South EndZone
- Thread starter Let's Go State
- Start date
Using Google Earth, the lower section rows are about 26 feet in length, and the upper section rows are about 62. Not sure how many seats are in each row though...
Great post. Dan wasn't perfect, but what he did here shouldn't be taken lightly. People forget how bad it was here. 6 wins was a pipe dream, hell 4 wins was a great year. I was at Jack Trice in 1985 when ISU lost to Drake....in football. It was that bad. Losing in football...to Drake. There were no fans, the atmosphere was bad, and worst of all there was no hope. When Dan came here it could not have been a worse situation and he made the best of it, without him picking ISU football up from the grave we may not even have football right now, it was that bad.
Danny Mac was good for us and I did not like to see him go at the time, but look where we are now and he helped build what we have today.
USC/ISU
First on the USC thing. I don't think there was any effort to copy USC's uniforms, however anyone who says they are not at all alike is delusional I believe our administrators probably were looking for a updated design using the Iowa game throwbacks as a base design and being that ISU and USC basically have the same color...guess what.
I think administrators have tried to get away from this problem to some extent. The use of the white road uniforms. They even tried a gold jersey a few years ago but few people liked it. I would be surprised if we didn't change our home uniform just enough over the next few years to get away from the USC comparison.
SEZ
As for the stadium. Facilities is my bread and butter. I worked for the university in a capacity that allowed for me to become intimate with our facilities and opened up opportunities to see and hear plans and ideas that were on the table. I've been away from the university for a while but I think I have a pretty good feel for what is going on.
The SEZ is going to happen, and the students will be moved to the endzone. The band will most likely be moved with the students. The space in the endzone will remain cheep seats so why not put the students there when we can get more out of the seats on the east side. A portion of the current student section will be visitors section to separate the two factions. Majority of people who pay big money for tickets don't want to be near the students (see below about press box).
Press box
The press box has been mentioned by some "insiders" on this board as one of the priorities along with the SEZ. Of course after the SEZ what is left? I could list off dozens of projects that could be done and are in the works, but at this point it is more like coming up with a wish list instead of a must do list.
I do know that as of 2010 we were near equilibrium for suites with supply being just behind demand. It just isn't a wise move to spend millions to add a bunch of suites that may or may not sell. The press area is cramped in our press box as well as the administration space, but is it worth the cost? Actually the two areas in our press box that probably need the most attention are the TV broadcast area and technical and administrative areas. Now only the first floor is suites, second floor is open press area and the top floor is TV/Radio broadcast and coaches suites.
Originally there were plans to add suites to the East side just like the west side. There were a number of reasons why this didn't happen including cost and student section. However, after the SEZ is built I would be looking for new suites on the east side along with a remolded press box that will expand 3rd floor operations onto the 1st floor.
I just don't see us making any big changes to the press box for some time. The athletic department will have to pay down some bills and ISU football will have to become more than a 6 win team. Several projects get paid off in 2016, maybe sometime after then...maybe.
First on the USC thing. I don't think there was any effort to copy USC's uniforms, however anyone who says they are not at all alike is delusional I believe our administrators probably were looking for a updated design using the Iowa game throwbacks as a base design and being that ISU and USC basically have the same color...guess what.
I think administrators have tried to get away from this problem to some extent. The use of the white road uniforms. They even tried a gold jersey a few years ago but few people liked it. I would be surprised if we didn't change our home uniform just enough over the next few years to get away from the USC comparison.
SEZ
As for the stadium. Facilities is my bread and butter. I worked for the university in a capacity that allowed for me to become intimate with our facilities and opened up opportunities to see and hear plans and ideas that were on the table. I've been away from the university for a while but I think I have a pretty good feel for what is going on.
The SEZ is going to happen, and the students will be moved to the endzone. The band will most likely be moved with the students. The space in the endzone will remain cheep seats so why not put the students there when we can get more out of the seats on the east side. A portion of the current student section will be visitors section to separate the two factions. Majority of people who pay big money for tickets don't want to be near the students (see below about press box).
Press box
The press box has been mentioned by some "insiders" on this board as one of the priorities along with the SEZ. Of course after the SEZ what is left? I could list off dozens of projects that could be done and are in the works, but at this point it is more like coming up with a wish list instead of a must do list.
I do know that as of 2010 we were near equilibrium for suites with supply being just behind demand. It just isn't a wise move to spend millions to add a bunch of suites that may or may not sell. The press area is cramped in our press box as well as the administration space, but is it worth the cost? Actually the two areas in our press box that probably need the most attention are the TV broadcast area and technical and administrative areas. Now only the first floor is suites, second floor is open press area and the top floor is TV/Radio broadcast and coaches suites.
Originally there were plans to add suites to the East side just like the west side. There were a number of reasons why this didn't happen including cost and student section. However, after the SEZ is built I would be looking for new suites on the east side along with a remolded press box that will expand 3rd floor operations onto the 1st floor.
I just don't see us making any big changes to the press box for some time. The athletic department will have to pay down some bills and ISU football will have to become more than a 6 win team. Several projects get paid off in 2016, maybe sometime after then...maybe.
I know there are 18 seats per row in the lower section - at least in the student section. That's roughly a foot and a half of bleacher space for each person, assuming your estimate here is correct
Thanks for posting. This is about what I thought regarding the press box. Is their any chance that they will also put suites between the upper and lower bowls in the new SEZ? Also, if they move the band into the SEZ then will their be any seating in front of the Jacobson building anymore?
Cool info! This is the first I have ever heard about suites on the east side.
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Wondering this as well. From a visual standpoint I like the band where they are (like when a field goal is being kicked, and the broadcast shows the band behind it, making the stadium appear nice and full). So if and when they move to the south endzone like we are thinking, I hope to see some seating remain in the north endzone. The more fans crammed on the field level the better IMO.
I know that it has been discussed but only to the extent as "we could do this". I never got the feeling that suites in the endzone were ever seriously looked at. Not completely sure why on that. Having built the new video board, maybe suites in the endzone might be looked at in more detail now but I just don't think so.
I think people need to keep in mind that most of these decisions are still very fluid. The fact is all I'm providing is potentially outdated information and projecting based on my knowledge of what they have discussed in the past. Where the band sits could change twenty times before the endzone is ever built. The feeling in the past was to keep the band somewhat near the students, but I don't think that is at all set in stone. I could see them keeping those bleachers in the endzone as something like Courtcyd seating if they do move the band or allowing the visiting band to use them as our band will be set up in the other endzone.
Back to the Press box,
What I was trying to say last night is that suites are not the concern right now so people can get off that subject. I don't know to what extent HD, Cylcones.tv and the new media deals plays a factor in all this. These may be issues binding JP's hands as it were. HD takes a little more equipment for productions and with Cyclones.tv, we basically now have two TV networks in the press box at every game. Further, you can make things work a couple times a year like in the past, but now that every game is on TV it is harder to just suck it up and deal with it.
All of this may require more space in the press box beyond what we currently have. Keep in mind that even the DPS has a command post in the press box during games. There are a lot of people looking for space up there. If JP is being forced into making a move with the press box itself he isn't going to fool around with it. Building something that high will be very expensive and most likely we will over build so it won't be a issue again for a long time. We have seen JP take this perspective in the past with facility upgrades and is really a smart business model.
If things are that much worse up there from what they were 3 years ago, then I could definitely see this becoming a priority over the SEZ as a add on to the press box would probably be in the 20 million range instead of a 50 million range. JP isn't going to risk a loss of national exposure for a endzone that people on TV probably won't see much of.
Construction notes
A couple things to keep in mind about the press box. First, the press box can be added on to. Fire code requires two non-mechanical egress from the structure less than a 300 foot distance from the farthest point to the escape A elevator is required for obvious reasons (who wants to climb 7 stories). Those giant pillars are primarily for the two staircases it contains and the elevator. Such pillars would not be required to build onto the press box, instead we will see more of the much smaller supports that are used toward the front of the press box. These pillars will not interfere with the concession stands.
Only 200 people can go out each door so the press box could only be expanded to accommodate 400 people per floor. Right now there are approximately 120 per floor, so the press box could be tripled without adding extra exits. That would mean that 3/5 of the west side will most likely be press box instead of 1/5. Staircase and elevator constructions would be huge costs for such a high structure so I would guess bypassing that would keep the total cost in the 20 million range.
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Listen to this. 70 mil for a SEZ and a press box. We just spent close to 20 mil in concourses and video board. That's 90 mil for renos. Couldn't we have built a brand new kick *** stadium for that???
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
Pretty much all of Level 3 is too small for what's needed to just be functional. The TV booth, especially, needs to be about 3x its current size. The coaches' booths might be the only rooms that don't currently need more space. Level 2 is approaching its limit on space/functionality.
There also needs to be at least one more elevator, but Gene Smith went cheap on it the first time around, so they're pretty much stuck as is.
Access to the photo deck from the elevator would be fantastic, but they'd have to build a raised walkway across the concourse so it'll never happen. TV crews will continue to lug their equipment up the stairs.
TCF Bank Stadium cost roughly $300 mil so don't think you'd get much for $90 mil these days.
Baylors is going to cost 250. I stand corrected. Still crazy to think of it that way. 90 mil just for renos
I'm not bashing Dan. I'm bashing the uniforms of the Danny days. I was in school during the Mac years and he helped bring ISU back to being relevant He couldn't take the next step but what he did for ISU is second to what I hope CPR is going/starting to do.
Totally agree on the Gold/Yellow helmets though.