BobIwabuchiFan

Please hold your cards, we have a BINGO!

I'm assuming you haven't found any maintenance or capital spending budgets within these document searches? It would be interesting to know the balances for these organizations and if any of these balances relate to maintenance or future capital spending projects?

So ticket revenues for Football were around $520k total based on your number above?

So does the Football program actually contribute to the CC in other ways and how much is that? If we can't mandate CC membership for Football, like we do in hockey, how much CC revenue is the hockey program producing for the rest of the sports programs? Is the CC run by the REA or the University?

I wasn't privy to the contractual discussions in 2001, but my wild guess has something to do with developing a trust fund to support the long term viability of the building and surrounding grounds or to make future investments in other facilities. As for the revenue question it's rather pertinent...If the total ticket revenues were only $250k last year and if the football team could have gotten all of it, then it still wouldn't be the boon you expect it to be to pay for the team. Although $125k isn't something to sneeze at, it still is not the boon the team requires. Ultimately, how much more money does the FB need every season to be successful? Should we be comparable to the Bison in your mind?

Wow, if I remember correctly you had to pay $500 to CC for two tickets and then the price of the tickets on top of that? I would think the FB program would get to keep more of the CC money they generate, but it probably doesn't work that way in the AD...I'm assuming its a big pot and they get apportioned an amount by someone within the AD?

Another thing that doesn't make sense to me...If the REA gives back ~$2.3 million to the AD each year as part of the deal, then who decides how that money is divided up between the sports programs? Does the REA choose who gets what portion of that pie and if not, how is it their fault if the FB program isn't getting enough support???

I keep hearing 52% of ticket sales for Football...Can someone put an actual $ amount to this? Remember, the majority of the tickets that last 4 years of the FB program were not even at face value, so just simply multiplying the ticket price by the number of seats in the Alerus is not a true number. I would like to know how much ticket sale revenue was generated the last year for instance - real dollars. Also, I'm not a FB season ticket holder, but do you need to be a champions club member to buy tickets like they do in Hockey? Remember, asking for a friend...

Well, just pony up about $20 million and I'm sure you will get someone at the University to let you do it! But remember, once you give the gift you are out of the decision making process because the school always knows best how to spend your money....

I think these are fair questions, but you are most likely not going to get honest answers from anyone on this board. The only one that has a chance of matching or showing a profit is the Mens Hockey Program and to a lot of people on this board it pains them greatly to have to recognize this fact. Additionally, it probably pains them even more to realize the football program has a huge hole to dig out of and it's not going to be done by one or two winning seasons, but rather a decade of excellence that puts significant amounts of fans in the seats and brings donors back to the program. Your last paragraph is the key as its probably the modus operandi of a majority of the fans who support UND...Primary is the hockey program because of the winning history and the arena and any $s and time left over people will decide to go to another sport on campus if it doesn't conflict with the Hockey games. So, the Hockey program is the primary driver for athletic spending by alumni and fans - doesn't mean it will be true forever, but it's true now. I used to be a hockey season ticket holder, but kids and their sports don't mix well with making all the weekend games and I'm also a Football tailgater with my own bus and go to the football games for every home game and I can tell you the fan support for football is diametrically different than the hockey crowd. The tailgating in my mind is more of a foodie/drink gathering of friends and there is a considerable amount of people who just show up to the tailgating and don't even go to the game...I've seen people turn football tickets down for free at the tailgating events for football and I would never see this happen if it was for a hockey game - sad, but true. Lastly, anyone who comes on here and trashes the Engelstad Family or Foundation and believes whole-heartedly what President Kennedy is saying on the current issue should take a few steps back and ask themselves how much loyalty Mr. Kennedy has shown to the University in the last 18 months versus the loyalty given the last 40+ years from the Engelstad family....I think many people know a shakedown when they see it and my opinion Mr. Kennedy doesn't have too many months left at the University.

So, Ralph created these boards to manage the facility until 2030 because he knew the insatiable cash needs of the University would ultimately be the undoing of the facility and as of today we can see what happens to the University's athletics program when the State starts cutting contributions (Kennedy wants to renegotiate). Ralph was pretty smart to handle it this way and hopefully they are building up enough a trust to maintain the structure and not have it reassigned to the State in 20 years because UND robbed its future to pay for its current deficits. If you don't believe me, then ask how the people of the Thief River Falls are doing with their facility donated by Ralph but with no board structure like the UND campus version. People are having to pay increases in property taxes and also have to volunteer, unpaid, to make the maintenance and day to day operational costs manageable for the facility. Whine all you want about the gift, but Ralph knew business and how people in power act and he protected the gift at least until 2030....

I've heard the name should be Loogie...As in Hawk a Loogie??? The kids will love it!!!

No doubt, but much of that stuff has been handed out for free by the University...It's all part of the plan to transition and I don't blame them for that, but I don't think its being accepted as much as some on this forum want to believe. A simple check at retailers will show you the merchandise doesn't move very fast - bad for the University and the program, but I wouldn't blame the customer for not buying a product they don't like or for the certain portion of the population that feels it's been disregarded during the whole process. In the end, the transition will be occur regardless, but I'm not sure the fan base will be the same nor will the University. Case in point, the looming additional 10% budget cut to the NDUS will have a bigger impact on sports and academics than the current acceptance of the new logo and mascot IMHO.

I guess being similar to Notre Dame is a little better than being confused with chicken hawks, falcons, and eagles...

I think you just summed up every person's dissatisfaction with the current logo...thanks!

I hope you noticed I did do some 'manscaping' around the arms and the legs for this picture...Keeps the viewer's eyes on the wings and helmet!

I guess I was wrong to expect something original versus copying every other bird costume related to a college or professional mascot, but that's just me I guess...

The familiarity of all 'Hawk' & 'Eagle' & 'Falcons' mascot designs reminds me of that episode on Cheers when Sam hires a guy to write a jingle for the bar and all he ever does is change the words, but keeps the same damn song...Frickin' hilarious! #SameOldHawkMascot

I think the above could have been a bridge to the Sioux Forever group...

Be careful on setting the bar so high...

I would totally be on board with this...and they might even let into the Hockey Games...He could run around the rafters yelling and screaming when the Sioux score! Sorry, Hawks score...

At least an NCHC member has a like mascot....

Hey, at least we have a mascot that resembles the Philadelphia Eagles who happen to be Super Bowl champions, right? I'm not the best judge of mascot uniforms, but doesn't this new mascot look more like an eagle than a hawk???

"Priceless..."