What if WSU had opened a 65,000-seat stadium in time for Mike Leach's first season in 2012?

[PeteTheChop]

Call it Biggs-Tron Stadium if you like in honor of the brains behind the concept.

Maybe the stadium is in Pullman or maybe Ellensburg.

How would have a newer and bigger home for the Cougs impacted both WSU football and the university at large?

How would the last 30 months dating back to UCLA and USC announcing they were leaving have been any different if at all?

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

Call it Biggs-Tron Stadium if you like in honor of the brains behind the concept.

Maybe the stadium is in Pullman or maybe Ellensburg.

How would have a newer and bigger home for the Cougs impacted both WSU football and the university at large?

How would the last 30 months dating back to UCLA and USC announcing they were leaving have been any different if at all?

Zero.

Coug fans are cheap.
Coug fans are lazy (don't go to games).

As an Ag school the lesson should be as simple as a-b-c: you sow what you reap. The WSU athletic department reaps on fallow ground.

Part of that is their fault, part is not, but either way they aren't doing anything to fix it.

 

[95coug]

Call it Biggs-Tron Stadium if you like in honor of the brains behind the concept.

Maybe the stadium is in Pullman or maybe Ellensburg.

How would have a newer and bigger home for the Cougs impacted both WSU football and the university at large?

How would the last 30 months dating back to UCLA and USC announcing they were leaving have been any different if at all?

Our debt hole would be even deeper

 

[cougarmike]

There would be 35,000 empty seats

 

[7ICoug]

Nah, 45,000 empty seats and a waste of 200 million

 

[Coug90]

Uhhhh…we’d have 45000 empty seats instead of 12,000?

The only addition that might have made sense would have been 5-10K, and even then we’d have had a brief stretch of more revenue for a handful of games but the second straight home game against Montana or the November night game against Arizona you’re still only getting 20K to.

 

[CougEd]

Uhhhh…we’d have 45000 empty seats instead of 12,000?

The only addition that might have made sense would have been 5-10K, and even then we’d have had a brief stretch of more revenue for a handful of games but the second straight home game against Montana or the November night game against Arizona you’re still only getting 20K to.

Actually, lets move the campus to Chelan. Have the stadium right outside of Chelan, and heck why stop at 65k. Let's make it bigger than the one in downtown Seattle.

This is not Field of Dreams....no matter what some would have you believe .

 

[Cougini5591]

I know I'm one of the few who supported the expansion, but I'm more in favor of the Hotel and Restaurants to be in the East Endzone.

I still think we missed out on how the Business Dept for Hotel & Rest Admin could've done something up with a REAL COUGAR HALL OF FAME... high tech media center... 100 Hotel rooms...

It's a central enough location to be ideal for all sports to benefit from.

 

[UberCougars]

Had we built a stadium integrated hotel and restaurant, WSU would have run it exactly like Ferdinand’s and left millions of dollars on the table

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

Had we built a stadium integrated hotel and restaurant, WSU would have run it exactly like Ferdinand’s and left millions of dollars on the table

closed on Saturdays?

 

[CougSinceBirth]

I can't believe I've scanned other boards and seen people seriously mentioning moving the campus away from Pullman...

 

[Cougini5591]

Had we built a stadium integrated hotel and restaurant, WSU would have run it exactly like Ferdinand’s and left millions of dollars on the table

You just made me feel worse

 

[UberCougars]

Oh, it gets worse, unfortunately

 

[PeteTheChop]

I can't believe I've scanned other boards and seen people seriously mentioning moving the campus away from Pullman...

Quite a few wanted the campus relocated to Vancouver, while others were adamant WSU should only be moved to Spokane.

 

[PeteTheChop]

Nah, 45,000 empty seats and a waste of 200 million

Biggsy may be tied up and away from the board today, but IIRC his point about expanding Martin Stadium was essentially you won’t be a big-time program unless you act like it, i.e. playing in one of the biggest stadiums out west helps deliver that message.

Tron (RIP) seemed more about building a centrally located and fan-friendly stadium in Ellensburg to generate more revenue

 

[Coug90]

Biggsy may be tied up and away from the board today, but IIRC his point about expanding Martin Stadium was essentially you won’t be a big-time program unless you act like it, i.e. playing in one of the biggest stadiums out west helps deliver that message.

Tron (RIP) seemed more about building a centrally located and fan-friendly stadium in Ellensburg to generate more revenue

And he’s wrong. And always has been. Look at all the programs decreasing capacity including….gasp….a Big10 program like northwestern.

We’d all love to have a full 80K stadium but it ain’t happening. Make the experience the best it can be for the 30K that show up and if you find an away to get the demand from another 10-15K then have that conversation. Other than a brief stretch with leach we haven’t.

Using valuable resources to add 30K bleachers that will sit empty is and was the dumbest idea ever.

 

[Loyal Coug1]

I can't believe I've scanned other boards and seen people seriously mentioning moving the campus away from Pullman...

Quite a few wanted the campus relocated to Vancouver, while others were adamant WSU should only be moved to Spokane.

Ok where the hell are you guys reading this BS? Brand X premium?

Those notions are about as dumb as this thread. No offense Pete.

 

[CougSinceBirth]

Ok where the hell are you guys reading this BS? Brand X premium?

Those notions are about as dumb as this thread. No offense Pete.

Yeah, there's plenty of chatter across that site. Anyone that recommends moving the campus as a honest option immediately gets looked at by me as a major dumb dumb.

 

[Coug90]

Yeah, there's plenty of chatter across that site. Anyone that recommends moving the campus as a honest option immediately gets looked at by me as a major dumb dumb.

I’m all for moving Schultz’s residence from Pullman. Anyone want to help me?

 

[CougSinceBirth]

I’m all for moving Schultz’s residence from Pullman. Anyone want to help me?

Sounds like he's moving to the Tri-Cities permanently after he's "done"? I'll help him pack now. I'll work for pizza and beer, lol.

Although I heard he's not even living in the president's mansion, as the Pullman chancellor has it, anyone else heard that?

 

[95coug]

Sounds like he's moving to the Tri-Cities permanently after he's "done"? I'll help him pack now. I'll work for pizza and beer, lol.

Although I heard he's not even living in the president's mansion, as the Pullman chancellor has it, anyone else heard that?

100% correct. Dave Cillay, the former dean of WSU Global, is now the Pullman chancellor and lives in what used to be the presidents house. Schultz still has a place in Pullman, as far as I know, but they spent significant time in Richland and as soon as he steps down officially they’ll be there full time.

 

[PeteTheChop]

Ok where the hell are you guys reading this BS? Brand X premium?

Pretty lengthy thread on the Luxury version of Brand X in favor of moving the campus elsewhere.

Also been some mention on Brand Z from what I understand.

Not sure about Brand Y.

 

[PeteTheChop]

Those notions are about as dumb as this thread. No offense Pete.

None taken my friend.

 

[PeteTheChop]

100% correct. Dave Cillay, the former dean of WSU Global, is now the Pullman chancellor and lives in what used to be the presidents house. Schultz still has a place in Pullman, as far as I know, but they spent significant time in Richland and as soon as he steps down officially they’ll be there full time.

Is Schultzie zeroed in on ramping up WSU-Tri Cities before his scheduled retirement next summer?

He's got a lot going on with that and hiring his new football coach and the Pac-12 TV deal

 

[95coug]

Is Schultzie zeroed in on ramping up WSU-Tri Cities before his scheduled retirement next summer?

He's got a lot going on with that and hiring his new football coach and the Pac-12 TV deal

Neither Schulz or anyone else at WSU gives a rats ass about WSU Tri-Cities. It just provides a convenient location for making a connection with PNNL. If that relationship pans out, Pullman will take it over and claim credit. If it doesn’t, they’ll blame the lack of support and execution from Tri-Cities.