Facilities Master Plan

[nd1sufan]

Bison fans' sensitivity to the ribbing they get about Bison ticket promotions' is always entertaining. OK, we get it...Bison football is drawing well. Try stretching that type of attendance from Nov-March like Sioux hockey does without giving away the tickets and we will be impressed.

That's funny. I've been to two UND hockey games in the past 7 years, and got free tickets through promos to each. I guess NDSU isn't the only one doing it.

[LeftyZL]

That's funny. I've been to two UND hockey games in the past 7 years, and got free tickets through promos to each. I guess NDSU isn't the only one doing it.

What games are you talking about?

[Cratter]

What games are you talking about?

Exactly. Talk is cheap. Those two games were probably 7 years ago, before the new Ralph.

[dakotadan]

About the best comparison you could make is with the University of Montana and Montana State University.

State of Montana:

Population in 2000: 902,195

Largest city: Billings population 89,847

University of Montana:

Enrollment: 13,961 total fall 2006

Missoulla population: ~60,000

Stadium capacity: 23,183

Montana State:

Enrollment: 12,338 total fall 2006

Bozeman population: ~50,000

Stadium capacity: 15,000

UM will be adding a second level to their stadium for this next coming season that will bring their total capacity to over 25,000. MSU also has plans to add seating and finish enclosing one endzone of their stadium but no official plans have been announced.

[Matt]

About the best comparison you could make is with the University of Montana and Montana State University.

State of Montana:

Population in 2000: 902,195

Largest city: Billings population 89,847

University of Montana:

Enrollment: 13,961 total fall 2006

Missoulla population: ~60,000

Stadium capacity: 23,183

Montana State:

Enrollment: 12,338 total fall 2006

Bozeman population: ~50,000

Stadium capacity: 15,000

UM will be adding a second level to their stadium for this next coming season that will bring their total capacity to over 25,000. MSU also has plans to add seating and finish enclosing one endzone of their stadium but no official plans have been announced.

"So you're telling me there's a chance..."-Lloyd Christmas

[TheGreatSiouxNation]

That's funny. I've been to two UND hockey games in the past 7 years, and got free tickets through promos to each. I guess NDSU isn't the only one doing it.

I just love all these Bison fans coming to the Ralph for Sioux games. They are the same ones here in Fargo that say "Sioux Suck, except I love Sioux Hockey!" I know for a fact just a year ago Stop n Go you could buy one get one free for Bison games. Funny how a metro area of 150,000 can't sell out every game. Grand Forks is 50,000 and can sell out a 11500 arena for hockey all winter!! With a line of cars 78 miles long coming out of Fargo every Friday and Saturday night!

[bincitysioux]

I always like to throw my hat into the ring when a discusion about Bison ticket "give-aways" comes up.

I don't know anything about "free" tickets to their game today, but I did watch it on TV tonight (very good game by the way). The announcers said it was another sell-out, 3rd in a row! Well, if that was a sell out, they had to have run a last minute promotion this week, and it must have been "Dress Like a Blue Chair Day".

Where are all of NDSU's Forensic Accountants when we really need them?

[Stromer]

I always like to throw my hat into the ring when a discusion about Bison ticket "give-aways" comes up.

I don't know anything about "free" tickets to their game today, but I did watch it on TV tonight (very good game by the way). The announcers said it was another sell-out, 3rd in a row! Well, if that was a sell out, they had to have run a last minute promotion this week, and it must have been "Dress Like a Blue Chair Day".

Where are all of NDSU's Forensic Accountants when we really need them?

Glad to see I wasn't the only person to notice all of the blue chair fans. What is really funny is that over on Bville, they have a thread talking about all of the Sioux fans dressed as green chairs. The fact of the matter is that both schools have a lot of fans that like to dress up as chairs.

[Dagger]

There were definitely empty seats at both games but the big difference is that NDSU's game was called a sellout and UND's was not. I wonder who buys all those tickets for NDSU games and never shows up. NDSU's administration must buy up the tickets so they can say they have a sellout.

[NDSUFREAK10]

I always like to throw my hat into the ring when a discusion about Bison ticket "give-aways" comes up.

I don't know anything about "free" tickets to their game today, but I did watch it on TV tonight (very good game by the way). The announcers said it was another sell-out, 3rd in a row! Well, if that was a sell out, they had to have run a last minute promotion this week, and it must have been "Dress Like a Blue Chair Day".

Where are all of NDSU's Forensic Accountants when we really need them?

I'm glad you were watching the BISON football game on STATEWIDE TV!

[NDSUFREAK10]

There were definitely empty seats at both games but the big difference is that NDSU's game was called a sellout and UND's was not. I wonder who buys all those tickets for NDSU games and never shows up. NDSU's administration must buy up the tickets so they can say they have a sellout.

18,961 was the number of people there. "Capacity" is 18,700 and as you can compare the numbers the bigger number is 18,961 so that means a sell out of capacity. cute that you are making up excuses and denying that the BISON actually sells out the game.

The first FCS game at the tin will be a sellout and if it isn't then you should be worrying about the next couple years of football in gf

[Stromer]

18,961 was the number of people there. "Capacity" is 18,700 and as you can compare the numbers the bigger number is 18,961 so that means a sell out of capacity. cute that you are making up excuses and denying that the BISON actually sells out the game.

The first FCS game at the tin will be a sellout and if it isn't then you should be worrying about the next couple years of football in gf

They may have sold that many tickets, but judging by the empty chairs I saw on TV, either there was always a block of 7 fans or more at the food vendors at a given time, or the tickets were bought and not used.

[Hammersmith]

I've been editing the commercials out of tonight's broadcast, so I checked out the first half. There were almost no good shots of the stands during the entire first half. The few partial shots there were, showed small groups(two or three seats) of empty chairs near the student section(big money season tickets) and a couple of empty rows at the very top of the visitor's section. The small groups might've been people on the concourse or season ticket holders who didn't show. From long range shots, the endzones appeared to be completely packed. If you saw large amounts of seats open, it was probably around quarter breaks, halftime or near the end of the game. There was also a moment or two around halftime when the band's empty section was shown while they were on the field. If you're criticizing people leaving during breaks, idiots who leave early to avoid traffic, or season ticket holders who don't show up for every game, you've got a long list of programs ahead of you.

So, how was your men's basketball attendance last year? Your real men's basketball attendance. Those were some great sellouts there, weren't they?

[Cratter]

The first FCS game at the tin will be a sellout and if it isn't then you should be worrying about the next couple years of football in gf

Will UND be allowed to use the buy 1 get 1,000 free tickets like NDSU did for their first IAA game

(against a nonscholarship school to make sure it was an easy win. Looks good in the history books ya know)?

If so I do not forsee a non sellout.

[Bison Dan]

Will UND be allowed to use the buy 1 get 1,000 free tickets like NDSU did for their first IAA game

(against a nonscholarship school to make sure it was an easy win. Looks good in the history books ya know)?

If so I do not forsee a non sellout.

You have to face the facts fb at UND is a secondary sport will alway be secondary to hockey. I don't think you need to expand any seating for fb any time soon.

[choyt3]

You have to face the facts fb at UND is a secondary sport will alway be secondary to hockey. I don't think you need to expand any seating for fb any time soon.

Did you stay up all night working on this post? The master plan is for the FUTURE, which doesn't necessarily mean IMMEDIATELY. That is usually how planning works; they use projected, or maybe even possible, needs and put together a plan. I understand it is a novel concept for you, but come on.

Shouldn't you be on a different board discussing one of the most remarkable wins in your school's history? Your team could (should) go undefeated this year and you and Hammersmith have to come to UND's board worried about UND's possibility of a future football stadium. What's wrong with this picture?

[bincitysioux]

You have to face the facts fb at UND is a secondary sport will alway be secondary to hockey. I don't think you need to expand any seating for fb any time soon.

I'll agree with that. Every sport in North Dakota is secondary to UND Hockey.

My only point about reported attendance at the Fargodome is that watching last weeks game it was real easy to see that the place was full. On TV, the stands looked like a sea of stream and yellow. Now last night's game was also reported to be a sell-out, but I would estimate that hundreds if not thousands of what appeared to be something designed for a person to sit in were in plain view all night. Just a subtle difference I noticed.

The other thing was that on Tuesday before the SFA game, NDSU estimated that the place would be at or near capacity. On Tuesday before the SHSU game, NDSU estimated a crowd of around 16,500, but then reported an attendance greater than the prior week. Why were they so dead on the first week, and so far off the second?

Maybe they did sell all the tickets for this game, but the place obviously wasn't full. Bison fans generally like to attack UND for reporting "paid attendance" while claiming that NDSU reports "butts in the seats" (see Hammersmith's parting comment). That is simply not true.

Anyways, its really no big deal to me. You guys get great crowds for your games and kudos for it. I wish that UND could fill up the Alerus as well. In time, I think they will.

[Matt]

I was at the game. Didn't seem as full as last week, but there weren't thousands empty. A 15k crowd has many rows of empty seats in both end zones and the west side. That wasn't the case yesterday. The most obvious difference that I notice in the last three games is the difficulty in just getting to the game. All the lots are full, the west field is full, and people are parking on campus. I left my house at 4:45 and didn't get in my seat until 5:45. That's a lot of waiting in traffic. Only the old Sioux games compare.

On an urelated matter: If Bomar was still QB for the #3 Sooners, he would be on the heisman watch list. He was playing catch out there, and clearly is far above FCS level. Kind of like Chappell.

[The Sicatoka]

Master Plan.

[GeauxSioux]

Master Plan.

Okay, you fooled me. I thought that the Master Plan was out and I missed it.

[nd1sufan]

They may have sold that many tickets, but judging by the empty chairs I saw on TV, either there was always a block of 7 fans or more at the food vendors at a given time, or the tickets were bought and not used.

I was at the Bison game last night also, and to be perfectly honest, they weren't even taking tickets at the door to get in. If you showed up you got in. And the lots were full because instead of paying $3 to park, they were paying drivers $10 to park just to fill the lot. And the end zones are actually just large sheets of fabric with people painted on them to make it look like the seats are full. I guess the Bison's secret is out. I think next year they are just going to give up and play at Dacotah Field with the 4,000 seats that are left there. Maybe they could at least make that place look half full.

[TheGreatSiouxNation]

I'm glad you were watching the BISON football game on STATEWIDE TV!

It's about time your school is on TV. Oh wait..... NDSU pays alot to run commercials everytime the Sioux are on Fox North and ESPN which is multiple times every year. And the last time I checked UND DID NOT have to purchase airtime. Was it on throughout SD and Minnesota?? Only if you count Moorhead and Rosholt!!

[Shawn-O]

Master Plan.

I'd settle for an organizational master plan right now.

[GeauxSioux]

Could this be a glimpse of the long awaited master plan?

UND Alumni Association to plan building projects

The UND Alumni Association will outline plans for new building projects at a 5 p.m. meeting today at the J. Lloyd Stone Alumni Center.

Alumni Association Executive Vice President Tim O'Keefe declined to discuss those projects in advance of the meeting, saying through a spokesperson that he hoped to tell the full story all at once.

[The Sicatoka]

Could this be a glimpse of the long awaited master plan?

UND Alumni Association to plan building projects

Hello? Hel-l-l-l-o-o-o-o-o-o? (tap, tap, tap)

Hello?

Did the media miss this? Where's the coverage?