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Owl, Richmond is an excellent place to watch a game, and it has all the elitist charm you find compelling. I went to a JMU @ UR game a few years ago - what a clash of cultural classes. I sat on the visitor's side between two large groups from each team, The JMU fans were particularly loud and obnoxious, even for JMU fans. Check out two other smallish but nice stadiums I enjoyed attending UNH games at: Wofford and Elon.Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
I just love how W&M blended Zable's architecture into the rest of campus. Most schools at this level simply don't have the resources to maintain that continuity. Even the design of the roofs on either side of the press box are in line with the campus buildings. That's excellent attention to detail!Quote:
Originally Posted by KPSUL
JMU is a perfect example of ignoring aesthetics. JMU has a beautiful campus but sadly as you walk east through the main quad the rather unsightly erector set of half a stadium starts to loom in the background. The closer you get the more out of place Bridgeforth looks. The press box looks like it was portable office trailer in its previous life.
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You got to explain what "elitist charm" is. That's one phrase I never heard when it comes to describing a college football stadium.Quote:
Originally Posted by KPSUL
I was at the JMU-Colgate game two years ago and didn't see observe any issues. I enjoyed talking with JMU and Gate fans. Most of the Duke fans knew Houston was out the door. Here's Andy Kerr from that day in all its snowy goodness...
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Two of my favorites for away games:
Gibbs Stadium Wofford
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Rhodes Stadium, Elon
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Can't speak for UNH's stadium but I can say UNH has the rowdiest/best tailgate in New England for college football.
Speaking of money and resourses, the renovations or new stadiums at the schools you mentioned all cost the same or more (double) as W&M's renovation. The only exception really is Montana, although they have a better stadium anyways, and they just completed the new Champions Center. You would think with all of that extra jingle in their pockets, W&M would have installed chair back seating in more than 10% of the stadium... but the brick does look nice.Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
Yeah... it's great when its full - can get surprisingly loud, but if it isn't, much like the old Metrodome in Minneapolis, it can get downright depressing. They have made some nice updates though with the two huge video boards and ribbons. This year we will finally have our logo at mid field again, which will help a little bit with the atmosphere. Seriously... NDSU for a while, and UND for so long.... how could anyone think not putting the school logo at mid field was acceptable?Quote:
Originally Posted by POD Knows
Anyway, for away fans, its great to have the attached hotel, two bars (one with blackjack), and the indoor water park. People don't have to drive anywhere the whole weekend if they don't want to.
The place would have been way better with even a few rows of endzone seating, but the balconies at each end of the field are a great vantage point to watch the game from. We also get liquor, so that helps!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EpYQJxgX...jpg&name=large
Yep. Princeton's stadium is perfect for FCS football. Clean and modern, great sight lines, convenient concession and rest room location, excellent lighting, good capacity, plenty of room for tailgating, and nice downtown with bars/restaurants within easy walking distance.Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
Yes, Fitton's sight lines and closeness to the field are great. reminds me of Lehigh's old Taylor Stadium. The only knock on Goodman's is the distance from the sidelines of the grandstands. Designed to accomodate the wider soccer field, which gets rarely used for that purpose now that the Philadelphia's minor league team moved.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sader87
I really don't have anything against the Alerus Center, it can get really loud in there, noise bounces around that place something fierce. I have stayed at the Canadinn numerous times and it is pretty handy. I used to work Ag shows in the winter time and it was always freaking 20 below zero in February when the Ag show was there. Ran up some pretty big bar tabs at the bars in that place. The combination of maple leaf flags, ****ty weather and working Ag shows makes me grind my teeth over the place.Quote:
Originally Posted by nodak651
My position on annexing everything north of county road 4 to Manitoba still stands. :D
Actually, I like the setup a lot and it works great for my family. I get up early go tailgate. The kids and wife go to the water park and join me later in the day. Inside at the game they have good food with mixed drinks and craft beers on tap. I think they do a great job. After the game, the bars on the other end of the facility are fun and you can play a little 21 to close out the evening.Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
W&M and UNH's renovation were about the same, $27/$25 million respectively. That's relatively steep on both accounts imo but that's the result of doing business in or near Northeast/Mid-Atlanta metro areas. W&M added a relatively modest upper-deck and a really nice press press/suite area. They also ensured the renovations were in line with the current stadium/campus which did account for some extra $$. $10 million dollars of the project was financed through a Walter Zable estate gift.Quote:
Originally Posted by nodak651
UNH built an entirely new home side so it was a full circle demo to ground up project. Overall, the UNH structure is a little smaller/simpler than W&M's. SDSU got a brand new horse-shoe 20k seat stadium and with a beautiful press box and suites for $60 million. They basically got 3x as much stadium for 2x the money. Money goes a little further in Brookings....
I also found who spoke with! It was Michael Behrendt who is/was the Durham Town Planner. Here's some really cool info regarding UNH's project. As someone who is working their way into sports facility mgt I'm loving this stuff!
https://www.ci.durham.nh.us/sites/de...?itok=hyW8H3ZY
UNH Stadium Expansion | The Town of Durham New Hampshire
NDSU and UND both have really good facilties! The Fargo and Alerus Dome, while not being perfect, are still really nice indoor stadiums relative to others in FCS. Plus, UND has the Ralph and mini-Ralph while NDSU has the new Scheel's Center (where I should be working!). Those all really nice facilities relative to their peers.Quote:
Originally Posted by POD Knows
I'm a huge fan of both Fargo and Grand Forks. Fargo is definitely a city with a school while Grand Forks is right on the fringe of college town or small city with a college; kind of like Bozeman. Both cities have great downtowns and park systems. The two cities are also expanding at a rapid rate; new subdivision after new subdivision. It's a shame because Fargo's and FG's older neighborhoods are beautiful! Grand Forks has the slight golf edge with GFCC as a really nice private option and King's Walk is a beautiful public track. Fargo CC is really nice but the public options in the Fargo-Moorehead are pretty "meh".
The Ralph is the nicest facility of the ones you mentioned and it isn't even really close. I forgot they served beer at football games at the Alerus, that bumps the place a little bit. I am not a fan of the SHAC in Fargo, been to a few games there, kind of blah.Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
Which golf courses have you played in Fargo/Moorhead? GF really only has the two public courses, Valley on the east side and Kings Walk. Lincoln is a little 9 hole job. Fargo has had a lot of problems with the muni's there, Rose Creek and Edgewood, flooding and some other stuff. Edgewood used to be really nice back in the day, I haven't played there for quite a while.
I played the Meadows which was ok, basically a poor man's King's Walk, and Prairiewood because that's where the "You Betcha" youtube/facebook guy filmed an episode! I wanted to play Fargo CC but there was an event/tournament when I was out there in July. Grand Forks CC is a really nice course; clubhouse is rather ho-hum though. The combination of good layout and fairly drastic elevation changes make it one of best private courses in ND. If I do ultimately move out there I'll join either Fargo or GFCC. Moorehead CC looks decent but overall a step down?Quote:
Originally Posted by POD Knows
The UND college 9 hole course is also headed in the right direction since it re-opened last year. That's a great little piece of land in the middle of town!
Speaking of golf and football stadiums. I would love for GVSU and or Saginaw Valley move to FCS (not likely to happen). Lubbers Stadium has always caught my eye as cool and quirky. Plus, the Meadows GC at GVSU is one of the most underrated college tracks in the country! Lubbers, The Big House and the Rose Bowl are both right next to golf courses. Not sure of any other stadiums?
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I don't think the Fargo CC just lets anybody play there, it is the only 18 hole course in ND I haven't played. It is pretty spendy to belong if I remember correctly. I don't like the Meadows, I love links golf but it is a pretty average course. I played Kings Walk a couple times, one of the times I was there they must have decide to grow the rough out because you could barely find you ball in the first cut of rough, frustrating. The Moorhead CC is the best course on that side of the river. Have you played Edgewood in north Fargo.Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
I have played the CC in Grand Forks a half a dozen times, that course had some financial trouble back in the day and course sort of went downhill, I haven't played that course in probably 15 years.
I've worked in the high-end private golf club industry for over a decade in PA (9 years) and Montana (3 years) so I'm basically a phone call away from playing 97% of the private clubs in the USA and Canada. Merion and The Yellowstone Club (billionaire members, Brady/Gisele etc) are easily the two most exclusive courses I've gotten on. With that said, some of the best courses/clubs are the ones that lay low and don't advertise. Northland (Donald Ross masterpiece) in Duluth is really high on my list. If I had more time in July I was going to figure out how to get over there.Quote:
Originally Posted by POD Knows
There's a stretch from basically Kohler through Sand Valley/Wisconsin Dells up through Minnesota and Western ND that is home to some awesome golf courses. Northern Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota have become world class destinations. Jay Bilas gave a shoutout to Bully Pulpit and the Links of ND a couple of weeks ago when he was doing a game. The only time he's ever been to ND was to golf and he was blown away.
****, I forgot about Bully Pulpit, I haven't played that yet, played the Links (Red Mike) a few times, cool course, Hawktree in Bismarck is nice, lots and lots of nice courses in Minnesota, The Classic at Maddens in Brainerd is really nice.Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
I have a colleague who has played Merion and said Pine Valley may be even more exclusive. Where does that one rank?Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
Pine Valley is definitely more exclusive/tougher to get on than Merion! Pine Valley, National Golf Links of America, Liberty National, Fisher's Island, Maidstone, Congressional (new members can't even play for a year or two), Chicago, Cypress Point, Seminole, Augusta, Camargo (tried, got on CC of Cincinnati instead), The Country Club (Brookline) and some others you must be accompanied by a member. At places like Oakmont, Merion, Hazeltine, Inverness, Oak Hill, Columbia, Succession, Colonial etc. you have a fighting chance so long as you present yourself well and there's availability (usually early morning or mid to late afternoon).Quote:
Originally Posted by DFW HOYA
Tom Weiskopf is the one who got myself and a colleague on the Yellowstone Club. He lived near Bozeman and designed Black Bull (my course) and the Yellowstone Club. I saw and spoke with he and his wife Laurie (Christie's real-estate agent in the Gallatin Valley) all the time. Condoleeza Rice (w/full secret service security) played Black Bull in 2013 while I worked there. Richard Childress (Earnhardt Sr's car owner) and his hunting/fishing entourage were regulars despite not being a member.
Pods, this is Black Bull in Bozeman. I worked full-time there from winter 2012 to fall of 2014 (3 full golf seasons). I'm going to get back there next summer so long as travel is good.
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My current club in PA
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If/when i get back out to ND when the weather is good I'll have to hit up some local Bison/UND fans. There's so much daylight from late May through early August that it makes up for the season starting in late April, early May and ending in mid to late October.
Wow, that place is gorgeous.Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
This is where I played one of my last rounds of 2020, I aggravated a back issue I have been having and had to hang it up for the summer. This is a really nice course, it would be a real bear from the back tees.
https://wsfarm.com/
Really enjoying these images of stadiums and the landscape of FCS schools.
Furman has vastly improved Paladin Stadium recently, that said it was built when Furman could hit 18,000 for big rivalry games with The Citadel, GaSo, and APP.
A couple of images of Paladin Stadium
https://twitter.com/CoachLamendola/s...54521765371907
Photo Gallery of Pearce Horton Football Complex
https://furmanpaladins.com/galleries...2014-15-2-/311
Furman just renovated the Strength Training & Conditioning Center
https://furmanpaladins.com/facilitie...ning-center/15
...and almost 20,000 on RA Day.Quote:
Originally Posted by PaladinNation
12,000 of them being Baptist PK’s.
Good times
RA Day? Guessing that's "Returning Alumni Day" - sort of a fancy way to say "Homecoming" no doubt.Quote:
Originally Posted by FUBeAR
ha! guess you've never been a royal ambassador? Bear - I have fond memories of RA Day in old Sirrine sliding down the hill…Quote:
Originally Posted by OhioHen
It’s a Baptist thing...Quote:
Originally Posted by OhioHen
https://baptistsonmission.org/progra...al-ambassadors
...and when FU was a Baptist School, the South Carolina Baptist Convention would organize an annual RA Day at a Furman Football game. The buses, every seat full of elementary school kids, coming from Abbeville and York, from Rocky Bottom in the mountains and Tybee Island on the coast started rolling in 6 hours before kickoff; hundreds of them...with thousands and thousands of crazy, screaming kids unpiling into Paladin (earlier into Sirrine) Stadium. Those crowds were LOUD...high-pitched, but LOUD, nonetheless.
As Players, on those days, we got to do something that few FCS Players get to do very often.We would stay on the field & sign autographs for at least an hour...sometimes 2. If any RA wanted an autograph from any Furman Player on those days, they were not going home without it.
Really fun times for all involved.
Ok, that is a cool story and I am glad you posted it because I was about to call you a pretentious douch bag for calling homecoming "RA day". xlolxQuote:
Originally Posted by FUBeAR
The upgrades really make the stadium "pop"! Paladin Stadium is very similar to Lafayette's digs imo. Both are ideal FCS facilities in terms of "niceness" and capacity/practicality.Quote:
Originally Posted by PaladinNation
I agree. Seen way nicer high school stadiums than EWU and the ****ing red turf. Partially covered in snow the one and only time I seen it in person [emoji3]Quote:
Originally Posted by Redbird 4th & short
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
I don't claim it to be the best (though for me it is), but Strawberry Stadium is a great place to watch a football game. Built in 1937, it's intimate with classic charm, no bad seats, and right on top of the action. Friendship Circle — just outside the gates to the northeast — is a great place to tailgate.
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https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eo7eLpYX...jpg&name=largeHOMER BRYCE STADIUM
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This is really cool and creative... Love the rooftop seating for a better viewing angle as well.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nodak651
I love it!!!!!
It was the idea of our new AD Ryan Ivey who did the same thing at Austin Peay.
The company is called boxLife
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He ordered 5 of them and they all booked for the entire season.
“It was something I looked at doing with Texas A&M Commerce when I was up there but we could never get it going,” SFA Athletic Director Ryan Ivey said. “When I got to Austin Peay there was a real need for it so we did it there. It will be great here in Nacogdoches.”
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https://www.ktre.com/2019/07/01/webx...a-box-seating/
Those boxes are awesome! That's one way to get dollars in the door and an extremely creative marketing concept.Quote:
Originally Posted by SFA 93
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Yes, it is an excellent stadium and a great game-day atmosphere!Quote:
Originally Posted by lionsrking2
The video came up as suggested for me I thought it was pretty good so I shared itQuote:
Originally Posted by wapiti
1. ASU
2. JSU
I haven't been to any other FCS stadiums that weren't dumps.