Indoor Facility News

[Reggie Redbird]

Our Director of Annual Giving for Athletics (Sean Johnson) is someone you want to follow on LinkedIn. I hear this $40,000 for arena upgrades was just part of the gifts he's landed recently. It looks like he pulled in some major gifts since this summer. I'm hearing he got a $500,000 commitment and also a pair of $25k gifts toward the Indoor Facility. :clap: :clap: Get him in front of more donors if he's pulling down that success! :text-+1:

I really, really hope they are planning on doing some news releases here. What motivates people? Progress towards a big goal. If we're looking to spend $10 million in private dollars on a project and we just got 5.5% of that, that's huge news. Very rarely do people open up their checkbooks or even do estate gifts that large. This is huge!

 

[Birdswin]

Good for Sean!! I have had numerous conversations with Sean over the years - he is a nice professional, young man, who wants to succeed and promote Redbird Athletics. I firmly believe he learned from the 25,000 mistakes Matt Lyons made.

 

[fourthandshort]

awesome news .. and agree progress reports would help speed up that progress. thanks for posting !

 

[ChiRedbirdfan]

Sean does a very nice job and reps ISU well. Follows up, very responsive and makes donating easy and not a chore unlike some previous experiences I have had with ISU.

 

[ricohill]

I wish there was more info on the practice facility. ISU has been pretty silent about it other than saying we need one.

From what I have heard is they might be able to use some of the Redbird Rising Campaign money for it. $500,000 is a big donation, however I wonder how much they need to raise (How much will the facility cost, how much do they have)? 500,000 isn't as big if you still need 14 million.

My concern is they are putting money into Horton Field House, which scares/makes me think the indoor facility is still a long ways off from being a reality.

 

[saxman210]

I wish there was more info on the practice facility. ISU has been pretty silent about it other than saying we need one.

From what I have heard is they might be able to use some of the Redbird Rising Campaign money for it. $500,000 is a big donation, however I wonder how much they need to raise (How much will the facility cost, how much do they have)? 500,000 isn't as big if you still need 14 million.

My concern is they are putting money into Horton Field House, which scares/makes me think the indoor facility is still a long ways off from being a reality.

Larry has said that he thinks that Horton will still have a purpose after the indoor practice facility is built.

 

[fourthandshort]

I wish there was more info on the practice facility. ISU has been pretty silent about it other than saying we need one.

From what I have heard is they might be able to use some of the Redbird Rising Campaign money for it. $500,000 is a big donation, however I wonder how much they need to raise (How much will the facility cost, how much do they have)? 500,000 isn't as big if you still need 14 million.

My concern is they are putting money into Horton Field House, which scares/makes me think the indoor facility is still a long ways off from being a reality.

Larry has said that he thinks that Horton will still have a purpose after the indoor practice facility is built.

well yeah ... we all know it's the only thing holding the west side stands up !!

:icon-lol:

 

[ChiRedbirdfan]

I wish there was more info on the practice facility. ISU has been pretty silent about it other than saying we need one.

From what I have heard is they might be able to use some of the Redbird Rising Campaign money for it. $500,000 is a big donation, however I wonder how much they need to raise (How much will the facility cost, how much do they have)? 500,000 isn't as big if you still need 14 million.

My concern is they are putting money into Horton Field House, which scares/makes me think the indoor facility is still a long ways off from being a reality.

Larry has said that he thinks that Horton will still have a purpose after the indoor practice facility is built.

well yeah ... we all know it's the only thing holding the west side stands up !!

:icon-lol:

That is funny but what really makes me laugh is that Larry didn’t even know

 

[ISUBU]

While I understand the desire to promote progress toward this goal, in the fundraising world of higher ed they don't typically announce a specific project as a campaign until they are most of the way there. This one may be different, as it is readily acknowledged as a need.

 

[bb fan]

Horton Fieldhouse is used for many university wide activities, especially intramural basketball and volleyball. It will be at least a couple of decades before it's torn down. Because it still has many functions, and more important than supporting the west stands, it is embedded with the west offices, gyms, pool, etc If the fieldhouse comes down, the whole Horton complex will. It will indeed exist long after the indoor facility and continue to see a lot of use.

 

[Hamdonger]

Sean does a very nice job and reps ISU well. Follows up, very responsive and makes donating easy and not a chore unlike some previous experiences I have had with ISU.

It's really a simple formula, isn't it?

 

[JHBird]

I wish there was more info on the practice facility. ISU has been pretty silent about it other than saying we need one.

From what I have heard is they might be able to use some of the Redbird Rising Campaign money for it. $500,000 is a big donation, however I wonder how much they need to raise (How much will the facility cost, how much do they have)? 500,000 isn't as big if you still need 14 million.

My concern is they are putting money into Horton Field House, which scares/makes me think the indoor facility is still a long ways off from being a reality.

A few weeks ago I talked to Larry Dietz. I was all excited about the Redbird rising campaign in that it was 80 percent complete. I thought the practice facility was part of that, but it isn't. He said they only raised a couple million so far and that the original plans were already scrapped (you know, that nicely rendered building with the redbird logo which was actually a jacked up photo of Youngstown State's facility). He then said that 'Domes' are actually far cheaper to build, and so they're looking at that possibility. I'm not sure what he meant by a dome, but I'm thinking more like what our Tennis team plays in ( a gigantic bubble). So yeah, I was bummed to hear that. Anybody else hear anything?

 

[Reggie Redbird]

I wish there was more info on the practice facility. ISU has been pretty silent about it other than saying we need one.

From what I have heard is they might be able to use some of the Redbird Rising Campaign money for it. $500,000 is a big donation, however I wonder how much they need to raise (How much will the facility cost, how much do they have)? 500,000 isn't as big if you still need 14 million.

My concern is they are putting money into Horton Field House, which scares/makes me think the indoor facility is still a long ways off from being a reality.

A few weeks ago I talked to Larry Dietz. I was all excited about the Redbird rising campaign in that it was 80 percent complete. I thought the practice facility was part of that, but it isn't. He said they only raised a couple million so far and that the original plans were already scrapped (you know, that nicely rendered building with the redbird logo which was actually a jacked up photo of Youngstown State's facility). He then said that 'Domes' are actually far cheaper to build, and so they're looking at that possibility. I'm not sure what he meant by a dome, but I'm thinking more like what our Tennis team plays in ( a gigantic bubble). So yeah, I was bummed to hear that. Anybody else hear anything?

The question becomes is it more important right now to have an indoor practice space that isn't Horton or is it better to have a nice indoor facility. I'm sure the indoor facility is huge for recruiting; however, I'm guessing our coaches would take better space to protect against the elements and not have to deal with Horton scheduling difficulties and the condition of the building.

I think we will get a lead gift in the next year, and we will build a much-scaled down building. Basically four walls and a roof for now with turf for the field. I guess you could call it a really nice-looking Morton building. Tennessee State is probably the best representation I can find.

http://www.tsutigers.com/facilities/indoor-facility/

Is it great? No. Is it functional and better than we have? Yes.

Nicer would be what Toledo has, which I believe cost about $12 million to build:

http://www.tsutigers.com/facilities/indoor-facility/

https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/ut/2007/12/11/Fetterman-donation-goes-to-University-of-Toledo-practice-facility/stories/200712110059?abnpageversion=evoke

I think if we can get a lead gift/naming rights deal in the $3-5 million range (hopefully $5+ million), we can get this done with other gifts. If you're sitting there with $8 million pledged, I think we can find enough to get another $2 million.

 

[isuquinndog]

The BOT just approved a few hundred thousand to replace the floor at Horton. It's not going anywhere.

 

[TheTruth]

A few weeks ago I talked to Larry Dietz. I was all excited about the Redbird rising campaign in that it was 80 percent complete. I thought the practice facility was part of that, but it isn't. He said they only raised a couple million so far and that the original plans were already scrapped (you know, that nicely rendered building with the redbird logo which was actually a jacked up photo of Youngstown State's facility). He then said that 'Domes' are actually far cheaper to build, and so they're looking at that possibility. I'm not sure what he meant by a dome, but I'm thinking more like what our Tennis team plays in ( a gigantic bubble). So yeah, I was bummed to hear that. Anybody else hear anything?

We need a complete reboot of the athletic dept staff, this is ridiculous. If who Illinois State has hired can't get the job done (even though it's way too early to be scrapping the original plans), it never occurs to them to replace them with someone who can? This half-assed, defeatist approach needs to end and it does not instill any confidence in the program with the fanbase.

 

[JHBird]

I wish there was more info on the practice facility. ISU has been pretty silent about it other than saying we need one.

From what I have heard is they might be able to use some of the Redbird Rising Campaign money for it. $500,000 is a big donation, however I wonder how much they need to raise (How much will the facility cost, how much do they have)? 500,000 isn't as big if you still need 14 million.

My concern is they are putting money into Horton Field House, which scares/makes me think the indoor facility is still a long ways off from being a reality.

A few weeks ago I talked to Larry Dietz. I was all excited about the Redbird rising campaign in that it was 80 percent complete. I thought the practice facility was part of that, but it isn't. He said they only raised a couple million so far and that the original plans were already scrapped (you know, that nicely rendered building with the redbird logo which was actually a jacked up photo of Youngstown State's facility). He then said that 'Domes' are actually far cheaper to build, and so they're looking at that possibility. I'm not sure what he meant by a dome, but I'm thinking more like what our Tennis team plays in ( a gigantic bubble). So yeah, I was bummed to hear that. Anybody else hear anything?

The question becomes is it more important right now to have an indoor practice space that isn't Horton or is it better to have a nice indoor facility. I'm sure the indoor facility is huge for recruiting; however, I'm guessing our coaches would take better space to protect against the elements and not have to deal with Horton scheduling difficulties and the condition of the building.

I think we will get a lead gift in the next year, and we will build a much-scaled down building. Basically four walls and a roof for now with turf for the field. I guess you could call it a really nice-looking Morton building. Tennessee State is probably the best representation I can find.

http://www.tsutigers.com/facilities/indoor-facility/

Is it great? No. Is it functional and better than we have? Yes.

Nicer would be what Toledo has, which I believe cost about $12 million to build:

http://www.tsutigers.com/facilities/indoor-facility/

https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/ut/2007/12/11/Fetterman-donation-goes-to-University-of-Toledo-practice-facility/stories/200712110059?abnpageversion=evoke

I think if we can get a lead gift/naming rights deal in the $3-5 million range (hopefully $5+ million), we can get this done with other gifts. If you're sitting there with $8 million pledged, I think we can find enough to get another $2 million.

I agree Reggie. If it looked like this, I think our athletes would feel satisfied.
https://utrockets.com/news/2007/12/13/Indoor_Practice_Facility.aspx?path=athletics

 

[ricohill]

A few weeks ago I talked to Larry Dietz. I was all excited about the Redbird rising campaign in that it was 80 percent complete. I thought the practice facility was part of that, but it isn't. He said they only raised a couple million so far and that the original plans were already scrapped (you know, that nicely rendered building with the redbird logo which was actually a jacked up photo of Youngstown State's facility). He then said that 'Domes' are actually far cheaper to build, and so they're looking at that possibility. I'm not sure what he meant by a dome, but I'm thinking more like what our Tennis team plays in ( a gigantic bubble). So yeah, I was bummed to hear that. Anybody else hear anything?

We need a complete reboot of the athletic dept staff, this is ridiculous. If who Illinois State has hired can't get the job done (even though it's way too early to be scrapping the original plans), it never occurs to them to replace them with someone who can? This half-assed, defeatist approach needs to end and it does not instill any confidence in the program with the fanbase.

Larry back in September of 2013 the practice facility was the top item for him to get done. https://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/football/indoor-practice-facility-top-item-on-wish-list-for-illinois/article_e4a9b732-2636-11e3-b265-0019bb2963f4.html

It's 5 years later and they've only raised a couple million dollars with 1/4th of that raised by Sean Johnson in the last couple months. What in the world were Matt and Larry doing?

I know a lot of people see this as huge for Football (which it is), but it is even bigger than that. They need this for Track and Field, Baseball, and Softball. Re-surfacing the track in Horton is basically worthless, that Track can't even host meets.

I might sound negative, but there hasn't been much positive lately to grow ISU athletics since Zenger left. The failures of this athletic department will haunt the athletic program for several years.

 

[JHBird]

I always wondered where the soccer team practiced in the off season? The Horton surface would be brutal for soccer, might was well just play on a basketball court. Heck, I played soccer for Central Michigan back in the 1980's, and even back then we had an indoor practice area with artificial turf. The fact that ISU still doesn't have something at least as good blows my mind! They're forty years behind in that area....

 

[TIMMY]

My open letter to Larry, his brother Darrell, his other brother Darrell and any other Dietz family members collecting a check from ISU:

So 5 classes have come and gone since the BS about the need for an indoor facility being your #1 priority. I said then it wasn't going to happen nearly soon enough and you should do a bubble in the meantime.

This is just dumb. I know you know very little about athletics so here's the deal. It's not what you do at practice that makes you better than the next guy. EVERYONE PRACTICES! It's what you do in the off season. While our guys are watching it snow, NDSU, UNI, Youngstown, SDSU, South Dakota and whoever else are getting better. It matters. It's a competitive disadvantage. It's a recruiting disadvantage. 5 more years? 10? Put up a damn bubble for 3 months in the winter and spruce up Horton. Stop kidding yourself and move on. 15? 20?
Yours Truly,
Timmy
http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?154510-NDSU-getting-sports-bubble-indoor-practice-facility
https://goprincetontigers.com/news/2017/12/14/general-the-bubble-over-powers-field-opens-and-immediately-changes-the-princeton-athletics-landscape.aspx?path=general
https://bceagles.com/facilities/?id=8
https://cspbears.com/facilities/?id=76

 

[birdfan68]

Here is a link from August 14, 2018. The article mentions 3 different sizes.

https://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/illinois-state/isu-seeking-lead-gift-for-indoor-practice-facility/article_87b37c71-39bc-5516-9896-1617daa03329.html