Blue & Gold

this is off topic, but I'm hoping the food concessions at our new stadium are on par with those of Canal Park.

Senior Jabari Arthur (6-4, 255)255?! Gotta be a typo, eh?

Thank you Zipsrifle! Great site! I'm surprised no one has referenced that site before!

I would not say anyone "hated" Mack, but he just appeared to ba an absentee AD.Also, where would a new basketball arena fit in? I think we should build the new arena in conjunction with the city of Akron just east of the John Knight Center. With a bridge connecting the two facilities and across the street from UA-owned Quaker Square, it seems like an ideal spot to me.

Amen to everything you said! Except for the JAR upgrade. We need an entirely new arena. But let's enjoy the buzz off this new football stadium for a few years first!

We're not even thinking about outdoing YSU. We don't care about YSU. We're looking to outdo the entire MAC Conference and most of the Big East!

Maybe we can gather in some of the restaurants that will open up downtown and along Exchange due to the BEAUTIFUL new stadium!!! I had a blast in Detroit for the Motor City Bowl a few years back, what was the sportsbar where everyone gathered called, Hockeytown?

I mentioned this about 2 years ago and still think it's a good idea. I think we should construct a grand, landmark clocktower next to the new stadium. A shout out to the beautiful clocktowers around town. Also, maybe it could ring whenever the Zips score!

Huh? Please explain. I haven't heard any of this.

It was mentioned in the Beacon today that a Damon's is scheduled to open downtown later this year sometime. That's a big step forward for the downtown/U district - getting a major-name restaurant to open downtown. I wonder if this is tied to the stadium development at all?

How'd you hear this "buzz?" The U hasn't announced anything have they? And will the public be welcome? The U has done their finest to keep us out of the loop thus far!

Ultimately, winning is what matters most. But it's impossible to overstate how desperately we need a new stadium to assist our recruiting efforts. Unless one has been to the Rubberbowl lately, it's really difficult to imagine how down-right-awful a facility it is. The new stadium will be a draw for both players and fans; the Rubberbowl is literally repulsive.

Great list! I think it's definitely do-able over the next 5-10 years! I would only change one point:"3. Finish the football and soccer stadiums and do serious renovation to the JAR. If we are averaging 5K in bball, I can see the JAR expanding to 8K. An 8K arena that gets more than 2/3 full will be fine. Do what Toledo is doing with their exisiting arena."I think we need a new arena. Now that the U owns Quaker Square, building an arena north of QS and adjacent to the John S. Knight Convention Center seems like a great move. Maybe it could be a joint facility that the Knight Center could use on ocassion? Around 10K seating capacity.

That looks great! The MAC needs more facilities of this caliber. OU's got a great arena and EMU also has a great facility. The JAR sucks.

Thanks eguins. In case anyone's curious, I looked at WKU's website and that's a $37.5 million renovation.

According to the current conceptual drawing, it appears that the north side of the stadium could be easily expanded to create a horse shoe, should demand exceed capacity. But as it stands now, it looks a lot like BGSU's Doyt Perry Stadium. That stadium was very under-whelming when I went to a Zips game there about 8 years ago. It really did feel like the old proverbial "glorified high school stadium." Firstly I hope our stadium is more overwhelming than any MAC stadium right off the bat. But secondly, if not, then I do have hope that the additional dorm and retail construction surrounding the new stadium gives the stadium a bigger feel, albeit somewhat artificially, than it would have being left on its own.

Why do you guys think the U is holding the plans back so long? Wouldn't you think they would want to get plans posted asap just to try and stir up as much excitement and publicity as possible, and then ride the stadium wave of enthusiasm as long as possible? Even if the plans are preliminary, with much tweeking to be done, I would still think they'd want to publicize this more than they have. Especially on GoZips.com.

Johnny Adams and Whitney Mercilus - the 6'3", 225 lb. DE from Garfield!

If our stadium design is something along these lines, at least I'd hope the additional dorm and retail development that is part of this project would hedge the stadium in a bit and give it some more character and dimension.

Hmm. Originally the plans were to be completed by June 15. Now they are revamping the plans and are due August 1st. Wonder what that amounts to? My initial reaction is that any revamping that would have to be done would be a good thing. It probably means they're being a little more ambitious then at first. At least that is my hope!

Most excellent. Just voted for JT.Of course I also voted LeBron for Best Male Athlete.And of course voted for the Gators over the Gator-bait Suckeyes!!! That was delicious!Though not voting for the Golden State Warriors upset of the Dallas Mavericks was tough.

I know we all got tired of Andy's dad, but do you think Andy would make a good addition to our coaching staff? We all liked Andy and appreciated his guts in playing through severe back pain (quite unimaginable to me!) and his basketball IQ. Though, it may be awkward between he and KD?

Yup. I've found myself not nearly as interested in fb recruiting as I have been for, oh say, the last 15 years! I remember getting into recruiting for the first time during Lee O's first season when we signed QB Willie Spencer from Mass, and almost signed LB Kinta Mitchell from McK. But this JD stuff is getting really old. Who cares who we technically sign on LOI day; not half of them see the field.And as far as Can't goes... I thought Heirbstreit(?) was smoking crack last year when he picked Can't to win the East, but he was almost right!Can't's coach seems to be building their program with student-athletes who go under the radar yet are quality people, and he's building them into a winner - something Lee O was unable to do and a strategy JD doesn't seem to buy into.

Here's an article on Dru and Rome from today's (6/27) Beacon.http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/sports/17393309.htm

I always thought he looked like not only a smooth athlete, but a skilled baller whenever he was out on the court. I always wished to see him get meaningful minutes. Athletically, he'll compete at Slippery Rock's level without any problem. I only hope he is able to pick up their system quickly enough to have a productive year for them!