Lights are Up at UMass

[Col Hogan]

Years in the making...Alumni Stadium finally has permanent lights...xhurrayx xhurrayx

The wiring is underway...and our first game of the season will be "under the lights" against Albany...

Check out the pictures...

http://umassathletics.cstv.com/view.gal?id=30096

[bkrownd]

I was hoping I could visit Amherst and get to a game this year, but when I priced flights for October they were over $1300. :( Still trying to work something out...

[KAUMASS]

I was hoping I could visit Amherst and get to a game this year, but when I priced flights for October they were over $1300. :( Still trying to work something out...

Aloha bkbrownd, that sounds like a tough problem to have..I'm out to Maui every few years and Hawaii is awesome. I tell everybody that they have to see Hawaii at least once. Before I had been to Hawaii, I had been to some carribean islands and said how much better could Hawaii be and plus the 12-13 hour flight with kids, who needs it. I do!! I can't wait to get back. I have plans to be out there in January, but that depends on my business and the economy. It's in the tank right now and I may or may not go this year. I usually take American from Hartford to Dallas and Dallas to Kahalui . It's usually $700 to $800 per person, but with gas I could see it being that high.
Good luck with the flight search.

Regards,

KA

[Seawolf97]

Congratulations with your lights! Night games can be exciting. Stonybrook also plays night soccer and lacrosse-both men and women .

[BeauFoster]

What's going on with the dirt movement behind the stands? Any type of enhancement? (It may have been discussed in another thread that I missed)

[bkrownd]

It's usually $700 to $800 per person, but with gas I could see it being that high.

Aloha Airlines went out of business earlier in the year, so the interisland connection capacity is down and prices are way up because of it.

My last slice of Antonio's was way back in '05.

[minuteman65]

About time!

[bkrownd]

My first slice of Antonio's was way back in '93. Mmmmm...spinach pie.... :D

[minuteman65]

Man, my last was about a week and a half ago. Way too long.

[Tealblood]

we have all of our home games scheduled for 7:00 this year like last.

I much prefer a saturday afternoon game though

I suppose the lights give you some flexibility on playoff or TV type games. I can't imagine the heat being that unbearable except the first few weeks of the season

[andy7171]

I like my games at 1pm. Though night games are nice at the beginning of the season because of the heat.

[appfan2008]

congrats on the lights...

[813Jag]

Looks good! xthumbsupx Might be a dumb question but what's the deal with the wall at the end of the stadium?

I love night games, especially in Baton Rouge on a fall night, never been a fan of day games.

[Maroon&White]

Looks good! xthumbsupx Might be a dumb question but what's the deal with the wall at the end of the stadium?

I love night games, especially in Baton Rouge on a fall night, never been a fan of day games.

That's just how it was built back in the 60's. I don't think there is any actual purpose for it. Definitely looks better then looking at the parking lot behind both ends though.

[89Hen]

Congrats UMass fans. When UD put up permanent we went to selling out every game. Good move. xthumbsupx

[mountain_man]

So, when's the running water going to get there...xlolx


Looks like a great place to play football. Very nice!xthumbsupx

[bkrownd]

Night games are for September. The rest of the season should be 11AM. The walk across Amherst to McGuirk on an October morning is heavenly. :)

[DrG]

What's going on with the dirt movement behind the stands? Any type of enhancement? (It may have been discussed in another thread that I missed)

That's just the dirt that was excavated so they could install the light towers. This may be it for stadium improvements for a while, barring an unexpected move up.

The only real night game scheduled is the opener vs. Albany at 6, when the lights won't come until play until the second half. But it does give us the flexibility to schedule TV games at 3:30 later in the season.

[aust42]

Aloha bkbrownd, that sounds like a tough problem to have..I'm out to Maui every few years and Hawaii is awesome. I tell everybody that they have to see Hawaii at least once. Before I had been to Hawaii, I had been to some carribean islands and said how much better could Hawaii be and plus the 12-13 hour flight with kids, who needs it. I do!! I can't wait to get back. I have plans to be out there in January, but that depends on my business and the economy. It's in the tank right now and I may or may not go this year. I usually take American from Hartford to Dallas and Dallas to Kahalui . It's usually $700 to $800 per person, but with gas I could see it being that high.
Good luck with the flight search.

Regards,

KA

I tell everyone the same thing. Before you die you must visit Hawaii. Kawaii is my favorite island by far. I think God lives there.

[Grizaholic17]

Years in the making...Alumni Stadium finally has permanent lights...xhurrayx xhurrayx

The wiring is underway...and our first game of the season will be "under the lights" against Albany...

Check out the pictures...

http://umassathletics.cstv.com/view.gal?id=30096

They are looking good. One thing I'm always jealous of other schools for is lights. And they come in handy when trying to score ESPN time. Nice work.

[813Jag]

That's just how it was built back in the 60's. I don't think there is any actual purpose for it. Definitely looks better then looking at the parking lot behind both ends though.
Thanks, I was just wondering, we have chain link fences that serve the same purpose.

[Umass74]

Looks good! Might be a dumb question but what's the deal with the wall at the end of the stadium?

I love night games, especially in Baton Rouge on a fall night, never been a fan of day games.

McGuirk was state-of-art 1950's technology. It was originally designed to be cheaply upgraded.

I remember seeing plans (and this was a long, long time ago, so don't hold it against me if the details are not right), that the field could be expanded simular to Edwards field at Marshall (http://herdzone.cstv.com/facilities/mars-edwards-stadium.html). McGuirk would have a brick field house where the south parking lot/current field house is located.

The stands equal to the hight of the current sideline stands would be built in the North parking lot, boxing in that section of the stadium and another deck would be added to the home side.

All this would have pushed McGuirk to about 35,000 seats. However, bleacher seats on the sidelines are now banned by fire laws and endzone bleachers void the field turf warranty .

I don't remember seeing a projected cost for the upgrade in 1950's dollars.

[Kymermosst]

I HATE that stupid warranty...And right after they started letting students sit in the end zone, too. I love being down there, right on the field. It's gonna suck next year having to stay in the stands the entire time..

As for the lights, they look great. I keep hoping to catch them testing them out one night. It's only a month, but I'm excited.

[bkrownd]

I tell everyone the same thing. Before you die you must visit Hawaii. Kawaii is my favorite island by far. I think God lives there.

Unfortunately almost everything tourists see here is alien and artificial, not the real Hawaii, and getting more paved and weed and vermin infested all the time. The ecological devastation is horrible. Hawaii has long held the dark distinction as the Extinction Captiol of the World, and the true Hawaii has so thoroughly vanished that few people here really know what it is. People are so invested in the myth of "tropical paradise" that they don't see the truth. Conservation is a new concept here, and despite earnest efforts Hawaii is still dying. Sadly, most tourists and locals alike are too busy pleasuring themselves to care. The next few decades are going to be a terrible struggle to try to save what's left, to nevertheless see more of our biota lost, and fighting politics, greed and local opposition to conservation efforts makes things doubly difficult.

[Col Hogan]

Night games are for September. The rest of the season should be 11AM. The walk across Amherst to McGuirk on an October morning is heavenly. :)

That is so true...I truely miss the Pioneer Valley in the fall...xnodx

[bkrownd]

Where ever I am, a little part of my mind is always daydreaming of October in Hampshire County. :D

Hope it doesn't change too much more. It seemed to reach perfection around 1997 or so. It's a bummer to go back and see more old favorite places change or disappear. :(

[umassfan]

Where ever I am, a little part of my mind is always daydreaming of October in Hampshire County. :D

Hope it doesn't change too much more. It seemed to reach perfection around 1997 or so. It's a bummer to go back and see more old favorite places change or disappear. :(

Now you know why I go back east for two cames in OCT every year. I just got a plane ticket yesterday for 218 round trip flying into Albany. Ill be back for Band Day and Homecoming.

[Dane96]

McGuirk was state-of-art 1950's technology. It was originally designed to be cheaply upgraded.

I remember seeing plans (and this was a long, long time ago, so don't hold it against me if the details are not right), that the field could be expanded simular to Edwards field at Marshall (http://herdzone.cstv.com/facilities/mars-edwards-stadium.html). McGuirk would have a brick field house where the south parking lot/current field house is located.

The stands equal to the hight of the current sideline stands would be built in the North parking lot, boxing in that section of the stadium and another deck would be added to the home side.

All this would have pushed McGuirk to about 35,000 seats. However, bleacher seats on the sidelines are now banned by fire laws and endzone bleachers void the field turf warranty .

I don't remember seeing a projected cost for the upgrade in 1950's dollars.


Bleacher seats are banned by fire code? Is that for your county only?

[Umass74]

Bleacher seats are banned by fire code? Is that for your county only?

Not as a blanket rule. Amherst College has bleachers for their field.

In the old days, McGuirk had bleachers below the main concourse between the stairways. I think the Amherst Fire Dept felt they obstructed movement in and out of the stadium.

[Henny]

The Lord Jeffs? Bleachers? For god sake man!

The lights look great. Great sight lines at McGuirk. Good possibility I will make the trip this year.