What's next in the facilities arms race once the new IPF is finished?

[PeteTheChop]

Never hurts to look down the road, especially with Dr. Schultz indicating he expects shovels in the ground in 12 months for the new IPF.

What about a second phase in the Martin Stadium upgrade, focused not only on bumping up seating capacity but also increasing high-dollar luxury boxes? Maybe a side project making life more convenient for RV owners and operators could come into play as well.

Modernizing Beasley Coliseum for basketball is an intriguing option, but would money be better spent on a football program that not only is a consistent winner but also stands far and away as WSU's cash cow?

It certainly would deliver a message — both to Coach Leach and to potential incoming football student-athletes.

 

[CPtheCoug]

Never hurts to look down the road, especially with Dr. Schultz indicating he expects shovels in the ground in 12 months for the new IPF.

What about a second phase in the Martin Stadium upgrade, focused not only on bumping up seating capacity but also increasing high-dollar luxury boxes? Maybe a side project making life more convenient for RV owners and operators could come into play as well.

Modernizing Beasley Coliseum for basketball is an intriguing option, but would money be better spent on a football program that not only is a consistent winner but also stands far and away as WSU's cash cow?

It certainly would deliver a message — both to Coach Leach and to potential incoming football student-athletes.

Baseball is up next.

After that, depending on cost, it's either basketball or an addition to Martin Stadium.

I think Women's Soccer also has/had a few approved upgrades that got tabled due to the budget deficits, so they might be in the mix as well.

 

[PeteTheChop]

Baseball is up next.

After that, depending on cost, it's either basketball or an addition to Martin Stadium.

I think Women's Soccer also has/had a few approved upgrades that got tabled due to the budget deficits, so they might be in the mix as well.

Thanks CP.

What's your take on football vs. non-football facility spending as it relates to WSU's best interests?

 

[COUGinNCW]

Never hurts to look down the road, especially with Dr. Schultz indicating he expects shovels in the ground in 12 months for the new IPF.

What about a second phase in the Martin Stadium upgrade, focused not only on bumping up seating capacity but also increasing high-dollar luxury boxes? Maybe a side project making life more convenient for RV owners and operators could come into play as well.

Modernizing Beasley Coliseum for basketball is an intriguing option, but would money be better spent on a football program that not only is a consistent winner but also stands far and away as WSU's cash cow?

It certainly would deliver a message — both to Coach Leach and to potential incoming football student-athletes.

I think you’re seeing the strategy on football which is simply to increase prices to raise revenue rather than risky capital expenditures that may or may not make a return. Personally I’d love to see a 10k seat expansion of cheap seats filled with rabid fans like the upper decks at CLink for Seahawks games but I don’t think the market/demographics are there to keep those seats full and make a return on investment.

 

[dgibbons]

Baseball is up next.

After that, depending on cost, it's either basketball or an addition to Martin Stadium.

I think Women's Soccer also has/had a few approved upgrades that got tabled due to the budget deficits, so they might be in the mix as well.

I thought baseball was green lighted already.

 

[SaveFerris]

Basketball hopefully is up next with charters and a practice facility. Beasley is far from great at this point but it serves it’s purpose. A practice facility would help both programs plus I would assume volleyball could use it as well if it was done right.

We haven’t found that big donor (or donors) that would jumpstart hoops facilities.

 

[kougkurt]

Basketball hopefully is up next with charters and a practice facility. Beasley is far from great at this point but it serves it’s purpose. A practice facility would help both programs plus I would assume volleyball could use it as well if it was done right.

We haven’t found that big donor (or donors) that would jumpstart hoops facilities.

He just had knee surgery.

 

[SaveFerris]

He just had knee surgery.

That's the hope but we could use another to jump in as well.

 

[Cougatron]

RV lot upgrades and Cougatron Stadium in Ellensburg

 

[fingerdisco]

I vote for an indoor skiing facility

 

[PeteTheChop]

Basketball hopefully is up next with charters and a practice facility. Beasley is far from great at this point but it serves it’s purpose. A practice facility would help both programs plus I would assume volleyball could use it as well if it was done right. We haven’t found that big donor (or donors) that would jumpstart hoops facilities.

I wonder how much Gonzaga's apparent grip on Spokane — including some WSU alumni who put their $$$ with the Cougs in football but the Zags in basketball — impacts Dr. Schultz and Mr. Chun from reeling in the deep pockets who reside in the Lilac City?

As much as high-level practice facilities would be nice for basketball and volleyball, you’ve got to wonder if the payback would match Martin Stadium with an expanded capacity in the 45k to 50k range.

 

[PeteTheChop]

I vote for an indoor skiing facility

When the New IPF is up and running, maybe The Bubble could be re-purposed into something similar across campus to serve the skiing community.

 

[Observer11]

I wonder how much Gonzaga's apparent grip on Spokane — including some WSU alumni who put their $$$ with the Cougs in football but the Zags in basketball — impacts Dr. Schultz and Mr. Chun from reeling in the deep pockets who reside in the Lilac City?

As much as high-level practice facilities would be nice for basketball and volleyball, you’ve got to wonder if the payback would match Martin Stadium with an expanded capacity in the 45k to 50k range.

There's not a soul in Spokane who would drop $10 Million plus on Cougar athletics - whether it's for football or a new basketball facility. There's just not. Gonzaga has zero impact.

Feel free to rattle off the names of the deep pocket Cougs in Spokane who are funding WSU football and Gonzaga basketball. There's a few fairly high income WSU guys I know who have GU basketball tickets - mostly for business purposes/entertainment. And given the dire straits of WSU hoops the last decade, at least they get to see some good ball. But the GU crowd isn't the Coug crowd. Cougs aren't funding GU basketball dominance at WSU's expense. That's a myth.

 

[fingerdisco]

How about this to bring in the SoCal/Florida area recruits?

 

[wazzucougs96]

There's not a soul in Spokane who would drop $10 Million plus on Cougar athletics - whether it's for football or a new basketball facility. There's just not. Gonzaga has zero impact.

Feel free to rattle off the names of the deep pocket Cougs in Spokane who are funding WSU football and Gonzaga basketball. There's a few fairly high income WSU guys I know who have GU basketball tickets - mostly for business purposes/entertainment. And given the dire straits of WSU hoops the last decade, at least they get to see some good ball. But the GU crowd isn't the Coug crowd. Cougs aren't funding GU basketball dominance at WSU's expense. That's a myth.

They aren't funding it at WSU's expense, but there are tons of alumni who choose GU over WSU the second football season ends every year. It doesn't have to be money to have a cultural impact.

 

[PeteTheChop]

there are tons of (WSU) alumni who choose GU over WSU the second football season ends every year. It doesn't have to be money to have a cultural impact.

If some (or many) of these WSU alumni are spending their disposable income on GU basketball tickets, concessions, apparel and merchandise instead of doing the same for Cougar basketball, wouldn't that be a negative for WSU?

Maybe not to the tune of $10M, but a negative nonetheless?

 

[Glad Cougar]

I actually wonder if the cost/benefit ratio on additional improvements for football would be greater than improving basketball practice facilities and charter flights. Would football improvements actually result in more wins or a better brand of recruit coming to Pullman? WSU basketball, both men's and women's, has greater potential to succeed in improving its recruiting and winning percentage (they go hand in hand) with investment than any other sport, IMO. Now that we have a new coach to give us hope, it would be nice to give him some tools to succeed.

Glad Cougar

 

[Observer11]

If some (or many) of these WSU alumni are spending their disposable income on GU basketball tickets, concessions, apparel and merchandise instead of doing the same for Cougar basketball, wouldn't that be a negative for WSU?

Maybe not to the tune of $10M, but a negative nonetheless?

So you can’t name the names and you believe the urban legend.

 

[Loyal Coug]

Never hurts to look down the road, especially with Dr. Schultz indicating he expects shovels in the ground in 12 months for the new IPF.

What about a second phase in the Martin Stadium upgrade, focused not only on bumping up seating capacity but also increasing high-dollar luxury boxes? Maybe a side project making life more convenient for RV owners and operators could come into play as well.

Modernizing Beasley Coliseum for basketball is an intriguing option, but would money be better spent on a football program that not only is a consistent winner but also stands far and away as WSU's cash cow?

It certainly would deliver a message — both to Coach Leach and to potential incoming football student-athletes.

http://www.cougarathleticfund.com/facilities/

There is the website for the pending facilities. I thought Soccer was all done but apparently not. Hell, after we get new locker rooms for Baseball, Soccer and at the IPF, Bohler gym ought to be just about empty. (I say that only half-sarcastically).

I do think it would be cool to have a second, wish-list page showing a mock up of the stadium end zone expansion with some estimated costs, and a version or two of a basketball facility (I don't agree with this, but most seem to). Is it a puch out of Beasley, a stand alone thing, a remodel of soon to be empty Bohler? I don't know, but it would be fun to see some potential options just to argue about.

 

[425cougfan]

So you can’t name the names and you believe the urban legend.

I agree there is unlikely to be anyone in Spokane who would drop $10m on Cougar athletics, but I don't think it's an "urban legend" that a successful Gonzaga program has to be siphoning some interest, merchandise sales, money from attendance, and yes, even donations, from WSU.

Don't get hung up on the last point ... I'm not saying that there are a lot of WSU alumni making substantial gifts to Gonzaga. I doubt there are many at all other than those who do it for business reasons like the example you give. I'm just saying that were it not for Gonzaga's proximity and high degree of success, then some alumni, others connected to WSU, and--most importantly at the margin--some casual fans who just would want to see the Pac-12 level of competition over a mediocre WCC team, would all be much more likely to attend WSU games, pay attention to WSU, buy WSU merchandise, and yes, primarily as a product of being more connected to WSU in these ways, be more likely to donate money to WSU through seatback donations and outright gifts.

While I neither have nor know how to obtain any reliable data on this, much less to try to prove what would happen if Gonzaga still was in its 80s-era form, I imagine you don't have any such data / proof on your end, either. I think my view squares with stories here and there, things I've heard from people, the remarks you hear about WSU from Spokanites, the media coverage in Spokane, and, perhaps most importantly, common sense.

 

[Observer11]

I agree there is unlikely to be anyone in Spokane who would drop $10m on Cougar athletics, but I don't think it's an "urban legend" that a successful Gonzaga program has to be siphoning some interest, merchandise sales, money from attendance, and yes, even donations, from WSU.

Don't get hung up on the last point ... I'm not saying that there are a lot of WSU alumni making substantial gifts to Gonzaga. I doubt there are many at all other than those who do it for business reasons like the example you give. I'm just saying that were it not for Gonzaga's proximity and high degree of success, then some alumni, others connected to WSU, and--most importantly at the margin--some casual fans who just would want to see the Pac-12 level of competition over a mediocre WCC team, would all be much more likely to attend WSU games, pay attention to WSU, buy WSU merchandise, and yes, primarily as a product of being more connected to WSU in these ways, be more likely to donate money to WSU through seatback donations and outright gifts.

While I neither have nor know how to obtain any reliable data on this, much less to try to prove what would happen if Gonzaga still was in its 80s-era form, I imagine you don't have any such data / proof on your end, either. I think my view squares with stories here and there, things I've heard from people, the remarks you hear about WSU from Spokanites, the media coverage in Spokane, and, perhaps most importantly, common sense.

I will safely and confidently say there are more Cougs with UW football season tickets than there are Cougs with Gonzaga basketball season tickets.

But since the poop doesn't smell west of the Cascades, nobody ever wants to share that dirty little secret.

 

[425cougfan]

I will safely and confidently say there are more Cougs with UW football season tickets than there are Cougs with Gonzaga basketball season tickets.

But since the poop doesn't smell west of the Cascades, nobody ever wants to share that dirty little secret.

That could be possible. I'm not trying to trash Coug alumni in Spokane or Spokanites generally here.

 

[Loyal Coug]

That could be possible. I'm not trying to trash Coug alumni in Spokane or Spokanites generally here.

But it is so easy! And true!

Like the ag-based, conservative football communities of the Midwest, Spokane-area people, half a million strong, should descend on Pullman like locusts 6-7 times a year, bringing wads of donations along. Martin Stadium should be 50,000 seats and packed every game.
Spokane has big donors. How about Washington Trust? How about Duane Hagadone right across the border? His yacht cost as much as Martin Stadium.
We support Spokane BIGTIME. Moved our Pharmacy and other programs up there. My own daughter had to move to Spokane for her Master's in a medical field. THEN WSU got a med school started.

Hundreds of millions in economic activity. A billion maybe, after all the "multipliers".

Yeah, Spokane deserves a lot of scorn. But nothing personal.

 

[Observer11]

But it is so easy! And true!

Like the ag-based, conservative football communities of the Midwest, Spokane-area people, half a million strong, should descend on Pullman like locusts 6-7 times a year, bringing wads of donations along. Martin Stadium should be 50,000 seats and packed every game.
Spokane has big donors. How about Washington Trust? How about Duane Hagadone right across the border? His yacht cost as much as Martin Stadium.
We support Spokane BIGTIME. Moved our Pharmacy and other programs up there. My own daughter had to move to Spokane for her Master's in a medical field. THEN WSU got a med school started.

Hundreds of millions in economic activity. A billion maybe, after all the "multipliers".

Yeah, Spokane deserves a lot of scorn. But nothing personal.

Never gonna happen. Peter Stanton is a Duck and Jack Heath is a Vandal. His wife's a husky. You figure out where the Cougs fall in that food chain of giving.

Duane Hagadone's partner Jerry Jaeger has probably given more money to WSU than this entire message board combined.

It's fairly humorous guys who don't even live in Spokane or have their pulse on the who's who in town think there's some magical unicorn wealthy guy hiding out in Spokane County. Father Spitzer swooped up all the unaffiliated wealthy guys while V. Lane was playing with himself.

The big buck guys in town who are Cougs are already giving.

And the reason WSU moved the Pharmacy, Nursing (already here) and Med School wasn't some benevolent move - there was a world class medical community already in town. If WSU hadn't stuck their flag in the ground, UW would have and subsequently did.

 

[Loyal Coug]

County. Father Spitzer swooped up all the unaffiliated wealthy guys and pedophile priests while V. Lane was playing with himself.

The big buck guys in town who are Cougs are already giving.

And the reason WSU moved - there was a world class medical community already in town. If WSU hadn't stuck their flag in the ground, UW would have and subsequently did. And F-ing Gonzaga threw in with uw

Yeah, good points. Fixed your Zag references though.

 

[Observer11]

Yeah, good points. Fixed your Zag references though.

If you must. Father Spitzer was a good cat. Unfortunately, WSU had a bookkeeper with the personality of a banana slug as university president during the same time frame. GU seized the moment and the rest is history.

 

[Loyal Coug]

If you must. Father Spitzer was a good cat. Unfortunately, WSU had a bookkeeper with the personality of a banana slug as university president during the same time frame. GU seized the moment and the rest is history.

Yes, I knew V. Lane better than some. Funny - he was (barely but) older than Sam Smith when he replaced him. Lane was kind of full of himself, and liked to hire, as they put it, tall white guys. His wife was an uppity snit as well. Floyd did not like him one bit.

He wasn't evil or anything, but a caretaker Prez with no dynamics to him.

 

[COUGinNCW]

Never gonna happen. Peter Stanton is a Duck and Jack Heath is a Vandal. His wife's a husky. You figure out where the Cougs fall in that food chain of giving.

Duane Hagadone's partner Jerry Jaeger has probably given more money to WSU than this entire message board combined.

It's fairly humorous guys who don't even live in Spokane or have their pulse on the who's who in town think there's some magical unicorn wealthy guy hiding out in Spokane County. Father Spitzer swooped up all the unaffiliated wealthy guys while V. Lane was playing with himself.

The big buck guys in town who are Cougs are already giving.

And the reason WSU moved the Pharmacy, Nursing (already here) and Med School wasn't some benevolent move - there was a world class medical community already in town. If WSU hadn't stuck their flag in the ground, UW would have and subsequently did.

GU courted Harlan Douglass (unaffiliated) hard but in the end he didn’t write as big of a check as they’d hoped for. One of his boys is a Coug and doing very well but doubt he’d be willing to write a big check either.