chuckie1980
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working with GameTime?
Could ISU ever get a new practice facility..
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redbirdfan04
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The problem with Horton is the asbestos. The cost to deal with that is higher than building a new facility.
No unless some great humanitarian or philanthropist give the school $$$$$$$$. Had a interesting talk with a person who had some talks with some high up budget who eyes $$$$$$$ at ISU. .....pensions and other things are more important.........
TIMMY
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Money talks, bullshit walks. Never gonna happen. Nunca.
ChiRedbirdfan
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If ISU is struggling to "sell" naming rights for their stadiums which has some marketing/name recognition value for the firm/individual think about how difficult it would be to try to get a donor to "donate" money towards a practice facility which would have little or no marketing/name recognition value. Tough sell raising funds or getting investors given the current ISU athletic business model, IMO.
ChiRedbirdfan
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If ISU is struggling t(that is an assumption since they have not sold any naming rights) o "sell" naming rights for their stadiums which has some marketing/name recognition value for the firm/individual think about how difficult it would be to try to get a donor to "donate" money towards a practice facility which would have little or no marketing/name recognition value. Tough sell raising funds or getting investors given the current ISU athletic business model, IMO.
Virginia Redbird
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I saw a short video on the ESPN+ broadcast last Saturday that the Redbird Rising campaign met and exceeded its goal. Was not some money supposed to be set aside for the indoor facility from that campaign? I think I saw some strings on here about that before. If there was some plan for money in the campaign for the indoor facility and the campaign exceeded goals (how much I don't know) then why is there not some movement towards the project?
I don't expect to see the indoor facility in any event. I think it was probably just talking.
I don't expect to see the indoor facility in any event. I think it was probably just talking.
TIMMY
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Jon99 said:
I thought they did a great job promoting the Birds give back day. They had a goal and a specific place where the money was headed. Training and recovery. I get athletics and I get the need. They said they needed $40,000. It was concrete. I knew exactly where my money was going and felt as if I made a difference. I think they exceeded their goal. To me that was money well spent. Happy to do it. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy.
What's the goal here? How much has been raised? How far do they have to go? Are they half way there? If I throw $500 at them I feel like I'm spitting in the ocean because I don't know. This is where I agree with Truth. They're not specific enough. There's no concrete plan that I've seen. I get the need for an indoor facility. I also get the cost. I need more than a picture of what Youngstown State is doing? I've looked and I can't find it. There's no way I'm calling them to find out. They know me and what I've given and yet I hear crickets. There's no way I'll click that button.
And thats exactly how I feel, not going to throw money into it when in reality it could sit there for years with no action. This project will need a few lead donors to get the ball rolling where they offer up a 7 figure donation and then guys like us that will throw much smaller amounts at it are more likely to hop on..
As for now, ISU is rocking it when compared to the directionals, so hard to argue with their big picture mentality and putting academic priorities first.
As for now, ISU is rocking it when compared to the directionals, so hard to argue with their big picture mentality and putting academic priorities first.
Virginia Redbird said:
I felt the same way. I thought that meant we had the practice facility funded. But then I heard from somebody in the know, and they said the practice facility was kind of piggy backed onto the redbird rising campaign, and they didn't have anywhere near their goal. So it was confusing. They actually sounded like they've kinda given up on the nice facility and where thinking about a bubble type of thing. But yeah, the outreach and communication weren't top notch on that. I have no idea where they're at, and have grown pretty pessimistic about ever seeing a first rate practice facility at ISU. Visiting NIU a few weeks ago made me depressed. They have that big facility ... geez! At least they're an FBS school so maybe I shouldn't compare -- but then look at some of our MVC competitors. Definitely behind on that front.
Virginia Redbird
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Thanks for the link Jon99, but I feel the same as Timmy and some others on this board. I would cut a check but it has to be certain to me where the cash is going. I have made some academic donations but again, I knew where the money was going. This needs to be coordinated much better and even then it probably needs a big donation from someone. My pockets are not millions of dollars deep!
StLRedbird
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10 yrs ago - give or take - when Bowman and Zenger were in charge, they built momentum around the football program using a terrific economy of words. Bowman said he thought we should be competing at the FBS level. Zenger talked about how K-State was a model for ISU in the way that they filled a football void in the state of Kansas. Both of them said we would go to FBS when the fans demanded it.
Football attendance spiked on those words as fans assumed that all they needed to do was show up in FBS numbers. Three of the top 10 crowds in Hancock history came in 2006 as a result. The Redbird Renaissance drawings showed Hancock evolving into a 30K+ stadium. It felt like we were building something.
To me, the first sign that the financial support for FBS was not there happened when we could not raise private funds for the first three sections of the horseshoe when Hancock 2.0 went up. My recollection is that the price per section was pretty modest - $1.2M each. Financial crickets chirped.
Zenger left and Bowman retired. Leaders talking up an FBS future were gone. But we we told we were at a competitive disadvantage even at the FCS level due to the lack of an IPF. Funds would be raised - it was our #1 athletic priority in the $150M Redbird Rising campaign. We understood that ISU was going to exceed the $150M goal and hopes rose that ground would be broke on that IPF.
Then something confounding happened. $6M was raised for what looked to me like a frivolous expense compared to the IPF - new seats in the lower bowl of RA. This combined with a cone of silence around the status of the IPF, and it felt like leadership was not being consistent or even honest. It feels to me like we're no closer to FBS today than 10-15 yrs ago when Bowman/Zenger were saying it was a realistic goal. And Zenger said it might take 20 years.
The only realistic conclusion is that FBS football at ISU will be driven entirely by success on the field. Perhaps that's the way it should be. Sorry for the dissertation...
Football attendance spiked on those words as fans assumed that all they needed to do was show up in FBS numbers. Three of the top 10 crowds in Hancock history came in 2006 as a result. The Redbird Renaissance drawings showed Hancock evolving into a 30K+ stadium. It felt like we were building something.
To me, the first sign that the financial support for FBS was not there happened when we could not raise private funds for the first three sections of the horseshoe when Hancock 2.0 went up. My recollection is that the price per section was pretty modest - $1.2M each. Financial crickets chirped.
Zenger left and Bowman retired. Leaders talking up an FBS future were gone. But we we told we were at a competitive disadvantage even at the FCS level due to the lack of an IPF. Funds would be raised - it was our #1 athletic priority in the $150M Redbird Rising campaign. We understood that ISU was going to exceed the $150M goal and hopes rose that ground would be broke on that IPF.
Then something confounding happened. $6M was raised for what looked to me like a frivolous expense compared to the IPF - new seats in the lower bowl of RA. This combined with a cone of silence around the status of the IPF, and it felt like leadership was not being consistent or even honest. It feels to me like we're no closer to FBS today than 10-15 yrs ago when Bowman/Zenger were saying it was a realistic goal. And Zenger said it might take 20 years.
The only realistic conclusion is that FBS football at ISU will be driven entirely by success on the field. Perhaps that's the way it should be. Sorry for the dissertation...
ricohill
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StLRedbird said:
As much as I think Dietz and Lyons have been awful, none of the money for the Redbird Arena project was done through fundraising. Larry Lyons (and his staff) couldn't fund-raise for a PTO bake sale, let alone get 6 million dollars. That was bond money. The reason they did that was the Arena seats were crumbling, had to be fixed, and the arena wasn't compliant with the ADA.
However, if ISU was serious about football they would find 6 million to build some sort of practice facility. Also, the athletic department has been very untruthful and shady during the process. No one even knows what they are trying to build?
They are basically hoping that Spack won't leave and can find a way to win with less. If Spack leaves I fear what happens next to ISU football because the next coach won't be as nearly as good.
fourthandshort
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StLRedbird said:
nice post ... the conclusion I have been slower than many to reach is that AD Lyons is not the guy to take us anywhere. He has completely alienated the donor base .. I have heard other stories about how he has reneged on certain commitments to certain levels of the donor base on some of the future perks/benefits promised if they donated.
AD Lyons has no real conviction about this IPF project despite his very public comments and commitments made in the Redbird Rising 150m promo video ... and by his own actions multiple times. His word is not to be trusted. You can bet this alienates some of the current donor base and scares away potential future donors. Some people donated because of this. Apparently not enough in his eyes. So his strategy and position on this changed ... and he told no one.
But he keeps his job simply because he is a "go along" guy when it comes to budgetary matters ... even at the expense of the team, as that St Xavier (NAIA game) debacle will prove. He refused to even try to cancel/reshedule because he had to have his home game. WIU did just that just 1 year prior with same St Xavier team - found another FCS team and canceled their STX game.
The really pathetic part is he must have been so relieved when we finished 6-5 instead of 7-4 ... it let him off the hook for the backlash that would have happened if we had finished 7-4 which is just 6-4 in eyes of committee .. this would have happened had we beat ISUb. Instead, they stayed home from playoffs at 6-4.
Now imagine if what happened to ISUb had been us instead last year with playoff snub ... AD Lyons would have gotten crucified for playing a meaningless game because he needed to make budget.
Quite simply ... AD Lyons is not THE guy. He is an impediment to advancing ISU athletics and needs to go. The donor base does not trust or respect him. Put him in finance/accouting office in charge of managing budgets ... he is not an AD.
So I've been saying for awhile that an IPF is our highest priority. I'd like to amend that and say firing AD Lyons is our highest priority. Bring in someone who represents and advocates athletics. Bring in someone that knows how to raise money and earn the trust of our donor base.
TIMMY
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It's a big pole barn and more than good enough.JHBird said:
