Memorial Stadium

[UND-FB-FAN]

5 minutes ago, UNDBIZ said:

Are you talking about being happy that it improved from 50% capacity?  Of course there's still greater improvement needed.  You've turned into one of the biggest Debbie Downers on this board.

There's always room for improvement.

[gundy1124]

1 hour ago, Siouxperfan7 said:

I agree that you have to build for the future.  But they may have over estimated by just a bit.  Can't really compare SDSU's situation to NDSU.  NDSU has a metro population of 238,000 compared to Brookings which is about 24,000.  Plus, NDSU football has had a long history of success.  Prior to the Fargodome being built, NDSU had won 8 National Championships, and 25 Conference Championships.  Before the Jacks new Stadium was built, SDSU had won 14 Conference titles and none since 1963 with only one playoff appearance in the history of the program.  

SDSU has built a good program as of late and their facilities are helping that.  All I am stating is they over estimated the number of fans would attend Jacks games, especially later in the year.  

I commend the Jacks for the vision of 19,000 plus sell-outs.  As mentioned, Sioux Falls, Population 178,500 and growing is an hour away and Watertown is pretty dinky but is also part of the fan base.   I like the Jacks program.  I think they can keep growing their base, and I look forward to the drive.  SDSU is innovative on offense and play as hard as anyone.  As a player, you didn't want to be an opponent on Hobo Days.  Still a lot of work to do in GF in selling out the Alerus.  

[zonadub]

Why would anyone at UND, which can't sell out an 11k stadium talk down to a smaller city that routinely has a greater attendance than the Alerus can handle? Good for SDSU to be looking toward the future when they built their stadium. Their fb program has been on the rise and the Sioux Falls metro will continue to grow. They have a realistic chance to hit sellouts the way they are headed. UND will (hopefully) be envious of the capacity of the Jacks stadium as they rebuild a winning tradition, but November and especially December in northern ND is considerably nastier than central-southern SD.

All that said, why does the NCAA schedule the first round playoff game on Thanksgiving weekend? There is enough time off after the semifinal to delay the playoff a week. Is it because of finals?

[Sioux94]

In other news.....I found a fellow Fighting Hawk today in Cancun 

 

 

[JackJD]

9 hours ago, Siouxperfan7 said:

... Before the Jacks new Stadium was built, SDSU had won 14 Conference titles and none since 1963 with only one playoff appearance in the history of the program....  

Not sure why the above was written.  Since moving up to D1, SDSU has won two conference titles (Great West Football Conf in 2007 and Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2016 [co-champs with NDSU]) and advanced to FCS playoffs seven times (2009; '12; '13; '14; '15; '16; and '17).

The SDSU stadium was completed and open for the 2016 season.

[darell1976]

1 minute ago, JackJD said:

Not sure why the above was written.  Since moving up to D1, SDSU has won two conference titles (Great West Football Conf in 2007 and Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2016 [co-champs with NDSU]) and advanced to FCS playoffs seven times (2009; '12; '13; '14; '15; '16; and '17).

The SDSU stadium was completed and open for the 2016 season.

I think it’s cool the designers of your stadium opened it up to future expansion, something no other Dakota team can do with their current stadiums. You see the problem the Fargodome has with Bison fans screaming at a bigger dome. I don’t think the Alerus can get much bigger without end zone seating and as for the Yotes, didn’t they just remodel the Dakotadome? 

[geaux_sioux]

2 hours ago, darell1976 said:

I think it’s cool the designers of your stadium opened it up to future expansion, something no other Dakota team can do with their current stadiums. You see the problem the Fargodome has with Bison fans screaming at a bigger dome. I don’t think the Alerus can get much bigger without end zone seating and as for the Yotes, didn’t they just remodel the Dakotadome? 

You can’t exactly do it with indoor stadiums

[JackJD]

3 hours ago, darell1976 said:

... and as for the Yotes, didn’t they just remodel the Dakotadome? 

I understand the plans are underway to increase the seating by something like 2000 to 3000 seats. The plan has cleared the approval stage (SD Board of Regents earlier this year) and they are now putting the money together (mix of donations and bonded indebtedness). They will replace and expand the West side seating, add/improve locker room space etc., all of which can be done in the DakotaDome without changing the main structure.

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/university-of-south-dakota-moves-forward-with-dakotadome/

[darell1976]

1 hour ago, geaux_sioux said:

You can’t exactly do it with indoor stadiums

The goal, Herbster said, is to expand seating capacity for football games to the 12,000 to 13,000 range, an increase from the current 10,000-seat capacity.

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/university-of-south-dakota-moves-forward-with-dakotadome/

 

[geaux_sioux]

8 hours ago, darell1976 said:

The goal, Herbster said, is to expand seating capacity for football games to the 12,000 to 13,000 range, an increase from the current 10,000-seat capacity.

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/university-of-south-dakota-moves-forward-with-dakotadome/

 

I’m saying it’s a much more invasive and expensive process with indoor stadia than outdoor. You can’t just pop on another section of seating with an indoor arena.

[darell1976]

29 minutes ago, geaux_sioux said:

I’m saying it’s a much more invasive and expensive process with indoor stadia than outdoor. You can’t just pop on another section of seating with an indoor arena.

Adding up to 3,000 seats is huge in a dome, NDSU would love to do that. We have no need as we aren’t close to capacity at every game. 

[JackJD]

37 minutes ago, geaux_sioux said:

I’m saying it’s a much more invasive and expensive process with indoor stadia than outdoor. You can’t just pop on another section of seating with an indoor arena.

That's true. It's primarily a matter of repurposing and maximizing the utility of existing space. Fortunately for USD, the space is there for an increase in seating. I've looked at the preliminary drawings of the USD renovations and I think they're doing a good job working within the confines of the DakotaDome.  They'll add some "boxes" that can help increase revenue. Some space that will be "lost" was replaced by the new basketball arena which is attached to the DakotaDome. 

If my memory serves me, USD hired away from UND, Carl Miller as AD in the early 1970s to lead the athletic department through the DakotaDome development and construction. 

[Siouxperfan7]

13 hours ago, JackJD said:

Not sure why the above was written.  Since moving up to D1, SDSU has won two conference titles (Great West Football Conf in 2007 and Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2016 [co-champs with NDSU]) and advanced to FCS playoffs seven times (2009; '12; '13; '14; '15; '16; and '17).

The SDSU stadium was completed and open for the 2016 season.

Wasn't meaning to be a dig on what you have accomplished since moving up to D1.  My point was NDSU was justified in building an 18,000+ arena not only due to the size of the metro area they are in, but the decades of success they had in the past.  Again.  My points are not to rip on SDSU and what they have accomplished.  Just saying that in my opinion, SDSU building an outdoor 19,000+ seat stadium was maybe too big to what their fanbase can support.  And the numbers prove that.  For now.  Maybe I will be proved wrong.  I guess we wait and see.

[andtheHomeoftheSIOUX!!]

While we are on the subject, hypothetically, could the Alerus seating be expanded?  

[The Sicatoka]

17 minutes ago, andtheHomeoftheSIOUX!! said:

While we are on the subject, hypothetically, could the Alerus seating be expanded?  

I asked that a while back and never got a straight answer from Alerus, UND, or the architects. 

To my eye:
- to the north: no. The Aurora ballroom and kitchen spaces are there, as is truck access (trade shows) to the field.
- to the south: I don't know. Was the south wall designed to be moved should they ever need to horseshoe the facility? That said, those double-columns on each corner of the football field are structural. They hold the roof up. (Any engineer can see that.) If they could move the south wall they really could only go as wide as post to post or you'd have obstructed views. 

My guess is if they could add a south end that they'd only be able to add permanent seating of about 40-50% of one current side. Think of south end as 50 yards wide and the west side is 100 yards. One side of The Al holds say 5500-6000 people (12000 total cap). You'd add maybe 2500-3000 permanent new seats in a "south end". I doubt they'd be able to name plate claim much more than 16000 in the place if they could add south end permanent seating. 

[geaux_sioux]

30 minutes ago, darell1976 said:

Adding up to 3,000 seats is huge in a dome, NDSU would love to do that. We have no need as we aren’t close to capacity at every game. 

NDSU is maxed out on seating due to the structural legs in the corners.

[darell1976]

Just now, geaux_sioux said:

NDSU is maxed out on seating due to the structural legs in the corners.

That’s why they hope someone is going to build them a 50,000 seat FBS-type stadium. Carson Wentz? 

[geaux_sioux]

10 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

I asked that a while back and never got a straight answer from Alerus, UND, or the architects. 

To my eye:
- to the north: no. The Aurora ballroom and kitchen spaces are there, as is truck access (trade shows) to the field.
- to the south: I don't know. Was the south wall designed to be moved should they ever need to horseshoe the facility? That said, those double-columns on each corner of the football field are structural. They hold the roof up. (Any engineer can see that.) If they could move the south wall they really could only go as wide as post to post or you'd have obstructed views. 

My guess is if they could add a south end that they'd only be able to add permanent seating of about 40-50% of one current side. Think of south end as 50 yards wide and the west side is 100 yards. One side of The Al holds say 5500-6000 people (12000 total cap). You'd add maybe 2500-3000 permanent new seats in a "south end". I doubt they'd be able to name plate claim much more than 16000 in the place if they could add south end permanent seating. 

Add a triple decker catwalk with bar service on the north and you’ve got yourself a deal.

[The Sicatoka]

3 minutes ago, geaux_sioux said:

Add a triple decker catwalk with bar service on the north and you’ve got yourself a deal.

I would guess that would be over maximum live loading for that end's catwalk. 

[geaux_sioux]

Just now, The Sicatoka said:

I would guess that would be over maximum live loading for that end's catwalk. 

I’m sure we could figure something bridge like out.

[VMeister]

5 hours ago, JackJD said:

If my memory serves me, USD hired away from UND, Carl Miller as AD in the early 1970s to lead the athletic department through the DakotaDome development and construction. 

Other way around. He was at USD first.  But he was there when the DakotaDome was built. 

 

Just a benefit of of being really old. 

[JackJD]

4 hours ago, VMeister said:

Other way around. He was at USD first.  But he was there when the DakotaDome was built. 

 

Just a benefit of of being really old. 

You are right! I have always had it backwards in my head. I looked up Miller on the internet and learned he was at NDSU for two years (head of physical education) before going to USD and from USD he went to UND.  I found a good bio on Miller here:  http://www.nacda.com/sports/nacda/spec-rel/040715aaa.html