Nothing Better than Chattanooga?

[bluehenbillk]

Now that I've been there I can make soem intelligent comments about the 'Nooga. Spent 3 days there for work this week & here are my impressions: #1- One of the 2 smallest (Erie, PA) airports I've flown into in the country, 6 total gates in the whole airport. While this isn't a big deal for those that can drive I wonder how Montana & UNI fans liked going there.

#2- The stadium- Probably the only positive view IMO. The stadium looked nice, I'm sure the field turf has solved the problems from the JMU-Montana game. Looks like a minor league baseball stadium from the outside, seems pretty easy to get to & has a sizable press box/luxury suites, even though that would mean very little to fans going to the game.

#3- The town - You can leave it. It's big-time SEC country there, the stores are all Tennessee, Georgia, 'Bama & some Auburn. I talked to 4 different bartenders, 2 of which knew the 1-AA NC was even played there. The female waitresses had no clue. The nightlife was fair, the Jack's Alley area was OK but relatively pretty small as were most of the attractions by the riverfront.

I'm not disparaging Chattanooga, but I'd say easily that there have to be better place"S" to have a NC game.

[MYTAPPY]

Before attending the NC game last year, the only 'Nooga experience I had was driving through it on the way to Mardi Gras (back when I was in college). With the town being on the river it is not that bad of an eye sore. While there for the NC game, my brother and I were able to walk to all the bars from our Hotel and had good times at them. The stadium is really nice and it was easy to get too. It also helps that I can get there from Charlotte in about 5 and 1/2 hours. Overall the 'Nooga is not that bad of a town.

[OL FU]

Now that I've been there I can make soem intelligent comments about the 'Nooga. Spent 3 days there for work this week & here are my impressions: #1- One of the 2 smallest (Erie, PA) airports I've flown into in the country, 6 total gates in the whole airport. While this isn't a big deal for those that can drive I wonder how Montana & UNI fans liked going there.

#2- The stadium- Probably the only positive view IMO. The stadium looked nice, I'm sure the field turf has solved the problems from the JMU-Montana game. Looks like a minor league baseball stadium from the outside, seems pretty easy to get to & has a sizable press box/luxury suites, even though that would mean very little to fans going to the game.

#3- The town - You can leave it. It's big-time SEC country there, the stores are all Tennessee, Georgia, 'Bama & some Auburn. I talked to 4 different bartenders, 2 of which knew the 1-AA NC was even played there. The female waitresses had no clue. The nightlife was fair, the Jack's Alley area was OK but relatively pretty small as were most of the attractions by the riverfront.

I'm not disparaging Chattanooga, but I'd say easily that there have to be better place"S" to have a NC game.

You must have missed Rock Cityxlolx

[Maverick]

Well, after the bright lights of Newark, DE everything pretty much seems downhill!!xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx

[bluehenbillk]

I'm just saying, there's nothing that warrants it being there for multiple years, period. Give me the positives...

[dbackjon]

I'm just saying, there's nothing that warrants it being there for multiple years, period. Give me the positives...

Close to many I-AA schools.
Close to major airports (Nashville, Atlanta)
City puts major effort into game.


Plus, no viable alternative have emerged.
Suggestions?

[SoCon48]

I'm just saying, there's nothing that warrants it being there for multiple years, period. Give me the positives...

Let's move it back to: Pocatella, Idaho Tacoma Wichita Falls Statesboro

The town - You can leave it. It's big-time SEC country there, the stores are all Tennessee, Georgia, 'Bama & some Auburn.
Hell that's every city in America with their particular regional big time conferences or worse yet..NFL football,

I talked to 4 different bartenders, 2 of which knew the 1-AA NC was even played there Then they didn't know college football period or like many could care less about I-AA. Possibly weren't there in December. The championship crowd last year took over most of the large establishments last year as well as the media. Thousands of Chatt fans crowded the sports bars to root against the Apps. The city of Chattnooga sure did its job last year in promoting it.

One of the 2 smallest (Erie, PA) airports I've flown into in the country, 6 total gates in the whole airport. While this isn't a big deal for those that can drive I wonder how Montana & UNI fans liked going there.

Smart one fly into Atlanta. Hell, where do Montanans and N Iowans fly out of??

Looks like a minor league baseball stadium from the outside, seems
Good point. We sure don't need a 50,000 seat stadium for the TV cameras to embarrass us with the empty seats left from a 14-20K crowd.

[SoCon48]

Close to many I-AA schools.
Close to major airports (Nashville, Atlanta)
City puts major effort into game.


Plus, no viable alternative have emerged.
Suggestions?

City puts major effort into game.

That's for sure.

[SoCon48]

Well, after the bright lights of Newark, DE everything pretty much seems downhill!!xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx

Wilmington, Delaware is better except for the dirty streets, pollution, muggers, blocks of vacant buildings, nasty hookers, and stepping over heroin needles.:eyebrow:

[PaladinFan]

I still find it funny that Furman's NC win came against Georgia Southern in the easily accessible Pocatello, ID.

[LacesOut]

Hey! I live in Newark and work in Wilmington, DE!!!


/not disagreeing with anything said above..
//although the Riverfront is slightly better than downtown..

[Mr. C]

Here we go again with a variation of this thread. I have the opportunity to go to Chattanooga several times a year on business and have done so since I moved to the South a little over 13 years ago. I love Chattanooga and almost every aspect of it. It is one of my favorite Southern cities. I go there every chance I get (it's about a five-hour drive from Boone, all interstate once you get to Johnson City, Tenn.). My wife and two daughters love going there as well and always want to come along when I have business trips there. We have a membership in the Tennessee Aquarium (one of the best in the US, BTW) and love the history of the area. If you are a Civil War buff, there are four or five battle sites to go see. It's a place with surprisingly good restaurants (including one of our favorate Japanese restaurants in the country, Seiksui), good shopping and other attractions too, like Rocky City, Ruby Falls, the Chattanooga Choo Choo, the Incline Railroad, The Children's Museum, Lookout Mountain etc. Atlanta is two hours away, Nashville is two hours away. For a medium-sized American city, you couldn't ask for much more. I would have no qualms about moving there, if the right job opportunity presented itself. Now with the field turf in place, there is little to complain about with the stadium. It has great access and a very good work environment for the press and is a good setting for fans. It is also probably the perfect size for the I-AA championship at its current level of growth. It is also fairly central to a large chunk of I-AA schools, meaning that there is little excuse for most fans to miss coming in when their team is in the championship game. And trust me, there is a whole lot more to do in Chattanooga than in some of the other championship sites for I-AA that have hosted the game through the years. Those who think Chattanooga is bad have obviously never been near Huntington, W.V.

[henfan]

Wilmington, Delaware is better except for the dirty streets, pollution, muggers, blocks of vacant buildings, nasty hookers, and stepping over heroin needles.:eyebrow:

So you're saying that Wilmington has about the same attractions as 'Nooga has then... minus the rednecks and a 20K-seat football stadium. :smiley_wi

Honestly, unless a destination city comes calling and promises to promote the NC game, Chattanooga is better than fine by me.

[bluehenbillk]

I did make the trip to Chickamagua, very nice, liked it as much or more than Gettysburg. Chattanooga was really disappointing & much smaller than I thought, it's about the size of Wilmington, DE.

[Mr. C]

Bill:

You honestly might have come away with a better impression, if you had been there for the 2003 championship game. The Hens painted the town blue that week.

[Sundown]

Wilmington, Delaware is better except for the dirty streets, pollution, muggers, blocks of vacant buildings, nasty hookers, and stepping over heroin needles.:eyebrow:

I'm for Wilmington, then.

[ASU Kep]

I might be biased because it's relatively close to where I stay, but I was very impressed with Nooga last year. The only negative I could think of was that it could hold more people (I knew quite a few people who wanted to get tix but they were sold out), but I think that had a lot to do with the schools: ASU (large school, close proximity, first-ever Champ game, great road following) and UNI (large school, loyal fan-base, first Champ game). All in all, I think Chatty is fine, at least for the time being (3 more years or so).

[igo4uni]

I went to the champ game last year and it was my first visit ever to Chatty. We were there for the game and the tailgate and didn't really care about anything else that the city had to offer. We stayed at the Marriott just down the street from the stadium. The day of the game, we went to a grocery store, bought tons of beer and food, and headed over to the parking lot to tailgate. Lots and lots of UNI fans were there and it was a blast. I was impressed with the pavillion and thought it was a really cool facility. I also thought the stadium was really nice. I don't really care if a bartender knows about the game, but the folks at the Marriott certainly knew that the champ game was in town. My only complaint is the 13 hour drive, but you can't blame Chatty for where it's located.

[Sundown]

I think the UNI-Dome would be a great location for the NC to move to if it ever came to that. Can't really say anything bad about 'Nooga since I've never been there.

If it wasn't for their extreme locations on either coast, I would also suggest
1. Harvard Stadium
2. Yale Bowl
3. Cal Poly SLO
as possible alternatives. Of course being so far out of the way doesn't help and the fact that the Ivy league seems to have an aversion to the post season.

[griz&beer]

13 hour drive. lol. That is not that bad at all. I wish the nc game would be in Las Vegas. Chatty is hard to get to and $$$$$$$$.

[Mr. C]

I think the UNI-Dome would be a great location for the NC to move to if it ever came to that. Can't really say anything bad about 'Nooga since I've never been there.

If it wasn't for their extreme locations on either coast, I would also suggest
1. Harvard Stadium
2. Yale Bowl
3. Cal Poly SLO
as possible alternatives. Of course being so far out of the way doesn't help and the fact that the Ivy league seems to have an aversion to the post season.
Cal Poly? San Luis Obispo would be a great place for a host city, but unless they've turned Mustang Stadium into the Taj Majal, I can't see it being capable of hosting something like that. The Mustang Stadium I remember was a real dump and was extremely small (listed with 8,500 capacity last season). San Luis Obispo is also hard to get to by air, with a small airport. If you think flights to Chattanooga are expensive? Yale and Harvard in December? Great historic stadiums, but you could end up with the championship game played in a blizzard (remember that New England-Oakland playoff game about three years ago?). If people complain about nothing outside of football to do in Chatty, what would they think of Cedar Falls? I'm also not sure if I like having a championship game in a dome, or in a city where there is a strong possibility that the host school could play in the game. Was it really fair to have Marshall playing for the title at home, or Georgia Southern to play for the title at home?

[ucdtim17]

CP would be great if they were in the championship but it's a bitch to get to from anywhere. Nothing is close to it (except the beach. That's 5 minutes)

[HenFaninKY]

Cal Poly? San Luis Obispo would be a great place for a host city, but unless they've turned Mustang Stadium into the Taj Majal, I can't see it being capable of hosting something like that. The Mustang Stadium I remember was a real dump and was extremely small (listed with 8,500 capacity last season). San Luis Obispo is also hard to get to by air, with a small airport. If you think flights to Chattanooga are expensive? Yale and Harvard in December? Great historic stadiums, but you could end up with the championship game played in a blizzard (remember that New England-Oakland playoff game about three years ago?). If people complain about nothing outside of football to do in Chatty, what would they think of Cedar Falls? I'm also not sure if I like having a championship game in a dome, or in a city where there is a strong possibility that the host school could play in the game. Was it really fair to have Marshall playing for the title at home, or Georgia Southern to play for the title at home?

Chattanooga in December isn't exactly Palm Springs. It snowed during warmups in 2003, and the temperature with the wind chill was well below freezing--far from ideal NC game conditions, unless your favorite team is taking Colgate behind the woodshed :D

[atlGAmocs]

I'm also not sure if I like having a championship game in a dome, or in a city where there is a strong possibility that the host school could play in the game. Was it really fair to have Marshall playing for the title at home, or Georgia Southern to play for the title at home?

Mr. C what are saying about my Mocs? :p

I spent several great years in Chattanooga. Much like Mr. C, if the right job opportunity came along I would gladly make my home there. Chatty is the perfect size town to host Div I Football Championship Subdivision Title Game :rolleyes: There are plenty of hotels in the region, two major cities with major airports within reasonable driving distance. There is a vibrant night life in the city, you just have to know where to go.

Despite what Mr. C said, I am hoping that I will get to enjoy a HOME game in December.

[Sundown]

I'm also not sure if I like having a championship game in a dome, or in a city where there is a strong possibility that the host school could play in the game.

OH, SNAP UT-NOOGA!!!

[Sundown]

Yale and Harvard in December? Great historic stadiums, but you could end up with the championship game played in a blizzard (remember that New England-Oakland playoff game about three years ago?).

Pussies. Try going to a game at the mouth of Hellgate Canyon in late November at Wa-Griz stadium. ;)

[igo4uni]

C what would they think of Cedar Falls?


Cedar Falls/Waterloo has a population over 100,000. There is a lot to do. Plus the UNI-Dome is top rate facility. With the opening of the McLeod Center (adjacent to the UNI-Dome) it would make a great place to hold the game. Plus, a much shorter drive for me!!:nod: :nod: :nod: :nod: :nod:

http://www.uni-foundation.org/foundation/SF/images/UNI-SE-Aerial-final_jpg.jpg
The Fabulous UNI-Dome with the McLeod Center

Visit Cedar Falls and Waterloo:

http://unipanthers.cstv.com/travel/niwa-travel.html

[Sundown]

Cedar Falls/Waterloo has a population over 100,000. There is a lot to do. Plus the UNI-Dome is top rate facility. With the opening of the McLeod Center (adjacent to the UNI-Dome) it would make a great place to hold the game. Plus, a much shorter drive for me!!:nod: :nod: :nod: :nod: :nod:

http://www.uni-foundation.org/foundation/SF/images/UNI-SE-Aerial-final_jpg.jpg
The Fabulous UNI-Dome with the McLeod Center

Visit Cedar Falls and Waterloo:

http://unipanthers.cstv.com/travel/niwa-travel.html

:thumbsup:

[PantherRob82]

I think a lot of UNI fans drove. We passed a lot going both ways.

It'd be nice to have it outdoors, in the southern/middle midwest. Maybe KC or OKC. (For location only).

I'd like to see it played somewhere a little warmer.

[*****]

Everybody wants it close to their school but it is pretty much in the center of I-AA where it is now.
Epicenter of the I-AA Universe
Posted by HensRock on Thu, 27 Feb 2003 12:11:14
All of this talk about where to locate the national championship game got me thinking about methods to minimize travel for everyone by locating the game at the center of the I-AA world. Take Latitude and Longitude for every I-AA location and average them, but here's the twist- Weight the average by the average attendance per game from last season - so the more butts your team puts in the seats, the stronger the influence or "pull" you have on the epicenter. The result of 37.02953°N, 86.01906°W actually falls within 20 miles of a major I-AA team. Can you guess who? 2002 National Champion Western Kentucky!

Epicenter of the I-AA Championship Participant Universe
Posted by 89Hen on January 16, 2004 @ 14:55:27
...I averaged the longitude and latitude of all the teams (still in I-AA) that have played in the NC game in the last 10 years...The geographic center of the I-AA NC game participants lies within 20 miles of EKU in Richmond, KY, which is 250 miles from Chattanooga. If you go back to 1978, ironically even though EKU played in three NC games, the center moves to 40 miles from WKU in Bowling Green, KY.

[FargoBison]

The FargoDome would be a great place to hold the IAA title game, great stadium and great IAA fans. The FargoDome would also give the game a great atmosphere.

http://cache.nmn.speedera.net/pics16/400/EY/EYZEXATPNLQUWGB.20050303194523.gif

[downbythebeach]

I can think of one MAJOR U.S. metropolitian area without a I-A team (or not one that I can think of)

New York, New York

[Mr. C]

Pussies. Try going to a game at the mouth of Hellgate Canyon in late November at Wa-Griz stadium. ;)
Been there and done that in DECEMBER. The 2000 semifinal between Montana and Appalachian State was played in 20-degree weather, with snow. Which is similar to what you get in Decembers in Boone, also. You just want to have a more weather-neutral environment for a title game.

[Mr. C]

I can think of one MAJOR U.S. metropolitian area without a I-A team (or not one that I can think of)

New York, New York
But plenty of I-AA football with Fordham in the Bronk, Columbia on the banks of the Hudson River (one of the most beautiful locales for a Saturday afternoon of football) and Hofstra in nearby Hempstead on Long Island.

[BEAR]

UCA faced Tenn. Chat on Sept. 28 1992 at Univ Tennessee-Chattanooga in which the Bears won 24-17. :hurray:
That was the one game that year I couldn't go to...:bawling:
But I was glad we put up a great effort and won that game! :bow: :hurray:

[pcola]

How about Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile? Home of the Senior Bowl. Mobile is a good sized city of just over half million. Within 1 hour of the Gulf Coast beaches to the east and with one hour of the Mississippi gambling to the west. Go another hour to the west and you're in New Orleans, which hopefully is making it's comeback. Seating capacity of 40,000 may be a little large, though.

http://www.laddpeeblesstadium.com/stadium.asp

[GeauxColonels]

How about Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile? Home of the Senior Bowl. Mobile is a good sized city of just over half million. Within 1 hour of the Gulf Coast beaches to the east and with one hour of the Mississippi gambling to the west. Go another hour to the west and you're in New Orleans, which hopefully is making it's comeback. Seating capacity of 40,000 may be a little large, though.

http://www.laddpeeblesstadium.com/stadium.asp
Hell, I would DEFINITELY hit up the game then!

[Mr. C]

How about Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile? Home of the Senior Bowl. Mobile is a good sized city of just over half million. Within 1 hour of the Gulf Coast beaches to the east and with one hour of the Mississippi gambling to the west. Go another hour to the west and you're in New Orleans, which hopefully is making it's comeback. Seating capacity of 40,000 may be a little large, though.

http://www.laddpeeblesstadium.com/stadium.asp
It is highly unlikely that the game would go to an area where there isn't a I-AA team. As Ralph pointed out, from a geography standpoint, Chattanooga is close to perfect.

[Mr. C]

Mr. C what are saying about my Mocs? :p

I spent several great years in Chattanooga. Much like Mr. C, if the right job opportunity came along I would gladly make my home there. Chatty is the perfect size town to host Div I Football Championship Subdivision Title Game :rolleyes: There are plenty of hotels in the region, two major cities with major airports within reasonable driving distance. There is a vibrant night life in the city, you just have to know where to go.

Despite what Mr. C said, I am hoping that I will get to enjoy a HOME game in December.
Sorry, but I don't think I'll be watching the Mocs in December any time, unless I catch a basketball game at the Roundhouse. And a move to the OVC would make it even less likely that UTC would make a championship game run.

[chattanoogamocs]

UCA faced Tenn. Chat on Sept. 28 1992 at Univ Tennessee-Chattanooga in which the Bears won 24-17. :hurray:
That was the one game that year I couldn't go to...:bawling:
But I was glad we put up a great effort and won that game! :bow: :hurray:

Wow, I didn't even realize we had played UCA...I went back to the media guide, now I know why I couldn't remember...most Moc fans have tried to erase that entire year from our collective memories. The fog has now cleared...

UC had been 7-4 the year before with two good wins over Marshall and Western Kentucky and two of the losses (WCU and Furman) had been by only a field goal a piece (many argue they were probably a field goal away from the playoffs).

So optimism was high for the 1992 season and the hopes were even higher when UC started that year by going to Boise State and winning convincingly, 35-20...landing them in the top 25. They returned home and beat UTM and climbed to (I believe) 18th going into the UCA game.

UCA won the game, the Mocs lost the last 9 games of the season (most by blowout margins) and finished the season 2-9 and 0-7 in the SoCon (they had never been o-fer the SoCon before or since).

That season got Buddy Nix fired and sent the Mocs into a tailspin that they are still now just beginning (4 coaches later) to recover from.

Damn UCA...it's all your fault!

[chattanoogamocs]

BTW...I now officially hate Central Arkansas ;)

[chattanoogamocs]

Now that I've been there I can make soem intelligent comments about the 'Nooga. Spent 3 days there for work this week & here are my impressions: #1- One of the 2 smallest (Erie, PA) airports I've flown into in the country, 6 total gates in the whole airport. While this isn't a big deal for those that can drive I wonder how Montana & UNI fans liked going there.

#2- The stadium- Probably the only positive view IMO. The stadium looked nice, I'm sure the field turf has solved the problems from the JMU-Montana game. Looks like a minor league baseball stadium from the outside, seems pretty easy to get to & has a sizable press box/luxury suites, even though that would mean very little to fans going to the game.

#3- The town - You can leave it. It's big-time SEC country there, the stores are all Tennessee, Georgia, 'Bama & some Auburn. I talked to 4 different bartenders, 2 of which knew the 1-AA NC was even played there. The female waitresses had no clue. The nightlife was fair, the Jack's Alley area was OK but relatively pretty small as were most of the attractions by the riverfront.

I'm not disparaging Chattanooga, but I'd say easily that there have to be better place"S" to have a NC game.


I am not trying to peck an argument, I am really not upset, most of my comments below are intended to mostly be tongue in cheek, plus I know 1) I am biased for Chattanooga, and 2) I don't expect for everyone to love Chattanooga (I realize some people just have no taste ;)).

But, I just wanted to point out that when you spend a whole post basically downing everything about the town, the stadium, the airport, etc...you can't turn around and claim you are not disparaging Chattanooga, when what you have written is basically the definition of a disparaging comments. :nonono2:

As for the comments, many on here have already made the points of defense I have made, but to add...

(1) who cares about how many gates the airport has...the planes can still land,

(2) the reason the airport is small is because one of the largest airports in the world is less than 2 hours away (I admit it, tickets are cheaper, I ride to Atlanta and catch a plane there, I don't use our airport),

(3) there is a lot to do downtown, dozens of bars and restaurants (to suit all tastes and price ranges) all within a couple of blocks, at least 4 nightclubs that play live music 4-5 nights a weeks (my dad owns one of them), not to mention a whole section of art galleries, restaurants, and cool shops (mine is one of them) just across the walking bridge on the North Shore (which can also now be accessed by water taxi from the Aquarium to Coolidge Park).

(4) part of the problem is, you experienced downtown in the summer when it is primarily tourists...most of the locals tend to stay away in the summer (I do, and I live downtown) because it is hard to find parking and the restaurants are packed with out of towners (my side of the river is where most of the locals go in the dog days). But in the fall and winter, downtown is hopping. Lots of locals, lots of UC students (since the school is only about 5 blocks away).

(5) and yes, the SEC is big here, just like everywhere else in the South...though even worse I guess because Chattanooga is basically the crossroads for the conference with 5 SEC teams (UK, VU, UTk, UA, AU, UGA) all within about a 4 hour or less drive.

(6) and finally, who cares if a waitress knows about the IAA game...it's a girl for heavens sake ;)

The facts are, Chattanooga does a great job hosting...the school, the city (all the way up to the mayors office), the county, the sports committee, the newspaper, radio and television stations, the hotels and restaurants all work their asses off to make it a great event. So much so that very few other cities now even attempt a bid because they know it will be very tough to beat what Chattanooga does.

That and the fact that every single solitary demand the NCAA has made, Chattanooga has complied...resod the field before the game (a demand the NCAA made, then dump on us when it didn't work)...done, put in brand new field turf...done (the money was raised in less than 8 weeks after the game), guarantee local ticket sales...done...and so on and so on.


Chattanooga, Tennessee
Finley Stadium-Davenport Field
Home of the Division I Football Championship!
:thumbsup:

(yes, I love my home)

[elkmcc]

Those who think Chattanooga is bad have obviously never been near Huntington, W.V.

I've watched the NC game in both cities and although I have nothing bad to say about Chattanooga, I preferred Huntington if only for the atmosphere. Believe me when I say there was noone that wasn't aware of the the NC game in Huntington. I am sure the fact that Marshall was playing added to that awareness but it surely made for a fun football atmosphere. Yea, even tho it was the "Marshall Invitational" it an awesome experience. I never really got feeling that when in Chattanooga. Many of the service people in Chattanooga were not even aware of the upcoming event. Chattanooga is a good venue but I would like to see the game moved out west for obvious reasons.

[Mr. C]

I was refering to the town of Huntington, since so many of the posts had been trashing on Chattanooga. For my money, Huntington is one of my least favorite towns in America for too many reasons to go into here.

[Mr. C]

Chattanooga is a good venue but I would like to see the game moved out west for obvious reasons.
Little chance of that happening. The four championship games out west were played with very few fans of the teams involved and the biggest crowd was 11,513 in 1988 at Pocatello, Idaho for Furman's 17-12 win over Georgia Southern. Outside of playing a game in Missoula, I doubt you would get a large crowd playing the game out west (unless Montana was somehow playing for the title). I know playing in Chattanooga is a bad deal for Montana's great fans, but it does keep the game about as centralized as you possibly can get it.

[elkmcc]

I was refering to the town of Huntington, since so many of the posts had been trashing on Chattanooga. For my money, Huntington is one of my least favorite towns in America for too many reasons to go into here.

I hear ya Mr. C. That would be a lot like me trying to think of one thing that I would consider positive about Bozeman, MT. I get the shivers driving by the place on I-90.

[Mr. C]

I hear ya Mr. C. That would be a lot like me trying to think of one thing that I would consider positive about Bozeman, MT. I get the shivers driving by the place on I-90.
And Bozeman is paradise, compared to Huntington.
:D :D :D

[elkmcc]

And Bozeman is paradise, compared to Huntington.
:D :D :D

Too funny.

[BusinessEagle]

Let's move it back to: Pocatella, Idaho Tacoma Wichita Falls Statesboro


I'm all for Statesboro hosting again.

[BEAR]

xlolx
Wow, I didn't even realize we had played UCA...I went back to the media guide, now I know why I couldn't remember...most Moc fans have tried to erase that entire year from our collective memories. The fog has now cleared...

UC had been 7-4 the year before with two good wins over Marshall and Western Kentucky and two of the losses (WCU and Furman) had been by only a field goal a piece (many argue they were probably a field goal away from the playoffs).

So optimism was high for the 1992 season and the hopes were even higher when UC started that year by going to Boise State and winning convincingly, 35-20...landing them in the top 25. They returned home and beat UTM and climbed to (I believe) 18th going into the UCA game.

UCA won the game, the Mocs lost the last 9 games of the season (most by blowout margins) and finished the season 2-9 and 0-7 in the SoCon (they had never been o-fer the SoCon before or since).

That season got Buddy Nix fired and sent the Mocs into a tailspin that they are still now just beginning (4 coaches later) to recover from.

Damn UCA...it's all your fault!

Ha! We have ruined many a coaching careers! But then again beating Presbytarian (sp?) 52-26? helped them move to I-AA. :eyebrow: :bang: xidiotx

Yes, every team has a season they would love to forget! :bang:

[ucdtim17]

Another large metro area devoid of I-A is Sacramento . . . along with relatively balmy december weather . . .

[Mr. C]

But they have I-AA Sacramento State to look forward to, with UC Davis just a short drive away. If Sacramento folks get desparate for I-A, Fresno is just three hours away.

[PantherRob82]

xlolx

Ha! We have ruined many a coaching careers! But then again beating Presbytarian (sp?) 52-26? helped them move to I-AA. :eyebrow: :bang: xidiotx

Yes, every team has a season they would love to forget! :bang:

I have a few I'd like to forget. It's called the Mike Dunbar era. Between Terry Allen and Mark Farley.

[SoCon48]

Another large metro area devoid of I-A is Sacramento . . . along with relatively balmy december weather . . .

Had it there in 1980.

Very low concentration of I-AA schools out there. If the last almost 30 years is an indication, with the exception of Montana, the odds are for two Eastern US teams and fans having to travel 2,000 or more miles to play each other in California. Since the NCAA makes us self fund our play-offs and championship game, that would be a disaster. :bawling:

The balmy weather in Orlando drew 5,508 fans
The Sacremento championship game drew 8,159
Tacoma, Wash. 5,304 4,415 (OUCH!)
Pocatella, Idaho 11,520 11,560

[RabidRabbit]

Two cities come to mind here in FLA for hosting the championship. Tallahassee (FAMU) and Jacksonville (Bethune-Cookman uses a fair amount), and U of Jacksonville (Pioneer League). In Tallahassee, may need to arrange for FSU stadium though.

Jacksonville is big, good airservice and substantially less likely to have bad weather than Chatty. On I-95 and I-10. Ok, but not outstanding night life
(based on my 2.5 years there).

How is Charleston, SC or a non-mountainous SC or NC location? Any good choices?

Louisiana schools, and especially SWAC's, you have big capacity stadiums. If host down there, maybe SWAC's would consider showing that you are nationally competitive, and play for the title also. How about it SLC schools, anybody have a 20K+ capacity stadium?

[SoCon48]

Two cities come to mind here in FLA for hosting the championship. Tallahassee (FAMU) and Jacksonville (Bethune-Cookman uses a fair amount), and U of Jacksonville (Pioneer League). In Tallahassee, may need to arrange for FSU stadium though.

Jacksonville is big, good airservice and substantially less likely to have bad weather than Chatty. On I-95 and I-10. Ok, but not outstanding night life
(based on my 2.5 years there).

How is Charleston, SC or a non-mountainous SC or NC location? Any good choices?

Louisiana schools, and especially SWAC's, you have big capacity stadiums. If host down there, maybe SWAC's would consider showing that you are nationally competitive, and play for the title also. How about it SLC schools, anybody have a 20K+ capacity stadium?

Charleston is home of the SoCon basketball tourney with mixed results. Good tourist town, though.

The I-AA National Championship game was held there in:
'83 15,950
'84 9,125


We sure don't won't it at large I-A stadium where even 20,000 would be an embarrassment.

[89Hen]

Two cities come to mind here in FLA for hosting the championship. Tallahassee (FAMU) and Jacksonville (Bethune-Cookman uses a fair amount), and U of Jacksonville (Pioneer League). In Tallahassee, may need to arrange for FSU stadium though.

How is Charleston, SC or a non-mountainous SC or NC location?
Charleston would be my first choice if the NCAA ever lifts their ban.

Jacksonville wouldn't be a bad thought, but there's no place to have the game. B-CC seats 10,000 and JU seats 5,000 while the Jaguars stadium is way too big. FAMU stadium in Tally is the right size at 25,500, no need to look at Doake.

[gatadotcom]

Being a Georgia Southern alumnus and fan, I've had the opportunity to attend a number of I-AA Championship games. From my perspective, Chattanooga is a great location for the contest.

Not to piss off my friends from the Big Sky and Great West, but anywhere out west of the Mississippi River puts the game too far away from the vast majority of I-AA playoff teams. While Montana has made a living off participating in the I-AA playoffs, not too many other "western" teams have made consistent appearances over the past twenty years. If these programs DO start making regular trips to the playoffs, then the host city location may have to be re-studied.

Of the six host cities I've visited, Chattanooga has the best credentials to host the I-AA Championship.

CHARLESTON, SC
Charleston, South Carolina, is one of my favorite cities to visit, but they had the game in '83 & '84 and forfeited the final year of their contract because of a lack of local interest. The game then went to Tacoma, Washington.

TACOMA, WA
Tacoma has a GREAT facility, but the locals didn't have a clue the game was being played in their backyard. Neither of the two years GSU played (and won) in Tacoma did the local community come out and support the game.

POCATELLO, ID
I visted Pocatello, Idaho, for the 1988 National Championship and thought I had landed on the moon. This was the least "green" city I have ever visited and don't know how people can live here. Nothing but rocks, dirt and a hot springs attraction. The stadium appeared to have been an old aircraft hanger at one time. The people were very hospitable, but they just didn't have anything to work with. Granted, my Eagles were defeated by Furman in the Pocatello game, so my impressions of the city are a little jaded.

STATESBORO, GA
During the three years the Championship game was played in Statesboro, Georgia, GSU was one of the participants in 2 of the 3. Tremendous attendance and support those two years, but very poor attendance the one year the Eagles didn't make the game. With the current university administration at GSU, I don't think you've got to worry about Statesboro making another bid for the title game.

HUNTINGTON, WV
The same can be said of Huntington, West Virginia. Great football city, great fans, great attendance when the Herd played in the Championship. But Marshall's gone from I-AA, and you won't see Huntington bidding on our game ever again. They've now established the "Friends of Coal Bowl" annual contest with WVU that will alternate between Huntington & Morgantown that will keep them warm and content.

CHATTANOOGA, TN
Then there's Chattanooga. I've watched four Championship Games played in their stadium. Chatty is relatively easy to get to; you can fly into Chattanooga, Knoxville or Atlanta. The stadium is a very good facility now that the carpets been layed, and it offers a tremendous pre-game experience with fans from both teams mixing, boasting and drinking like fish. The city wants the game because UTC hasn't been "championship caliber" for the past . . . forever, and they are football crazy in this part of the south.

Chattanooga is a good location and I hope the NCAA keeps the game here for many years to come. Other suggestions I've read in this posting (Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Kansas City, Mobile, NY City, etc.) are okay as "suggestions" but not realistic alternatives. The city needs to have a STRONG I-AA connection and the game needs to be the biggest attraction during December (outside of St. Nick's arrival). The geographic location should be that fans could drive in via interstates, fly in with a choice of airlines and flight times, and find afforable lodging either in (or relatively close to) the host city.

And, don't worry about the weather. After all this is FOOTBALL. It's supposed to be played in outdoor conditions. The last time I checked, it rains and get colds on both sides of the line of scrimmage during the game. If these kids can take the bad weather during a game, then I damn well can take it while sitting in the stands while being fortified by numerous cups of anti-freeze, heavy jackets, rain ponchos and toxic hot dogs.

I wouldn'd mind seeing Cedar Falls (holy crap, what a cold-ass town), Fargo, Missoula or Charleston bid on the game, but they will find it difficult breaking Chattanooga's stanglehold on the title game.

Just my observations and opionons as a long-time I-AA fan.

http://www.gata.com/gataimages/GUS_stomps_FU2.gif

[PantherMan]

As an attendee of last year's championship, I can't imagine a better place than Chattanooga for the game! The town does one helluva job putting on the event, it's easy to get around the town by foot or trolley, and the stadium is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for a IAA championship game! Sure, there are more "tropical" destinations that could be used, but Chattanooga is an excellent overall choice as host... I look forward to another trip in the next two years...:thumbsup:

[Grizzaholic]

Been there and done that in DECEMBER. The 2000 semifinal between Montana and Appalachian State was played in 20-degree weather, with snow. Which is similar to what you get in Decembers in Boone, also. You just want to have a more weather-neutral environment for a title game.

All I have to say is that the NFL title game and the big BCS games are all played in either domes or southern cities where the weather is nice. Why don't we get back to when football was played in the cold or rain or snow or wind? Especially in the title game. I am sure if GREEN BAY ever got a NFL championship game again, that wont happen anytime soon, the place would be packed. Just saying bring the title game to other stadiums around the nation every 2-4 years instead of having it in one place every year.



GO GRIZ....I believe WA-GRIZ is open

[SoCon48]

IMOP, it should never be held on the home field of either one of the championship game participants. Sure, it would mean huge crowds at almost any home school's location. But it would certainly be a home team advantage given the stats on home games for regular season games evrry year. Not a true championship in that case.

[SoCon48]

As an attendee of last year's championship, I can't imagine a better place than Chattanooga for the game! The town does one helluva job putting on the event, it's easy to get around the town by foot or trolley, and the stadium is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for a IAA championship game! Sure, there are more "tropical" destinations that could be used, but Chattanooga is an excellent overall choice as host... I look forward to another trip in the next two years...:thumbsup:

The voice of experience.:thumbsup:

[PantherRob82]

i think we have bid on it before. dome is too far from hotels and such.

[MarkCCU]

I'm just saying, there's nothing that warrants it being there for multiple years, period. Give me the positives...

You already did in the first post :thumbsup: .

[BgJag]

Louisiana schools, and especially SWAC's, you have big capacity stadiums. If host down there, maybe SWAC's would consider showing that you are nationally competitive, and play for the title also.
:hurray: :hurray:
we'll be glad to host the Championship game. Think they'll allow a school that doesn't partake in the playoff host the game?? We are D-1AA.:twocents:

[PantherMan]

:hurray: :hurray:
we'll be glad to host the Championship game. Think they'll allow a school that doesn't partake in the playoff host the game?? We are D-1AA.:twocents:

There is no shot at a SWAC hosting unless the conference agreed to play nice with the rest of IAA.:twocents:

[PantherRob82]

There is no shot at a SWAC hosting unless the conference agreed to play nice with the rest of IAA.:twocents:

why not?

I-AA area, no chance of the host playing in the game. Great halftime show. :hurray:

[Tod]

why not?

I-AA area, no chance of the host playing in the game. Great halftime show. :hurray:

Great points, but would the local fans show?

[BgJag]

Great points, but would the local fans show?

I would,, plus the McNeese, SELA, and NWST fans are near by. Plus the airport is approx 3 miles from the stadium.

[PantherRob82]

sounds like a plan to me.

[Blue42]

After traveling to Chatty for the first time for last year's NC game, I have no problem whatsoever with that city hosting the game.

The stadium was great and the surrounding area/atmosphere were all I wanted it to be. It was clear that they really wanted to have the game.

Travel was not too difficult. We flew into Nashville and drove a couple hours down to Chatty that day. Not a bad drive at all.

[BgJag]

MikeBigg can take ya'll to his favorite stripper club.:smiley_wi

[Bison_Kent]

As most know, I like the West teams but by performance (or just pure numbers) West teams (defined by any school West of the Mississippi River) have only made the championship game 17 times. 39 of the championship game participants have been schools located East of the Mississippi.

Just by current conferences, the following would be the conference breakdown:
(Teams Current Conference or Past Conference if I-A now)
SoCon 19
Big Sky 10
Gateway 9
Southland 6
A-10 5
OVC 4
Patriot 2
MEAC 1

I think if the game would be moved westward the game's participants will need to start coming from the West. If four or five years has teams West of the Mississippi in the next eight or nine years then I would be for looking at a new home for the game. But for now, the game is just right in Chatty (a SoCon city as of now any way) with the SoCon leading the way by almost double over the second place conference (Big Sky) in terms of championship game appearances.

Another bit of info, only once have two teams hailing from West of the Mississippi met for the I-AA championship. That was in 1984 when Montana State defeated now I-A Louisiana Tech. In contrast, twelve times two East of the Mississippi River schools have meet for the title.

[SO ILLmatic]

Never been to a national championship game in Chattanooga, but from hearing mostly positive responses above the city and the stadium it sounds like the game is fine where it is at.

But if the NCAA looked into changing the location of the national championship game, what about the idea of having alternating sites?

For example, one year the game would be played in Chattanooga. Then the next year the game could be played in the UNI Dome (just using this as an example). The teams would be able to play in two different types of facilities and the western teams would have a closer trip in the second year of alternating sites. However, the NCAA would have to fine another city that cares as much as Chattanooga does when it comes to putting on the national championship game.

[PantherRob82]

I would say Terre Haute,IN or Macomb,IL :thumbsup:

[dbackjon]

I have no problem with Chatty being the permanent home - like Omaha for Baseball. The longer it is there, the more it grows, the more it becomes an EVENT!

[PantherMan]

MikeBigg can take ya'll to his favorite stripper club.:smiley_wi

See pantherRob, you jumped the gun on accepting the Louisiana deal! NOW that the strip club proposal is on the table; COUNT ME IN ON THE SWAC holding the 'ship!:smiley_wi

[GASIUalum]

i vote for Terre Haute too.

just bring something to plug your nose is all i'll tell you.
Chattanooga is almost the perfect mid-sized city in America: plenty of things to do, plenty of places to eat, and easy access to transportation.

now if only they build that rail line between Atlanta and Chatty

[Saint3333]

They need to hire about 30 more cabs for that weekend...

[igo4uni]

i vote for Terre Haute too.



I don't think most people in Terre Haure realize that Indiana State is the local team!!:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[GASIUalum]

I don't think most people in Terre Haure realize that Indiana State is the local team!!:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

that's because most people in Terre Haute are too busy buying Sudafed and batteries to care about any college sports team that doesnt wear crimson and cream.

[AppMan]

Once The Citadel gets their stadium finished (22,000), and the NCAA hopefully does away with the stupid ban, Charleston would be a great place to play the championship game. I know they gave up the bid before, but that was a long time ago and a lot has changed. A great airport, lots of hotels, tons of tourist attractions, great resturants, and it's a blast down on Meeting Street.


http://www.citadelsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=43262&SPID=3837&DB_OEM_ID=9700&ATCLID=454873

[Mr. C]

As most know, I like the West teams but by performance (or just pure numbers) West teams (defined by any school West of the Mississippi River) have only made the championship game 17 times. 39 of the championship game participants have been schools located East of the Mississippi.

Just by current conferences, the following would be the conference breakdown:
(Teams Current Conference or Past Conference if I-A now)
SoCon 19
Big Sky 10
Gateway 9
Southland 6
A-10 5
OVC 4
Patriot 2
MEAC 1

I think if the game would be moved westward the game's participants will need to start coming from the West. If four or five years has teams West of the Mississippi in the next eight or nine years then I would be for looking at a new home for the game. But for now, the game is just right in Chatty (a SoCon city as of now any way) with the SoCon leading the way by almost double over the second place conference (Big Sky) in terms of championship game appearances.

Another bit of info, only once have two teams hailing from West of the Mississippi met for the I-AA championship. That was in 1984 when Montana State defeated now I-A Louisiana Tech. In contrast, twelve times two East of the Mississippi River schools have meet for the title.
Good research and an excellent post. Maybe you should turn this stuff into a column.

[Mr. C]

Once The Citadel gets their stadium finished (22,000), and the NCAA hopefully does away with the stupid ban, Charleston would be a great place to play the championship game. I know they gave up the bid before, but that was a long time ago and a lot has changed. A great airport, lots of hotels, tons of tourist attractions, great resturants, and it's a blast down on Meeting Street.


http://www.citadelsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=43262&SPID=3837&DB_OEM_ID=9700&ATCLID=454873
If you are not going to have it in Chattanooga, Charleston would be my second pick.

[AZGrizFan]

Now that I've been there I can make soem intelligent comments about the 'Nooga. Spent 3 days there for work this week & here are my impressions: #1- One of the 2 smallest (Erie, PA) airports I've flown into in the country, 6 total gates in the whole airport. While this isn't a big deal for those that can drive I wonder how Montana & UNI fans liked going there.
#2- The stadium- Probably the only positive view IMO. The stadium looked nice, I'm sure the field turf has solved the problems from the JMU-Montana game. Looks like a minor league baseball stadium from the outside, seems pretty easy to get to & has a sizable press box/luxury suites, even though that would mean very little to fans going to the game.

#3- The town - You can leave it. It's big-time SEC country there, the stores are all Tennessee, Georgia, 'Bama & some Auburn. I talked to 4 different bartenders, 2 of which knew the 1-AA NC was even played there. The female waitresses had no clue. The nightlife was fair, the Jack's Alley area was OK but relatively pretty small as were most of the attractions by the riverfront.

I'm not disparaging Chattanooga, but I'd say easily that there have to be better place"S" to have a NC game.

Hint: Missoula's airport only has two gates.... :o :o :o

[crunifan]

My experience seems different than many, while I think the stadium in Chattanooga was awesome, I was extremely disappointed in the city itself. I personally thought it was one of the dirtiest cities I have ever been in. And it was A LOT smaller than I thought it would be. Both Des Moines and Cedar Rapids here in Iowa have skylines more impressive than that. I'm fine with it for a few more years, but I was definitely be for a change when the contract runs out.

[chattanoogamocs]

Both Des Moines and Cedar Rapids here in Iowa have skylines more impressive than that.

Who cares about the skyline? I would assume most that visit for the National Championship only care about where to eat, sleep, drink, and how to get to the stadium.

(just for informational pusposes: the MSA in 2004, Des Moines was 511,878, Cedar Rapids was 244,546 and Chattanooga was 489,609)


I was extremely disappointed in the city itself. I personally thought it was one of the dirtiest cities I have ever been in.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion on this, and if all you saw was the area immediately surrounding the stadium (yes, they built it in a former industrial zone to try and jump start redevelopment in the that area of town) then I could understand. But just for your edification, your opinion is a bit in the minority considering (in the last 5 years)...

USA Today call it one of the best environmental turnarounds in the nation.

Outside Magazine named the city of the Ten Best Cities for Outdoor Recreation in the country. A little excerpt:


The issue, set to hit newsstands Tuesday, mentions Chattanooga's rebound from being America's dirtiest city in 1969 to one of the cleanest in 2001.

"Change is the civic mantra. ... Enter the city and you risk attack by a swarm of progressive buzzwords: sustainability, greenways, revitalization, strategic revisioning," correspondent Mike Grudowski writes about Chattanooga's progressive civic reinvention.

Running Magazine named it one of the Ten Best Running Towns in the country.

Southern Living Magazine polled its readership and Chattanooga ranked 3rd in the Southeast as the "favorite spot to vacation with children", behind only Walt Disney World and Orlando (which honestly I thought was the same thing).

some others...

In 1998, U.S. News and World Report named Chattanooga one of the country's "smart cities" in rejuvenation, and Family Fun named Chattanooga one of the nation's 10 best family vacation cities. In 2000, Parade magazine called Chattanooga "the reborn American city."

and finally, an excerpt from The Environmental Magazine:


Chattanooga on a Roll
From America's Dirtiest City to Its Greenest

by Jim Motavalli

"Chattanooga," proclaims a 1924 promotional brochure whose cover features artistically rendered belching smokestacks, "is a divine masterpiece in the making." Unfortunately, the roaring fires of this industrial riverfront city came to symbolize something other than progress. By 1969, just before the first Earth Day, the Environmental Protection Agency had bestowed on Chattanooga a special award for being "the dirtiest city in America." Visitors to Lookout Mountain, which boasts that it offers views of seven states, were lucky if they could see two.

But look at Chattanooga now. The Clean Air Act forced city manufacturers to invest in $40 million worth of pollution control equipment, and by 1988 the city's air was "in attainment." That was only the beginning. Who knew that Chattanooga would soon become as green as Peter Pan's tights? The city can boast of a leaf-lined river walk along its redeveloped downtown, a freshwater aquarium where conservation is the byword, a free electric bus shuttle, the world's longest pedestrian bridge, and plans for a zero-emissions eco-industrial park and a grass-roofed convention center. Vice President Al Gore said in 1995 that Chattanooga "has undergone the kind of transformation that needs to happen in our country as a whole."

Like I said before, I am obviously proud and biased towards Chattanooga...I guess people just see what they want to see.

[*****]

... it was A LOT smaller than I thought it would be. Both Des Moines and Cedar Rapids here in Iowa have skylines more impressive than that...Chattanooga: 155,554 pop. Density 444.2/km²
Cedar Rapids: 120,758 pop. Density 738.4/km²
Des Moines: 194,163 pop. Density 1,012.0/km²
(wikipedia stats)
I guess it is the density that throws you off.

"Southern" cities are a bit different than MidWest towns.

[chattanoogamocs]

Once The Citadel gets their stadium finished (22,000), and the NCAA hopefully does away with the stupid ban, Charleston would be a great place to play the championship game. I know they gave up the bid before, but that was a long time ago and a lot has changed. A great airport, lots of hotels, tons of tourist attractions, great resturants, and it's a blast down on Meeting Street.

Except for the fact that Charleston is a lot more expensive than Chattanooga (I know, I go to the SoCon basketball tournament every year in Chas), I can't argue that it wouldn't also be a nice place to host.

...and I know for a fact that the Charleston Metro Sports Council will at some point make a run at the Division I Football Championship game.

The Chattanooga Sports Committee and the CMSC have a healthy (and pretty friendly) rivalry. One of their executives admitted to me that Chattanooga is tough to beat in any respect because of the great support the city/county gives the Sports Committee and because Chattanooga has better financial support and corporate funding of the Committee.

And that is really what puts Chattanooga a step ahead of the rest (of mid sized cities)...we have a very strong, very professional, well funded, Sports Committee that woo's major events every year. The list of events that the Committee has brought to Chattanooga is just the last 5 years way too long to list.

(BTW, for full disclosure, I must admit that as biased as I am for Chattanooga, I am equally biased towards the Sports Committee...I interned there)

[*****]

Chatty is much better located than Charleston too.

[chattanoogamocs]

Chatty is much better located than Charleston too.

You are certainly correct on that fact. Chattanooga is obviously much more centrally located to the FCS :). If you are driving, Chattanooga is better...but I admit, if you are flying, it would undoubtedly be cheaper to fly (on short notice) into Charleston than Chattanooga (they handle a lot more tourists that fly, Chattanooga is much more of a "driving vacation" spot).

[*****]

You are certainly correct on that fact. Chattanooga is obviously much more centrally located to the FCS :). If you are driving, Chattanooga is better...but I admit, if you are flying, it would undoubtedly be cheaper to fly (on short notice) into Charleston than Chattanooga (they handle a lot more tourists that fly, Chattanooga is much more of a "driving vacation" spot).But as Kent pointed out, it is VERY much more likely that folks would be driving to Chatty for the champ game than flying.

Me to Chatty: 614.5 miles 9 hours 28 mins <--- drive
Me to Charleston: 924.1 miles 14 hours 13 mins <--- fly
(Yahoo map data)

[chattanoogamocs]

Obviously, many more drive than fly...and going to Charleston would force more to have to fly whether they wanted to or not...my only point (in trying to be fair to other cities is that with a larger airport, Charleston would be a cheaper flight)

But, Chattanooga's central location to participating schools the last 9 years is probably one of its biggest assests.

Ok, so I was bored...and curious...to see the driving distances of past participants in Chattanooga (then I figured while I was looking around, to compare them distantance-wise to Charleston)

Of 18 possible paritcipants...

Closer to Charleston:
Ga. Southern (x3) (Chas 172, Chatt 372)
Furman (Chas 213, Chatt 249)
Delaware (Chas 640, Chatt 691)

Closer to Chattanooga:
Colgate (Chatt 890, Chas 893)
Montana (x3) (Chatt 2,109, Chas 2,526)
McNeese State (x2) (Chatt 674, Chas 967)
Youngstown St. (x2) (Chatt 640, Chas 715)
Appalachian St (Chatt 270, Chas 301)
Northern Iowa (Chatt 830, Chas 1,178)
James Madison (Chatt 469, Chas 504)
Western Ky. (Chatt 195, Chas 613)
Massachusetts (Chatt 938, Chas 991)

Only 5 of the 18 were closer to Chattanooga and of those only Georgia Southern (x3) was significantly closer to Charleston.

[Bison_Kent]

Good research and an excellent post. Maybe you should turn this stuff into a column.

Thanks, I will probably put something together in the future. Maybe towards the championship game this year.

[*****]

... Of 18 possible paritcipants...

Closer to Charleston:
Ga. Southern (x3) (Chas 172, Chatt 372)
Furman (Chas 213, Chatt 249)
Delaware (Chas 640, Chatt 691)

Closer to Chattanooga:
Colgate (Chatt 890, Chas 893)
Montana (x3) (Chatt 2,109, Chas 2,526)
McNeese State (x2) (Chatt 674, Chas 967)
Youngstown St. (x2) (Chatt 640, Chas 715)
Appalachian St (Chatt 270, Chas 301)
Northern Iowa (Chatt 830, Chas 1,178)
James Madison (Chatt 469, Chas 504)
Western Ky. (Chatt 195, Chas 613)
Massachusetts (Chatt 938, Chas 991)

Only 5(3) of the 18 were closer to Chattanooga and of those only Georgia Southern (x3) was significantly closer to Charleston.of those 5 closer to Charleston (and I know Charleston is beautiful), all brought bigtime fans to Chatty! :hurray:

[SoCon48]

My experience seems different than many, while I think the stadium in Chattanooga was awesome, I was extremely disappointed in the city itself. I personally thought it was one of the dirtiest cities I have ever been in. And it was A LOT smaller than I thought it would be. Both Des Moines and Cedar Rapids here in Iowa have skylines more impressive than that. I'm fine with it for a few more years, but I was definitely be for a change when the contract runs out.

it's a tourist, vacation area, not a metopolitan area. Atlanta is just down the road if you want tall buildings.

[SoCon48]

Once The Citadel gets their stadium finished (22,000), and the NCAA hopefully does away with the stupid ban, Charleston would be a great place to play the championship game. I know they gave up the bid before, but that was a long time ago and a lot has changed. A great airport, lots of hotels, tons of tourist attractions, great resturants, and it's a blast down on Meeting Street.


http://www.citadelsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=43262&SPID=3837&DB_OEM_ID=9700&ATCLID=454873

They gave it a couple shots. (9K and 15K).
Must be like the basketball tourney. When they get there, they find something else to do rather than going to the game.

[Mr. C]

If you use the SoCon basketball tournament as a comparison, I have been stunned by how the Charleston people have not supported the whole event. They come to basketball if College of Charleston (or to a lesser extent The Citadel) is playing and that's about it. I wonder if they would support a football game if The Citadel, or Charleston Southern were not involved.

[89Hen]

Chatty is much better located than Charleston too.
I guess that depends on who is in the NC game.

[89Hen]

Closer to Chattanooga:
Colgate (Chatt 890, Chas 893)
Massachusetts (Chatt 938, Chas 991)
I think you have these backwards. Both are closer to Charleston, SC by at least an hour. :twocents:

[89Hen]

the Charleston people have not supported the whole event.
Have we ever gotten a good handle on how many locals come to the game in Chatty? I can't imagine it's very many. I don't think we'll ever get locals to come to the game in numbers unless you have it in a town that has high attendance for their I-AA team (Montana, UD, YSU, GSU...).

[GtFllsGriz]

I found Chatty to be a beautiful city and I had a blast at the NC game. However, all my time was spent in two different bars, one restaraunt, the motel and at the game. So I did not tour the area. We frequented one little bar near the stadium, can't remember the name of it, and then went to the reception where the team stayed. I found the TN people in the bar to be very knowledgable about Griz football. We traded gear and had a great time with them. Of course Montana fans have a great time wherever they go.

It would be nice to have the game a little closer to home if we are going to be in it but obviously we never know when that will happen.

Fargo would be fine with me since they have a great dome. But then again, driving across North Dakota in December is no picnic either.

[Mr. C]

Have we ever gotten a good handle on how many locals come to the game in Chatty? I can't imagine it's very many. I don't think we'll ever get locals to come to the game in numbers unless you have it in a town that has high attendance for their I-AA team (Montana, UD, YSU, GSU...).
I don't have exact numbers, but it has grown steadily in the past two or three years. My estimate would be that they sold approximately 5,000 (figuring apx. 10,000 ASU fans and 5,000 UNI fans) seats to local fans last year. There is also corporate support that is also important to the health of the game and I think that has risen in the past couple of years, too.

[Dr. Strangelove]

San Antonio made a run at the NC game a few years back and Orlando has been in the mix before. Which leads me to this point:

Do you think it would be possible to increase attendance by holding the game in a "tourist destination" like the two mentioned above? Right now, you are going to have fans of the two participants and locals making up the majority of the crowd. But if the game was played in Orlando, for example, you could probably sell ticket packages to fans from all over I-AA football that included Disney World, Universial Studios, etc before the playoffs even start. So if UNI loses in the first round, fans who expected the Panthers to reach the title game and planned vacations accordingly could still have an excuse to fly down and see the game.

Forty-thousand plus would probably not be a stretch with that scenario, which would look good on tv, which would create a more attractive product for ESPN to sell to advertisers. Which would lead to more dollars for the NCAA.

Is there a flaw in this line of reasoning that I have overlooked?

[89Hen]

Forty-thousand plus would probably not be a stretch with that scenario
Unfortunately that would be a HUGE stretch.

[SO ILLmatic]

If Orlando was the case, the game could be played in UCF's new stadium (scheduled to open next year).

However, the traveling distance would increase for all the teams across the country. Also, would the teams be willing to play in a i-a stadium? Seems like it would take away from the atmosphere of i-aa not being able to hold the event in a participating schools' stadium. Would the integrity of i-aa be put into question by the fans that would be in the seats? UCF's new stadium holds 45,000. How would this impress upon the TV viewing public when the stadium would not be full? And would the majority of the stadium need to be full for the game to gain more attention and notoriety?

I feel that 30 thousand would have to be the least number in the seats for the game to be continued in a medium-sized stadium like UCF's. But the December weather in Florida is more admirable than any other possible location for the game.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Unfortunately that would be a HUGE stretch.


UCF's new stadium holds 45,000. How would this impress upon the TV viewing public when the stadium would not be full? And would the majority of the stadium need to be full for the game to gain more attention and notoriety?

Put enough money into marketing and promotions and I'd wager that 40,000 in Orlando would be reachable. ;)

[ucdtim17]

However, the traveling distance would increase for all the teams across the country.

For us out west, there isn't really much of a difference - it's all a long flight and it might be cheaper if it were in a bigger city

[bluehenbillk]

I found Chatty to be a beautiful city and I had a blast at the NC game. However, all my time was spent in two different bars, one restaraunt, the motel and at the game. So I did not tour the area. We frequented one little bar near the stadium, can't remember the name of it, and then went to the reception where the team stayed. I found the TN people in the bar to be very knowledgable about Griz football. We traded gear and had a great time with them. Of course Montana fans have a great time wherever they go.

It would be nice to have the game a little closer to home if we are going to be in it but obviously we never know when that will happen.

Fargo would be fine with me since they have a great dome. But then again, driving across North Dakota in December is no picnic either.

That's exactly the impression I got, that my trip to Chatty would be spent in bars/restaurants & my hotel room. Not much to do at all there. Chickamagua was nice, it was about 30 min or so away.

[89Hen]

Put enough money into marketing and promotions and I'd wager that 40,000 in Orlando would be reachable. ;)
I would like nothing more than to agree with you but history is not in your favor.

[dbackjon]

That's exactly the impression I got, that my trip to Chatty would be spent in bars/restaurants & my hotel room. Not much to do at all there. Chickamagua was nice, it was about 30 min or so away.

If you have a family, Chatty is a great place. Did you go up Lookout Mountain? Visit the Aquarium?

[SoCon48]

Put enough money into marketing and promotions and I'd wager that 40,000 in Orlando would be reachable. ;)

That's possible. But we'd lose a ton of money on the marketing cost to reach 40,000 fans. It would be the world's best marketing job, too.:eyebrow:

[SoCon48]

That's exactly the impression I got, that my trip to Chatty would be spent in bars/restaurants & my hotel room. Not much to do at all there. Chickamagua was nice, it was about 30 min or so away.

That's exactly the impression I got, that my trip to Chatty would be spent in bars/restaurants


That's pretty much the norm for tournaments, championship games and small bowls. Throw in a couple alumni gatherings.

[Dr. Strangelove]

That's possible. But we'd lose a ton of money on the marketing cost to reach 40,000 fans. It would be the world's best marketing job, too.:eyebrow:

Two words: corporate sponsor.

[chattanoogamocs]

I think you have these backwards. Both are closer to Charleston, SC by at least an hour. :twocents:

You are right about Amherst, I did get them backwards.

though in reference to Hamilton, the difference was only 3 miles either way.

(numbers used came from Mapquest)

[chattanoogamocs]

Have we ever gotten a good handle on how many locals come to the game in Chatty? I can't imagine it's very many. I don't think we'll ever get locals to come to the game in numbers unless you have it in a town that has high attendance for their I-AA team (Montana, UD, YSU, GSU...).

excerpt from the Chattanooga Times-Free Press date 12/9/2005...


Increased local interest helped Chattanooga get a contract extension to continue to host the Division I-AA football national championship game.
That momentum will need to carry into the next two years as well.
Though the financial specifics of the agreement between Chattanooga and the NCAA are virtually unchanged, there is at least one major difference.
At least 10,500 tickets must be sold locally for the 2006 championship game, and that number rises to 11,000 in 2007, according to the contract. Greater Chattanooga Sports and Events Committee president Merrill Eckstein said the most tickets sold locally was "around 9,200" last year.
"I think we’ll be up again this year," Eckstein said. "I don’t know if we’ll reach 10,000, but we’ll be close.

[chattanoogamocs]

San Antonio made a run at the NC game a few years back and Orlando has been in the mix before. Which leads me to this point:

Do you think it would be possible to increase attendance by holding the game in a "tourist destination" like the two mentioned above? Right now, you are going to have fans of the two participants and locals making up the majority of the crowd. But if the game was played in Orlando, for example, you could probably sell ticket packages to fans from all over I-AA football that included Disney World, Universial Studios, etc before the playoffs even start. So if UNI loses in the first round, fans who expected the Panthers to reach the title game and planned vacations accordingly could still have an excuse to fly down and see the game.

Forty-thousand plus would probably not be a stretch with that scenario, which would look good on tv, which would create a more attractive product for ESPN to sell to advertisers. Which would lead to more dollars for the NCAA.

Is there a flaw in this line of reasoning that I have overlooked?


The only flaw I can think of is that the game is the week before Christmas...how many people are really going on vacation or sight-seeing?

I figure most people that come to the NC game are in and out quickly and back home asap to be with relatives for the holidays. Isn't that one of the biggest complaints about the game? That is is held so close to (in the middle of) the holidays?

[89Hen]

Merely going by what Mapquest.com said.

(and if I did get Colgate backwards, it is only 3 miles difference either way ;))
I know I am at least an hour closer to Charleston from DC so anything north of me should be the same unless you were as far west as Pittsburgh and could shave off a little by going west of DC. Here's what I got...

Amherst, MA to Charleston, SC = 936
Amherst, MA to Chattanooga, TN = 989

Hamilton, NY to Charleston, SC = 912
Hamilton, NY to Chattanooga, TN = 997

Now, the reality of it is 1 hour is really not enough of a difference to make a change based on geography. Chatty is still closer to the geographic center of the I-AA world. I guess the point I was trying to make is that Charleston is still pretty darn accessible for most of I-AA. Folks from Missoula are flying no matter where it is east of the Miss. Moving it to say Las Vegas, Orlando, San Antonio.... makes a LOT more people fly compared to driving. :twocents:

[89Hen]

excerpt from the Chattanooga Times-Free Press date 12/9/2005...

At least 10,500 tickets must be sold locally for the 2006 championship game, and that number rises to 11,000 in 2007, according to the contract. Greater Chattanooga Sports and Events Committee president Merrill Eckstein said the most tickets sold locally was "around 9,200" last year.
"I think we’ll be up again this year," Eckstein said. "I don’t know if we’ll reach 10,000, but we’ll be close.
:eyebrow: That just makes me wonder how they count "sold locally". There is no way there were 9,200 Chattanoogans in attendance last year.

[chattanoogamocs]

Well, I would assume it is pretty simple...take the total attendance, then subtract tickets sold to the two schools athletic departments.

From what Merrill Eckstein told me (Sports Committee Director), the true count of those "local, non-affiliated" (meaning not there as a fan of either school), was about 5-6,000...the rest of the sales were probably, primarily, ASU fans who bought locally.

And that sounds about right. Most people (officials, media, etc) would argee that about 25% of the crowd was local (most sitting on the South Side of the stadium with the UNI fans).

For informational purposes,
Some ways that local tickets are sold...

*UC season tickets include an NC ticket in their package.
*Corporate sponsors/local companies that buy blocks of tickets for employees at a discount rate (these are separate from the sponsors that have skybox seats).
*and area Bi-Lo Supermarkets have discounted tickets up until the end of November (I think if you buy early from the Bi-Lo they are only ten bucks a pop).

[Mr. C]

:eyebrow: That just makes me wonder how they count "sold locally". There is no way there were 9,200 Chattanoogans in attendance last year.
A lot of folks from App State bought their tickets from the Chattanooga box office, because ASU's ticket office sold out its allotment. So that messed up those numbers. But each year I've been there (every game since 2001), the city has done a better job selling tickets locally.

[chattanoogamocs]

If you use the SoCon basketball tournament as a comparison, I have been stunned by how the Charleston people have not supported the whole event. They come to basketball if College of Charleston (or to a lesser extent The Citadel) is playing and that's about it. I wonder if they would support a football game if The Citadel, or Charleston Southern were not involved.

Your right about that Mr. C...if CofC gets knocked out early (which has happened almost every year :D)...the "Barn" (North Charleston Coliseum, for those who don't know) turns into a ghost town.

I wonder if Citadel football fans (which obviously are VERY supportive of their team, no matter the record), would also support a championship game without a home team?

I also wonder that if the Metro Sports Council landed a FBS Bowl Games (like they had talked about, the Palmetto Bowl), if they would want to also host the FCS title game (my worrry would be that the FCS would then be treated second fiddle).

[chattanoogamocs]

One thing to consider about local attendance too...they aren't in just one little area that can be easily counted...I know for a fact that many of my friends and a number of UC season ticket holders were interspersed on the ASU side too.

Most from UC "adopted" ASU for the night which is understandable considering it was the southern school...not to mention conference mates (gotta pull for your conference).

(though I also know some UC alums that partied pretty hard with UNI fans in the tailgate...those being the one's that "hate Appy" ;))

[89Hen]

A lot of folks from App State bought their tickets from the Chattanooga box office, because ASU's ticket office sold out its allotment.
That makes sense. There's no way to make your fans buy from your allotment, but it sure would be nice to get a better count. I think the stats are important and obviously they are important to the NCAA if they wrote it into the contract with Nooga.

[chattanoogamocs]

the NCAA wrote the contract knowing that, obviously, some fans (from both teams) would buy walk-up tickets...just like any other event...or any other host. And obviously, if a SoCon school makes the finals, the number would be even higher (around here, that is what we call a win win :))

There is no possible way to differeniate between the two...unless you specifically asked every single person who bought a ticket with whom were they "affiliated" with.

[89Hen]

There is no possible way to differeniate between the two...unless you specifically asked every single person who bought a ticket with whom were they "affiliated" with.
That's actually not that hard given this day and age when you buy something at Target and they ask for your zip code so they can track their demographics. How simple would it be for the ticket office/website to ask if you are affiliated with either team participating in the finals?

[chattanoogamocs]

Does it really matter? (except, apparently, to you ;))

I am sure that if people are buying over the phone/website in advance, they take their zip code (they would have to to run the credit card)...but what about the walk-ups the day of the game? ...3 or 4 thousand people waiting in line want you to hurry up and sell them a ticket, not ask them where they're from and who they are pulling for.

It doesn't matter to the NCAA...as long as they get their guarantee number and their money, they don't care...so why waste time and money taking additional information on a non-issue?

[AppMan]

Except for the fact that Charleston is a lot more expensive than Chattanooga (I know, I go to the SoCon basketball tournament every year in Chas), I can't argue that it wouldn't also be a nice place to host.

...and I know for a fact that the Charleston Metro Sports Council will at some point make a run at the Division I Football Championship game.

Not busting on Chatty, but I just love to visit Charleston. I must admit Chatty has come a long, long way in the past 15 years and the area down along ther River is really coming along nicely. Not so long ago there were places right around the campus I would not like to have been caught in after dark. But the charm and warmth of the people and historical importance of the city makes Charleston something special. They have been attempting to get a bowl game down there for years and as far back as 1980 were working on the Palmetto Bowl which would have featured the Southern & Southland Conference champions. Then 1-aa came along and ....... now you know the rest of the story!

[BigPapi]

have it in Vegas, baby, Vegas!

[SoCon48]

have it in Vegas, baby, Vegas!
All 2,000 would have a blast.

[89Hen]

Does it really matter? (except, apparently, to you ;))

I am sure that if people are buying over the phone/website in advance, they take their zip code (they would have to to run the credit card)...but what about the walk-ups the day of the game? ...3 or 4 thousand people waiting in line want you to hurry up and sell them a ticket, not ask them where they're from and who they are pulling for.

It doesn't matter to the NCAA...as long as they get their guarantee number and their money, they don't care...so why waste time and money taking additional information on a non-issue?
I think you are way overestimating the time and money it would take to accomplish this. When I went to the women's CAA bball final and walked up to the booth they asked me which side I'd like to sit on... UD or ODU. This isn't rocket science.

We often talk about how to better market/serve I-AA... well this is a good start. It is important to have figures like these for determining whether the NC should be moved, and to where if it is to be moved. If you have stats that show mid-west teams travel better than northeast... that would be a handy tool to have when trying to decide if the game should be moved to Cedar Falls.

[bluehenbillk]

If you have a family, Chatty is a great place. Did you go up Lookout Mountain? Visit the Aquarium?

I live about an hour from Baltimore & they have the National Aquarium there that I've seen about 3 or 4 times so Chatty's didn't interest me. I was told Chickamagua was much better than Lookout Mtn so I went there, I was impressed with it.

[SoCon48]

I think you are way overestimating the time and money it would take to accomplish this. When I went to the women's CAA bball final and walked up to the booth they asked me which side I'd like to sit on... UD or ODU. This isn't rocket science.

We often talk about how to better market/serve I-AA... well this is a good start. It is important to have figures like these for determining whether the NC should be moved, and to where if it is to be moved. If you have stats that show mid-west teams travel better than northeast... that would be a handy tool to have when trying to decide if the game should be moved to Cedar Falls.
When the home side is full, people take what they can get. Asking wouldn't do any good once there's no choice.

[89Hen]

When the home side is full, people take what they can get. Asking wouldn't do any good once there's no choice.
I think you missed the point. As easy as it was for them to ask me which side I wanted to sit on, it would be just as easy to say...

"Hi, welcome to Chattanooga. How many tickets do you need? Are you a fan of either team?"

Done.

[SoCon48]

I think you missed the point. As easy as it was for them to ask me which side I wanted to sit on, it would be just as easy to say...

"Hi, welcome to Chattanooga. How many tickets do you need? Are you a fan of either team?"

Done.

Didn't miss the point. Just worded a bit differently the first time.When I went to the women's CAA bball final and walked up to the booth they asked me which side I'd like to sit on... UD or ODU. This isn't rocket science.



Besides, even the Chattanoogans might say App for the night since they're the SoCon team when actually they're locals/neutral. ""Hi, welcome to Chattanooga. How many tickets do you need? Are you a fan of either team
I don't think the info is worth asking 20,000 people in line, on the phone or on line anyway. I mean what do we do with it?

[SO ILLmatic]

trying to decide if the game should be moved to Cedar Falls.

If people are content about playing indoors, then what about the FargoDome?
It holds a couple more thousand seats and has some amenities (i.e. Video Screens & Seating on all sides of the field) that the UNI-Dome does not have. IMO the AstroTurf is a negative of the facility; FieldTurf is a better surface and more appealing to play on.

But how would the North Dakota weather be for travelers and what would fans have to do in Fargo besides go to the game? Also, would the city & NDSU be willing to hold the event and put on as good of a game as Chattanooga?

[carney2]

Here's what we need:

1. Some nightlife. It doesn't need to be spectacular. All you really need is Thursday night for those who show up early - and maybe some post-game on Friday. Not many locations come up short on this one.

2. A central location. For I-AA that means east of the Mississippi.

So far, Nooga's as good as anyplace else, but

3. Weather. It's December, for God's sake. Give us some seriously balmy weather or move it indoors.

[dbackjon]

Here's what we need:

1. Some nightlife. It doesn't need to be spectacular. All you really need is Thursday night for those who show up early - and maybe some post-game on Friday. Not many locations come up short on this one.

2. A central location. For I-AA that means east of the Mississippi.

So far, Nooga's as good as anyplace else, but

3. Weather. It's December, for God's sake. Give us some seriously balmy weather or move it indoors.

Indoors - hell no - football should be played outdoors on grass!

And cool is fine, as long as it is not a blizzard!!

[Mr. C]

If people are content about playing indoors, then what about the FargoDome?
It holds a couple more thousand seats and has some amenities (i.e. Video Screens & Seating on all sides of the field) that the UNI-Dome does not have. IMO the AstroTurf is a negative of the facility; FieldTurf is a better surface and more appealing to play on.

But how would the North Dakota weather be for travelers and what would fans have to do in Fargo besides go to the game? Also, would the city & NDSU be willing to hold the event and put on as good of a game as Chattanooga?
No chance of the game ever going to Fargo, N.D. If you think it's hard to get to Chattanooga in December, imagine getting to Fargo. I can't imagine many fans would be willing to make that trek and I can't imagine there would be many tourist-type activities in the winter, unless you want to go snow-mobiling.

[psc2445]

Being an former ASU player, I made my first trek to Chattanooga other than in my playing days for last years championship. I have to say I had a blast in the city. I thought the nightlife was fun thursday-saturday evening. My dad even talked me into doing some touristy stuff. He had been to Rock City before and said it was awesome. I reluctantly agreed to go, and now I highly recommend it. What an amazing place! Back to the nightlife, I could have fun with 2 friends and a lotta beer anywhere, but throw in a mellow mushroom pizza for dinner and live music in the bars and you will get a ringing endorsemnent from me, Chatty. I am planning on going back to the city in a month other than december.

[crunifan]

Indoors - hell no - football should be played outdoors on grass!

And cool is fine, as long as it is not a blizzard!!

I find it funny that a Northern Arizona fan said this.

[89Hen]

Besides, even the Chattanoogans might say App for the night since they're the SoCon team when actually they're locals/neutral. I don't think the info is worth asking 20,000 people in line, on the phone or on line anyway. I mean what do we do with it?
Fine if a local says ASU. :rolleyes: As for 20,000 you're speaking in hyperbole. How many walk up tickets are we talking about. Christ, you guys make it sound like the entire attendance is waiting in line to buy tickets 5 minutes before game time. I GUARANTEE that the folks selling tickets can, with NO problem, ask which team the purchaser is rooting for. :confused: :rolleyes: :cool: :nonono2:

[igo4uni]

It holds a couple more thousand seats and has some amenities (i.e. Video Screens & Seating on all sides of the field) that the UNI-Dome does not have.

The fabulous UNI-Dome does have a video screen.

[chattanoogamocs]

Since you seem so passionate that you need to invoke Christs' name, this is obviously very important to you (though it doesn't really seem to be important to anyone else).

But I don't want to trifle with your feelings, so since you feel so strongly, I could probably arranage with the sports committee for you to come down and ask people yourself. Better yet, you should immediately contact the NCAA committee in charge of the game and offer your services to get this important survey off the ground.

But just to keep you riled up (because I find it humorous), a little scenario for you:

A person walks up before the game to buy a ticket...you got the little tiny microphone that you have to speak into, you know those systems where you have no real clue what the person inside is saying...so you just say as loud is you can...TICKET PLEASE and stick some money through the tiny hole.

So, the lady inside says...who are you here to see? which team are you pulling for? Man outside, what? (since you can't understand a word) Lady says again...which team are you hear to see? Man outside, just wanting his fricking tickets looks at her quizically...and uh, does it matter. Lady inside, well, some Delaware fan is insisting to know exactly how many people who are buying tickets tonight are here supporting a team, or just a local wanting to see the game. Man outside...I don't know, just here to watch the game (or scenario two: ...who cares lady, just give me my dmn ticket. :)) Then the lady, either types in which team, or marks it down on a piece of paper.

Elapsed time: 15 seconds multiply that by 1,000
(the sports committee said the sold about 2,000-2,500 tickets in the last 2 hours before the game)

Total extra time: 250 minutes, divide by 6 gates = 42 minutes per gate.

So, the people at the end of line don't get to their seats until the middle of the 2nd quarter because some Delaware fan just has to know "exactly" how many walk ups are local fans.

xlolx :D

;)

[crunifan]

As much as I love the UNI-Dome, I don't want to see it hold the championship game. First of all, Cedar Falls is one cold ass city. Those southerners couldn't handle it.xlolx Second, I really think it is a lot more fun to travel to new, farther away places. It adds to the whole excitement and experience of a national championship game. That is why I would be it for a place that has no I-AA team.

[igo4uni]

I see your point, but I think it would be cool to have the NC game in the fabulous UNI-Dome.:twocents:

[89Hen]

But just to keep you riled up
Obviously the only reason you keep posting long diatribes on how impossible it would be to figure out how many people actually are locals and from the two schools. I can understand your defensiveness about it because if we actually got a count of how many "locals" are in attendance, your city might lose the game with the new contract.

Now seriously, the reason that I think this would be valuable information is IF the game were ever to be moved, wouldn't it be nice to have some hard figures on how many locals were there and how well different teams travel? This is marketing 101... to whom are you selling? Like I said, many department stores do it for every transaction. Do you think they're doing it just for fun?

BTW, I didn't know that all 2000 people bought one ticket a piece. :rolleyes:

[MYTAPPY]

I bought my tickets through the MOCS ticket office ahead or time. I had to pick them up that afternoon at the game. Am I condisered a walk up? It seems to be the cool thing in this thread to be a walk up. :nod:

[bluehenbillk]

Indoors - hell no - football should be played outdoors on grass!

And cool is fine, as long as it is not a blizzard!!


Agreed wholeheartedly, a NC game should be outside. That's the biggest problem I have with the Super Bowl, it should rotate every 32 years to every teams stadium.

[McNeese75]

Indoors - hell no - football should be played outdoors on grass!

And cool is fine, as long as it is not a blizzard!!

:thumbsup:

[89Hen]

I bought my tickets through the MOCS ticket office ahead or time. I had to pick them up that afternoon at the game. Am I condisered a walk up? It seems to be the cool thing in this thread to be a walk up. :nod:
I don't think you'd be considered a walk-up if you were just going to Will Call to pick up previously purchased tix.

[chattanoogamocs]

Obviously the only reason you keep posting long diatribes on how impossible it would be to figure out how many people actually are locals and from the two schools. I can understand your defensiveness about it because if we actually got a count of how many "locals" are in attendance, your city might lose the game with the new contract.

Now seriously, the reason that I think this would be valuable information is IF the game were ever to be moved, wouldn't it be nice to have some hard figures on how many locals were there and how well different teams travel? This is marketing 101... to whom are you selling? Like I said, many department stores do it for every transaction. Do you think they're doing it just for fun?

BTW, I didn't know that all 2000 people bought one ticket a piece. :rolleyes:

Well first off, I said 1,000 for the example, which means each person bought an average of 2-2.5 tickets each (which actually IS the average transaction). :thumbsup:

Your funny, the topic has continued for three days because one person, you, keep going on and on about this. I just like to see you worked up..."Christ!"...it seems pretty easy.

Look, I know how foolish it is to argue on a place like this...especially with someone who will obviously never stop posting...12,000+ posts means you are about the 2nd biggest loud mouth on here ;)...so it would be crazy to think that you would ever change your opinion.

But, I just for your own edification...I am not worried at all about how many locals are in attendance (I am there every year, I can see with my own eyes that it has good/decent local support)...the the NCAA is happy...the event was a near sellout last year and has improved dramatically on all accounts the last 3 years.

Chattanooga is in no jeopardy of losing the contract because if nary a local soul showed up, the sports committee would still have to pay the guarantee in the contract...which, when it is all said and done, is the ONLY thing (money) the NCAA really cares about (no matter what they claim). If the NCAA was going to pull the event, they would have done it two years ago when attendance was worse and the sod looked like crap (even before the replacement sod fiasco).

The bottom line is, Chattanooga put together a great bid, put together good local support, has gotten the entire loacl media on the bandwagon, and has complied with every single request made by the NCAA. The reason few other cities are willing to even place a big anymore is because they know the odds of wresting it away from Chattanooga are low. It could happen, but it will take a hell of a bid.

...either way, I will look forward to seeing you in the ticket booth in December...clipboard and pencil in hand! :thumbsup:

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:gXIVR7BmPXcaJM:http://www.pc-notetaker.com/images/mobile-clipboard.jpg

[chattanoogamocs]

I don't think you'd be considered a walk-up if you were just going to Will Call to pick up previously purchased tix.

you are correct sir!

...and the number I used of 2,000-2,500 in a previous post as game day sales didn't not include the will call.

[MYTAPPY]

I don't think you'd be considered a walk-up if you were just going to Will Call to pick up previously purchased tix.

I was being sarcastic.:rolleyes:

[89Hen]

Well first off, I said 1,000 for the example, which means each person bought an average of 2-2.5 tickets each (which actually IS the average transaction).
Well then I guess it would help if I could read. :bow:

You obviously have become very defensive because of your ties to Chattanooga, that's understandable. But that doesn't change the fact that one day the NC may leave your city. I'm not advocating a move, but to say it can't happen is rather silly. Yes attendance has grown the last several years, but it's no higher than it was the first four years it was in Nooga.

If it turns out that Chatty becomes to I-AA what Omaha is for NCAA Baseball, great! I hope that whomever has the NC does a bang up job and sells out every year and the locals adopt it as the greatest thing to ever hit their city. If that means keeping it in Chatty, super!

[chattanoogamocs]

Well then I guess it would help if I could read. :bow:

You obviously have become very defensive because of your ties to Chattanooga, that's understandable. But that doesn't change the fact that one day the NC may leave your city. I'm not advocating a move, but to say it can't happen is rather silly.

1) If you want to peg me as being very defensive because I think your idea of polling each individual as a waste of time, then so be it. I worked for the sports commitee, I have worked the ticket office while in college...I know that they last thing fan wants is to have to answer stupid questions when all they really want is a ticket so they can get to their seats asap.

BTW...I am not being anymore defensive in my position than you are in your (and at least I had people agree with my opinion that it would be a waste of time). Defensive people get irritated and and frustrated enough to say "Christ"!!!! (you) Non-defensive people laugh at how easily riled up those people get. (me) :)

2) What is "rather silly" you trying to put words in my mouth. You turned me saying that wresting the NC from Chattanooga would be tough (probability low)...to trying to make it sound like I am saying the NC would never leave Chattanooga.

Silly, silly Hen. Just like an incumbent being difficult to unseat in an election, so would another city have a difficult time prying the NC from Chattanooga after a decade on the field and a great support system and financing. Go back and the quote right...It could happen, but it will take a hell of a bid.

[89Hen]

What is "rather silly" you trying to put words in my mouth. You turned me saying that wresting the NC from Chattanooga would be tough (probability low)...to trying to make it sound like I am saying the NC would never leave Chattanooga.
Cool.

"Chattanooga is in no jeopardy of losing the contract... If the NCAA was going to pull the event, they would have done it two years ago" :thumbsup:

[Cap'n Cat]

I attended the NC game last year. I was a doubter, thinking some other bigger place like Vegas or Orlando or KC or some Texas location would be better.

BUT........I had a marvelous time down there. The place opens up for the two teams and their fans. Great scenery there, too. It only took me about 12 hours from southern WI where D1B lives. That's about a case and a half of beer. Not a bad drive.

Chatty gets a big :thumbsup: from Cap'n Cat, though it would be prudent to at least check other places. Just no more Marshall or Statesboro homer **** like in the 90's where you're essentially "buying" a national championship.