Time to expand Oklahoma Memorial Stadium?

[SoonerDave]

I keep hearing a recruit/players family lounge for the open part of the stadium on the southeast corner (where the flag poles are). and suites on the other side.

Man, if I were a high-roller (and I'm decidedly not), I'd be hard pressed to fork over serious coin for a suite in the corner of the endzone. Maybe I'm just too much of a sideline snob

Surely the press box reno will include some major suite setups.

Maybe they'll even go full HD on the south end-zone scoreboard

[SoonerDave]

I keep hearing a recruit/players family lounge for the open part of the stadium on the southeast corner (where the flag poles are). and suites on the other side.

Man, if I were a high-roller (and I'm decidedly not), I'd be hard pressed to fork over serious coin for a suite in the corner of the endzone. Maybe I'm just too much of a sideline snob

Surely the press box reno will include some major suite setups.

Maybe they'll even go full HD on the south end-zone videoboard, or maybe put up a twin in the N. endzone

[ou48A]

Man, if I were a high-roller (and I'm decidedly not), I'd be hard pressed to fork over serious coin for a suite in the corner of the endzone. Maybe I'm just too much of a sideline snob

Surely the press box reno will include some major suite setups.

Maybe they'll even go full HD on the south end-zone videoboard, or maybe put up a twin in the N. endzone

At OU the best seats for viewing the development of a football play are in the center of the end-zone about 50 rows up..... Unlike some end zone seat in some stadiums you are still close to the field..
I know of several football coaches who love this angle of view.

[ou48A]

Stoops was on WWLS today and indicated there is a possibility that a new press box project may extend from the west side and wrap around to span the south end zone.
OU football may get new office and reception space.
They are looking at the possibility of moving OU's learning center from the north end-zone to the Bud

[SoonerDave]

Stoops was on WWLS today and indicated there is a possibility that a new press box project may extend from the west side and wrap around to span the south end zone.
OU football may get new office and reception space.
They are looking at the possibility of moving OU's learning center from the north end-zone to the Bud

Press box wrapping the west/south sides?? That would imply something to level the top of the south deck with the west deck...hmmm....interesting. Wonder if they're going to take a page from the Jerry Jones playbook and ship the press over to the corner of the endzone a la JerryWorld and release the existing space to suites. That would be interesting.

Also suggests at least the possibility they're going to move the S. EZ videoboard. Or do something with it. Also verrrry interesting.

[OKVision4U]

Yes, ...it looks like I may be very close to this subject. 100K / South End with Suites / Overall upgades in seats / plus the pressbox. ...and that Ruth Chris Steakhouse too. ...the Billy Sims BBQ as well. ...that Fanzone Experience. Boomer.

This was not news to me. lol.

[SoonerDave]

At OU the best seats for viewing the development of a football play are in the center of the end-zone about 50 rows up..... Unlike some end zone seat in some stadiums you are still close to the field..
I know of several football coaches who love this angle of view.

I might disagree with you on that a bit...there's very little you can't see from a 50-yard-line seat on either of the upper decks. You can see routes unfold, holes open, you name it......I *love* sitting up there.

[Laramie]

Great find, ou48

"Oklahoma has, in spite of all of Stoops' success, and all of the upgrades that were made upon his arrival, again fallen behind the eight-ball in the never ending 'facilities war'.

Sure, every program has nice facilities, places that would be upgrades over anything a top prospect has seen at his high school. But what about a comparison against the kind of programs that Oklahoma is expected to compete with on the recruiting trails?"

Our football venue is slowly succumbing to obsolesces among the Top 25 collegiate football stadiums . Howard Schnellenberger referred to Owen Field as a 'Grand old lady...'

Ranking the Nation's Top 25 College Football Stadiums | AthlonSports.com

University of Oklahoma currently sits at number 18.

Recruits want to be a part of success; especially aligning themselves with a program as storied as that of our Oklahoma Sooners. It's time to spruce up the 'Grand Old Lady." Expansion and renovation needs to take place.

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

New press box facilities and a modest expansion of 6,000-8,000 by closing the south end zone corners should bring seating capacity to around 90,000. Let's hope the news arrives around Christmas.

The release of Drunkenbuerger; it's time to put a new face on Howard Schnellenberger's 'Grand Old Lady...'

“You don't want more than 90,000 people here,” Switzer said. “We're a small state and you want them to fight for those tickets and it be a premium for them to come to Oklahoma games.”--OU football: Upgrades to Gaylord Family ? Oklahoma Memorial Stadium might be in the works | News OK

"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.

[OKVision4U]

A new face-lift on the stadium will help all the other recruits make up their minds too. Boomer.

[ou48A]

Joe C. is scheduled to be on KREF at 1:17 PM Thursday


Joe C. will supposedly be asked about some of the new OU athletic facility's?

[Just the facts]

Ranking the Nation's Top 25 College Football Stadiums | AthlonSports.com

I don't get these rankings at all. Maybe if they had provided some kind of criteria it would have helped (or maybe I just missed them). If they are going just by architecture and natural beauty Franklin Field (University of Pennsylvania) and California Memorial Stadium (Cal) should be at the top of the list.

[ou48A]

I don't get these rankings at all. Maybe if they had provided some kind of criteria it would have helped (or maybe I just missed them). If they are going just by architecture and natural beauty Franklin Field (University of Pennsylvania) and California Memorial Stadium (Cal) should be at the top of the list.

Most of the time the rankings like these have almost nothing to do with the architectural attractiveness of a stadium... It's all most always about the atmosphere in and around the stadium that's created by the home fans and the intimidation factor that some stadiums with their fans have more of than others.

It would be wise IMO if OU try’s to enhance its own intimidating atmosphere with any new stadium construction.

[ou48A]

Joe C. was on KREF this afternoon and indicated the following:

Joe C indicates they will have an announcement ASAP, after all studies are complete
They have looked at all options including the outlandish.
They want to provide the best college atmosphere possible for all athletes and make it a great experience for fans.

The weight room will be expanded. He made it sound like it would be in the south end zone. The South end-zone will under go a major reconfiguration and see a significant seating change...... and be bowled in to the extent possible.

Expanding the stadium into the practice fields is not desirable according to Joe C.
Sounds like many seats will have chair backs.
Total stadium capacity will not be altered in a significant way.
They have a goal of providing state of the art electronic experience for fans that will be designed to be upgraded as new devices are developed.

A new press box with suits sounds highly likely.
It will be the largest athletic fund raising campaign in OU history. It will be very big deal.

Joe C indicated that their was not a lot of data that supports a major football stadium expansion. He indicated that the states population needs to grow before they would likely make a major expansion.

The LNC sounds like it will see a very significant re-do.

[ou48A]

Joe C says this will involve hundreds of millions of dollars.

Note: This comes on top of about 185 million dollars worth of OU football stadium improvements since Joe. C has been at OU.......
So it's not like they are starting from scratch.

[ou48A]

Joe C. indicated these projects will change the face of what things look like for 50 years!

[Plutonic Panda]

that sounds like that will be awesome!

[OKCretro]

disappointed to hear about LNC. We need a new arena period. Need suites and the seats are too spread apart. Should play in the small arena for a year while we tear down and rebuild LNC.

[Pete]

^

When they invested millions in the practice courts at LNC I knew it would be staying.

However, they can easily reshape it to a pure basketball venue vs. a multi-purpose, round bowl.


Excited to learn more. When Joe C speaks publicly, you know it's going to happen.

No ego or flash, just quietly among the very best -- if not *the* best -- AD's anywhere.

[ou48A]

disappointed to hear about LNC. We need a new arena period. Need suites and the seats are too spread apart. Should play in the small arena for a year while we tear down and rebuild LNC.

Joe C indicated the LNC capacity will probably decrease in all likelihood.

Several months ago somebody at OU told me they would likely bring the seats on the sides closer to the court and enhance premium seating.
I'm pretty sure that if there were enough fan demand that OU would be willing to build a new arena....
but its just not justified at this point.

[ou48A]

As I said, Joe C said the projects would involve hundreds of millions but the number I hear being kicked around for all projects is 400 million +. I suppose this could change though because the studies are not complete and more donations could be made.
I'm pretty sure this will make the OU football facility among the very best for both players and fans....
It sounds like the electronic stuff they will be doing for fans will be very unique.

[BoulderSooner]

Joe C indicated the LNC capacity will probably decrease in all likelihood.

Several months ago somebody at OU told me they would likely bring the seats on the sides closer to the court and enhance premium seating.
I'm pretty sure that if there were enough fan demand that OU would be willing to build a new arena....
but its just not justified at this point.

Capacity will go down in the Linc because of the addition of suites and club level seating

[OKCretro]

They could easily build a new arena on the south, west or east of the practice facility and could have a connector.

Lots of space, just parking lots and a grass field

[ou48A]

This is a transcript of the interview Joe C. gave on KREF about the thoughts and plans for Memorial Stadium & Lloyd Noble Center renovations.


OU Director Of Athletics, Joe Castiglione, Discusses Stadium/Arena Renovation Plans | The Football Brainiacs

[SoonerDave]

Probably a 50/50 split of what I expected versus what wasn't expected.

I am not at all surprised there is no desire to expand the stadium's seating capacity.

I am surprised there is a focus on bowling the south endzone. Really didn't think that one would hit.

It surely reads to me that a tandem south endzone overhaul/weight room expansion tells me that the current SEZ structure could be significantly altered - surely that's what he was referring to when he was talking about "piecemeal" previous expansions. The SEZ looks like it was designed and built on another planet compared to the rest of OMS...

[traxx]

Who is this Joe C. you guys are talking about?



Seriously though, glad to hear that we're not expanding seating capacity. I think all these teams that are in an arms race to have 100K+ seating will be sorry. Even the traditional powerhouse teams are having some trouble putting butts in seats. With HDTV making the at home watching experience so great, this will continue to be a problem.

I would've liked for another arena to be built but can understand why they wanna keep the LNC. If they redesign it to be a basketball arena instead of a multipurpose arean, that'll be good. All these changes sound promising.