you think.
Pretend you are on the UA Athletics website and you come across a link to a slick new page with a Flash animation of UA Wildcat football action and "Bear Down Arizona" playing in the background.
The Drive: The new Campaign for Arizona Football
Overview:
In recent years, the football program at the University of Arizona has faced increasing challenges in the highly competitive environment of college athletics and especially in the context of the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10). All of our Pac-10 member institutions have taken steps to increase financial support of their football programs outside of traditional funding sources, and with that support has come upgrades to coaching staff, support staff and physical facilities. These upgrades, along with the commitment and dedication of student-athletes, coaching and support staff, and loyal fans and supporters of each team, have resulted in winning seasons, and major post-season bowl appearances, for nearly all of the football programs of our member institutions, for which we offer our praise and share in a sense of pride, as these accomplishments serve to bolster the increasingly solid reputation of Pac-10 football amongst the media, student-athletes, and fans alike throughout the nation.
We at the Wildcat Club recognize the critical importance of the Arizona football program to the overall athletic department and to the University as a whole. To this end, we have instituted a new four-year, $150 million capital campaign called "the Drive for Wildcat Football". The unique aspect of this campaign is that it is devoted solely and exclusively to the Wildcat football program. The improvements and enhancements from The Drive will serve to elevate the Arizona football program to the elite tier of college football programs in the United States and specifically in the NCAA.
The goal of Arizona Football is to provide the best student-athletes we can recruit to the University with the chance to achieve their personal and professional goals by first giving them a quality university education, and secondly, giving them the opportunity to play the game of football at the highest possible collegiate level in the best possible facilities. The football program is first and foremost an integral component of the overall academic experience at the University, and we expect our student-athletes to be students - as well as athletes - in every sense of the word.
We recognize that the primary goal of football student-athletes is to play at the professional level, preferably in the National Football League. To this end we structure the Arizona football program as a pre-professional program to prepare student-athletes, physically as well as mentally, for the rigors and demands of NFL play.
In order to accomplish these goals, we as a program face a critical need to upgrade our facilities - already considered among the finest in the Pac-10 - to the standards that today's student-athletes expect from a major NCAA and Pac-10 program designed to prepare student-athletes for professional athletic play.
"The Drive for Wildcat Football" will in no small way serve to revolutionize Arizona football.
Timetable & Goals
July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2012
CAPITAL PROJECTS
GOAL = $75 MILLION
A private support goal of $75 million has been set for capital projects for Arizona Stadium, including the new Arizona Stadium Football Operations Center. Capital funds raised will expedite and enhance capital projects initiated with a bond issuance. This multi-million dollar investment in the UA's athletic facilities will enable us to significantly bolster the football program and to upgrade Arizona Stadium and our football facilities to near-NFL caliber.
- Enclosing of the north end zone to provide an additional 5000 permanent seats: $5 million
- Conversion of west and east side stands (except student/Zona Zoo sections) to NFL-style stadium seating: $5 million
- Accelerated maintenance on other portions of Arizona Stadium: $2 million
- Four elevators for east seating area, each with a 4,500 lb maximum load capacity (20-25 passengers): $2 million
- Two elevators for west seating area, each with a 4,500 lb maximum load capacity (20-25 passengers): $1 million
- Two stair towers for west seating area: $1 million
- Additional restrooms and concession areas on east and west side; $2.5 million
- Lighting and signage upgrades: $1 million
Total seating capacity of Arizona Stadium will be 61,000 at completion.
- New main scoreboards and Daktronics screens above the south end zone and on each side of the north end zone: $5 million
- Construction of an 85,000 square foot state-of-the-art Football Operations Center behind the north end zone dedicated exclusively to Wildcat football - this will free up McKale Center for more use by the basketball and other Wildcat athletic programs. Similar facilities have been built in recent years by such major college football programs as Nebraska, Oklahoma, Florida, and North Carolina State.
The Arizona Football Operations Center will span the entire width of the football field and be four stories in height. The building will be among the best dedicated college football facilities in the entire country. Inside there will be:
- a small museum open to the public
- a 200-seat theater-style team meeting room with theatre-quality sound and video systems
- a full sports medicine/conditioning component, including:
- whirlpools
- Four small pools in the training room for players to rehab injuries and ice down
- an underwater treadmill
- $4 million commercial-grade cafeteria and kitchen
- Training table
- player's lounge
- academic support rooms
- computer lab with 20 workstations
- $2 million for NFL-caliber locker rooms including a 12,000 sq. ft. Wildcat locker room:
- Each locker will feature the players' name, hometown and high school etched in acrylic with a red light
– "On recruiting visits, you can dim the lights in the locker room and there will be a red glow to build an aura and mystique about Arizona football...
- 8,000 sq, ft. players' lounge
- coaches' offices overlooking the field
- player conference rooms
- Network-quality television/radio studio, and more.
- The weight room will be 16,000 sq, ft and span the entire length of the building, it will have 64,000 lbs of free weights and 200 training stations
The estimated cost of the Football Operations Center will be $40 million. Tours of the facility will be available to the public during the off-season.
ENDOWMENT SUPPORT
GOAL = $40 MILLION
A goal of $40 million has been established for endowment support during the campaign. More than ever, endowed scholarships are critical to assuring that The University of Arizona competes for Pac-10 and national football championships while attracting student-athletes who will make Wildcat fans proud. When a donor establishes a perpetual athletic football scholarship at Arizona, the gift is placed in an endowment fund. The fund is invested so that annual scholarships can be funded with a portion of the dividends and interest earned. The remaining portion is reinvested, enabling the scholarships to grow to offset inflation and rising tuition costs.
COACHING ENDOWMENT SUPPORT
GOAL = $10 MILLION
A goal of $10 million has been established for endowment support for coachs' salaries during the campaign. In the competitive environment of major college football, Arizona needs to be able to offer salaries at a level sufficient to attract the highest national caliber of coaching talent to lead our talented student-athletes, and to recruit talented future student-athletes to the University.
When a donor establishes a perpetual coaching endowment gift at Arizona, the gift is placed in an endowment fund. The fund is invested so that salaries for coaching staff can be funded with a portion of the dividends and interest earned. The remaining portion is reinvested, enabling the funds to grow to offset inflation and rising costs.
ON-GOING ANNUAL SUPPORT
GOAL = $25 MILLION
A goal of $25 million has been set for on-going annual support during the campaign. With more endowed scholarships, the Wildcat Club can apply more of its general annual membership contributions and gifts to other Athletic Department needs.
To solely focus on major facility and endowment gifts at the expense of our annual giving program would weaken Arizona football and UA Athletics overall. Scholarship costs and tuition continue to rise drastically, with increasingly limited funds available from taxpayer sources, and with 50% of our student-athletes coming from out of state, we must maintain a steadfast approach to covering scholarship costs.
Pretend you are on the UA Athletics website and you come across a link to a slick new page with a Flash animation of UA Wildcat football action and "Bear Down Arizona" playing in the background.
The Drive: The new Campaign for Arizona Football
Overview:
In recent years, the football program at the University of Arizona has faced increasing challenges in the highly competitive environment of college athletics and especially in the context of the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10). All of our Pac-10 member institutions have taken steps to increase financial support of their football programs outside of traditional funding sources, and with that support has come upgrades to coaching staff, support staff and physical facilities. These upgrades, along with the commitment and dedication of student-athletes, coaching and support staff, and loyal fans and supporters of each team, have resulted in winning seasons, and major post-season bowl appearances, for nearly all of the football programs of our member institutions, for which we offer our praise and share in a sense of pride, as these accomplishments serve to bolster the increasingly solid reputation of Pac-10 football amongst the media, student-athletes, and fans alike throughout the nation.
We at the Wildcat Club recognize the critical importance of the Arizona football program to the overall athletic department and to the University as a whole. To this end, we have instituted a new four-year, $150 million capital campaign called "the Drive for Wildcat Football". The unique aspect of this campaign is that it is devoted solely and exclusively to the Wildcat football program. The improvements and enhancements from The Drive will serve to elevate the Arizona football program to the elite tier of college football programs in the United States and specifically in the NCAA.
The goal of Arizona Football is to provide the best student-athletes we can recruit to the University with the chance to achieve their personal and professional goals by first giving them a quality university education, and secondly, giving them the opportunity to play the game of football at the highest possible collegiate level in the best possible facilities. The football program is first and foremost an integral component of the overall academic experience at the University, and we expect our student-athletes to be students - as well as athletes - in every sense of the word.
We recognize that the primary goal of football student-athletes is to play at the professional level, preferably in the National Football League. To this end we structure the Arizona football program as a pre-professional program to prepare student-athletes, physically as well as mentally, for the rigors and demands of NFL play.
In order to accomplish these goals, we as a program face a critical need to upgrade our facilities - already considered among the finest in the Pac-10 - to the standards that today's student-athletes expect from a major NCAA and Pac-10 program designed to prepare student-athletes for professional athletic play.
"The Drive for Wildcat Football" will in no small way serve to revolutionize Arizona football.
Timetable & Goals
July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2012
CAPITAL PROJECTS
GOAL = $75 MILLION
A private support goal of $75 million has been set for capital projects for Arizona Stadium, including the new Arizona Stadium Football Operations Center. Capital funds raised will expedite and enhance capital projects initiated with a bond issuance. This multi-million dollar investment in the UA's athletic facilities will enable us to significantly bolster the football program and to upgrade Arizona Stadium and our football facilities to near-NFL caliber.
- Enclosing of the north end zone to provide an additional 5000 permanent seats: $5 million
- Conversion of west and east side stands (except student/Zona Zoo sections) to NFL-style stadium seating: $5 million
- Accelerated maintenance on other portions of Arizona Stadium: $2 million
- Four elevators for east seating area, each with a 4,500 lb maximum load capacity (20-25 passengers): $2 million
- Two elevators for west seating area, each with a 4,500 lb maximum load capacity (20-25 passengers): $1 million
- Two stair towers for west seating area: $1 million
- Additional restrooms and concession areas on east and west side; $2.5 million
- Lighting and signage upgrades: $1 million
Total seating capacity of Arizona Stadium will be 61,000 at completion.
- New main scoreboards and Daktronics screens above the south end zone and on each side of the north end zone: $5 million
- Construction of an 85,000 square foot state-of-the-art Football Operations Center behind the north end zone dedicated exclusively to Wildcat football - this will free up McKale Center for more use by the basketball and other Wildcat athletic programs. Similar facilities have been built in recent years by such major college football programs as Nebraska, Oklahoma, Florida, and North Carolina State.
The Arizona Football Operations Center will span the entire width of the football field and be four stories in height. The building will be among the best dedicated college football facilities in the entire country. Inside there will be:
- a small museum open to the public
- a 200-seat theater-style team meeting room with theatre-quality sound and video systems
- a full sports medicine/conditioning component, including:
- whirlpools
- Four small pools in the training room for players to rehab injuries and ice down
- an underwater treadmill
- $4 million commercial-grade cafeteria and kitchen
- Training table
- player's lounge
- academic support rooms
- computer lab with 20 workstations
- $2 million for NFL-caliber locker rooms including a 12,000 sq. ft. Wildcat locker room:
- Each locker will feature the players' name, hometown and high school etched in acrylic with a red light
– "On recruiting visits, you can dim the lights in the locker room and there will be a red glow to build an aura and mystique about Arizona football...
- 8,000 sq, ft. players' lounge
- coaches' offices overlooking the field
- player conference rooms
- Network-quality television/radio studio, and more.
- The weight room will be 16,000 sq, ft and span the entire length of the building, it will have 64,000 lbs of free weights and 200 training stations
The estimated cost of the Football Operations Center will be $40 million. Tours of the facility will be available to the public during the off-season.
ENDOWMENT SUPPORT
GOAL = $40 MILLION
A goal of $40 million has been established for endowment support during the campaign. More than ever, endowed scholarships are critical to assuring that The University of Arizona competes for Pac-10 and national football championships while attracting student-athletes who will make Wildcat fans proud. When a donor establishes a perpetual athletic football scholarship at Arizona, the gift is placed in an endowment fund. The fund is invested so that annual scholarships can be funded with a portion of the dividends and interest earned. The remaining portion is reinvested, enabling the scholarships to grow to offset inflation and rising tuition costs.
COACHING ENDOWMENT SUPPORT
GOAL = $10 MILLION
A goal of $10 million has been established for endowment support for coachs' salaries during the campaign. In the competitive environment of major college football, Arizona needs to be able to offer salaries at a level sufficient to attract the highest national caliber of coaching talent to lead our talented student-athletes, and to recruit talented future student-athletes to the University.
When a donor establishes a perpetual coaching endowment gift at Arizona, the gift is placed in an endowment fund. The fund is invested so that salaries for coaching staff can be funded with a portion of the dividends and interest earned. The remaining portion is reinvested, enabling the funds to grow to offset inflation and rising costs.
ON-GOING ANNUAL SUPPORT
GOAL = $25 MILLION
A goal of $25 million has been set for on-going annual support during the campaign. With more endowed scholarships, the Wildcat Club can apply more of its general annual membership contributions and gifts to other Athletic Department needs.
To solely focus on major facility and endowment gifts at the expense of our annual giving program would weaken Arizona football and UA Athletics overall. Scholarship costs and tuition continue to rise drastically, with increasingly limited funds available from taxpayer sources, and with 50% of our student-athletes coming from out of state, we must maintain a steadfast approach to covering scholarship costs.
Are you as fed up with Wildcat Football as I am???
Arizona football is in trouble, folks.
As of this writing, the team has a 3-6 record in a year where ten starters returned on defense and a new pass-oriented offensive system was introduced. QB Willie Tuitama, whose very career was in doubt after suffering two major concussions in the 2006 season, was medically cleared to play and seemed excited about the new spread offense of offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes, whose system at Texas Tech was one of the top-rated passing offenses in the NCAA in recent years, and kept the Red Raiders competitive in the Big XII, arguably one of the elite conferences in college football with such opponents as Oklahoma (former school of fourth-year head coach Mike Stoops), Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Texas, Kansas (with a resurgent football program this year) among others.
This Wildcat football season has been disappointing to say the least. A pre-season loss at BYU, losing the home opener to New Mexico, a road loss to a good yet overrated California, then the win against Washington State - followed by a tough loss to Oregon State and an even tougher loss to former national-champion-favored-USC and a tougher loss still to Stanford squad rebuilding under new head coach and former NFL QB Jim Harbaugh.
Yesterday's decisive comeback win over Washington (October 27) was a plus. But in my opinion the Wildcats could and should easily have a 8-1 overall record. Now they must win the remaining schedule (UCLA and Oregon at home and Arizona State in Tempe) just to break even at 6-6 which will not get them into a bowl game - the goal for this season.
Mike Stoops has done a lot to improve the Arizona football program after the debacle that was the tenure of John Mackovic. And there are bright spots this year, such as the defensive play of Spencer Larsen and Antoine Cason, the catches of "Money" Mike Thomas, the kicking of Jason Bondzio, the record-setting runs of freshman Nicholas Grigsby.
But in the fourth year of a five-year deal, the former defensive coordinator of Oklahoma - arguably one of the elite football programs in the NCAA year in and year out since the arrival of head coach, brother Bob Stoops - the Arizona program is struggling a lot more than it should be at this point. This Blog, written by a UA alum who was a UA student during the "Desert Swarm" era of Dick Tomey, is intended to start a dialogue on what needs to be done to get the Wildcat football program to the status of "elite", how we do it, and how long will it take.
As of this writing, the team has a 3-6 record in a year where ten starters returned on defense and a new pass-oriented offensive system was introduced. QB Willie Tuitama, whose very career was in doubt after suffering two major concussions in the 2006 season, was medically cleared to play and seemed excited about the new spread offense of offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes, whose system at Texas Tech was one of the top-rated passing offenses in the NCAA in recent years, and kept the Red Raiders competitive in the Big XII, arguably one of the elite conferences in college football with such opponents as Oklahoma (former school of fourth-year head coach Mike Stoops), Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Texas, Kansas (with a resurgent football program this year) among others.
This Wildcat football season has been disappointing to say the least. A pre-season loss at BYU, losing the home opener to New Mexico, a road loss to a good yet overrated California, then the win against Washington State - followed by a tough loss to Oregon State and an even tougher loss to former national-champion-favored-USC and a tougher loss still to Stanford squad rebuilding under new head coach and former NFL QB Jim Harbaugh.
Yesterday's decisive comeback win over Washington (October 27) was a plus. But in my opinion the Wildcats could and should easily have a 8-1 overall record. Now they must win the remaining schedule (UCLA and Oregon at home and Arizona State in Tempe) just to break even at 6-6 which will not get them into a bowl game - the goal for this season.
Mike Stoops has done a lot to improve the Arizona football program after the debacle that was the tenure of John Mackovic. And there are bright spots this year, such as the defensive play of Spencer Larsen and Antoine Cason, the catches of "Money" Mike Thomas, the kicking of Jason Bondzio, the record-setting runs of freshman Nicholas Grigsby.
But in the fourth year of a five-year deal, the former defensive coordinator of Oklahoma - arguably one of the elite football programs in the NCAA year in and year out since the arrival of head coach, brother Bob Stoops - the Arizona program is struggling a lot more than it should be at this point. This Blog, written by a UA alum who was a UA student during the "Desert Swarm" era of Dick Tomey, is intended to start a dialogue on what needs to be done to get the Wildcat football program to the status of "elite", how we do it, and how long will it take.
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