SEC Athletics Facilities Race

[Inhogswetrust]

Telco @TelcoAg  ·  Aug 5

INCOMING - More grass on it's way to Kyle Field (h/t @freh_dee)

I bet that Les Miles is driving that car that took the picture.................................

[NoNC4Tubs]

 

[jbcarol]

Most people enjoy doing a little redecorating when they move into a new place, and Vanderbilt football coach Derek Mason and his staff are no different.

The Commodores football facilities in the McGugin Center have undergone a facelift in recent weeks, creating an atmosphere that better reflects the attitude of the new staff.

With bold, in-your-face graphics, the new artwork on the upper floor, which houses the football offices and meeting rooms, has a nautical design that plays off the "Commodores" name.

"If you've ever seen any movies, like Titanic, where ships are out on deep oceans and deep seas — it's a scary place to be," Mason said. "And that's where we want to take teams. To deep water. We want to live in that place. We feel like this football team has a bunch of sharks on offense, defense and special teams. And sharks want to take their prey to deep water."

Utilizing funds from the National Commodore Club's Gridiron Club, the football program brought in a company called Forty Nine Degrees, which has done similar work for Alabama, Florida, LSU, Notre Dame and Stanford.

The hallways of the upper floor are lined with larger-than-life photos of Commodores players, such as a whole wall depicting Patton Robinette running in the winning touchdown against Tennessee last season.

Each position's meeting room has art of current and former players who have starred at that position for the Commodores.

John Partipilo / The Tennessean

[jbcarol]

Telco @TelcoAg  ·  Aug 5

INCOMING - More grass on it's way to Kyle Field (h/t @freh_dee)

Brent Zwerneman @BrentZwerneman  ·  19h
Sumlin said Aggies will have 3 chances to be on Kyle's new field before first home game on Sept. 6 (scrimmaged today on practice fields).

[jbcarol]

A&M football team will get at least three chances to practice in Kyle Field, which is in the midst of a $450 million redevelopment, before the home opener Sept. 6 against Lamar, System Chancellor John Sharp said during an update on the project Tuesday.

Workers continue to renovate Kyle Field in preparation for the 2014 football season at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas on Monday, July 7, 2014. (Louis DeLuca/Dallas Morning News)

[ucahogfan]

While it will probably take a couple of years to get the 20M in funding necessary to start construction, the plans look pretty sweet and are something that you will only find in SEC Baseball.

http://www.msubulldogclub.com/projects/dudy-noble-field/

Birds' Eye View:



New Entrance in the RF corner:



The new home plate gate:



View from the new LF Lofts:



The view from behind home plate:



Something that Baum doesn't have, a berm down the LF line:



Looking at the LF Lounge and LF Lofts:



How Dudy Noble will look at night:

[Ray Piggers]

Welp, we better get a move on with our expansion.

Those plans look awesome!

[jbcarol]

While it will probably take a couple of years to get the 20M in funding necessary to start construction, the plans look pretty sweet and are something that you will only find in SEC Baseball.

http://www.msubulldogclub.com/projects/dudy-noble-field/

Birds' Eye View:



New Entrance in the RF corner:



The new home plate gate:



View from the new LF Lofts:



The view from behind home plate:



Something that Baum doesn't have, a berm down the LF line:



Looking at the LF Lounge and LF Lofts:



How Dudy Noble will look at night:

[A_R_K_A_N_S_A_S]

Impressed.

[NoNC4Tubs]

Very nice! 

[NaturalStateReb]

Just goes to show that SEC baseball is essentially becoming equivalent to AAA baseball as far as facilities go.

[jbcarol]

Tennessee Football @Vol_Football  ·  5h

The #Checkerboards are going down for #Vols Media Day

[BigD94]

Is that a screen, so the people outside of the field can watch??

[Supermark101]

The lofts would be pretty sweet

[A_R_K_A_N_S_A_S]

Is that a screen, so the people outside of the field can watch??

Was wondering the same thing, but then saw in another picture where the small screens were turned around. Believe it's just turned around so you can tell that it's a viewable screen in the picture.

[onebadrubi]

They release the capacity?

[ucahogfan]

They release the capacity?

Won't be much more than it is now if any more.  I think their stated capacity is around 6-7K in chairbacks (Baum has over 10K chairbacks), but they can fit in a ton of people in the OF and on the berms.  Most of the top attendance figures in college baseball history outside of Omaha come from Starkville.

[The_Iceman]

We are falling behind.

[ucahogfan]

We are falling behind.

How so?  We just opened around a 10M indoor facility which I think would be more appealing to prospects because it allows them to work on their game year round.  Baum is one of the nicest baseball facilities and I think we opened a brand new locker room in the last couple of years.  While we might not have had invested in facilities for fans in the last couple of years like MSU and Bama have, our facilities that our players will actually use are about as nice as they come.

[Big Nasty 34]

I think the falling behind was a bit tongue in cheek..

[A_R_K_A_N_S_A_S]

I think the falling behind was a bit tongue in cheek..

Think you're right.


Certainly don't see us falling behind, but we can't let up, that's for sure. Bring on the RF expansion.

Have to say, the MSU fans deserve this upgrade, they've shown up in large numbers for a long time, even when their park wasn't much to brag about.

[jbcarol]

Kyle Field @KyleField_12th  ·  Aug 7
I'm almost ready!!! #12Man #SEC @KyleField_12th

[Hawgey-Davidson]

Looks like it will be the nicest place in Starkvegas.

[jacobp]

I'll be surprised if, when completed, MSU's expansion looks anything like the renderings. There's no way they can do all that for $40M. Bama's is going to be 30 million and it really won't be anything special.

[ucahogfan]

I'll be surprised if, when completed, MSU's expansion looks anything like the renderings. There's no way they can do all that for $40M. Bama's is going to be 30 million and it really won't be anything special.

Yeah, unless the LF Lofts aren't going to be anything special, I don't see how it can be a 40M reno either.  Like you said, Bama is dropping 30M on their stadium and it isn't that special.  Carolina spent 35M on their new stadium back in 2009 and while it is an elite facility, won't have near what MSU is planning on doing.

I'm no expert when it comes to what something costs, but I would think the LF Lofts would run at least in the 5-10M range to build.

They are essentially rebuilding Dudy-Noble from the ground up.  I would think those plans would be more in the 80-100M range.  I would expect our expansion of Baum to be at least in the 25-30M range at the very least.

[jbcarol]

State Athletics Unveils Dudy Noble Field Master Plan

State Athletics unveiled the Dudy Noble Field Master Plan on Tuesday, an ambitious $40 million facility project that aims to remake the Bulldogs' home ballpark into the finest in college baseball.
The Jackson, Miss., design team of Wier Boerner Allin Architecture and national baseball stadium experts Populous, in consultation with MSU alum Janet Marie Smith, has produced the proposed Dudy Noble Field Master Plan concept. Populous has designed 20 of Major League Baseball's current 30 ballparks, in addition to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, home of the NCAA Men's College World Series.

The Dudy Noble Field Master Plan calls for a new double-tiered grandstand with chairback seating, an elevated concourse that encircles the playing field and allows a constant view of the game action, welcoming entry plazas, spacious restrooms, concessions, a kids' play area, berm seating, upgraded field lighting, HD video board, digital ribbon signage, team areas (clubhouse, training room, equipment room, coaches' offices, etc.) and dramatically improved aesthetics.

"Mississippi State Baseball first set the standard for making college baseball games a happening, becoming one of the first schools to invest in a modern facility nearly 30 years ago," said MSU Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin. "The new Dudy Noble Field Master Plan will provide our players, coaches and fans the best ballpark in all of college baseball."

[woodhog14]

I do think we could redo our front entrance...kinda like State's plan.

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman @BrentZwerneman  ·  6h
Another shot of the new east side of Kyle Field as of Wednesday:



The 'taking root' field of Kyle Field as of Wednesday, w/ 1st home game set for Sept. 6 vs. Lamar:

[jbcarol]

Hugh Kellenberger @HKellenbergerCL  ·  11h
Ole Miss and C Spire are promising a network with 700 access points at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium this season. http://www.clarionledger.com/story/olemisssports/2014/08/20/ole-miss-vaught-hemingway-stadium-c-spire/14332735/ ...

[jbcarol]

USC's new outdoor fields behind Gamecock Park are under construction and should be ready by mid-season.

"They started the sod (Monday) and it's five acres of grass. They'll lay it all down this week," USC Chief Operating Officer Kevin O'Connell said. "We hope it will be ready in October. It depends now on Mother Nature. We've got to have really hot weather and a lot of sunshine."

The $3 million new fields will mimic the old ones with side-by-side grass gridirons, a coaching tower in the middle, goalposts and lights.

"The goal has been sometime this fall," O'Connell said. "We made arrangements with the Proving Grounds just to protect ourselves. We knew it was going to depend on construction, and you just never know when it comes to that."

It's the first phase of a two-part project at the location. The Gamecocks' new indoor practice facility will be placed beside it.

The indoor facility is set to open before the 2015 season. The footings are being installed and the steel frame is set to begin going up by mid-September.


TIM DOMINICK — tdominick@thestate.com

[jbcarol]

Dave Matter @Dave_Matter  ·  4h

East side of Memorial Stadium gets new look

[NoNC4Tubs]

Brandon Marcello @bmarcello  ·  12h

Checking out Auburn's new Wellness Kitchen this morning.



Auburn budgeted $750K to feed athletes this year at Wellness Kitchen. NCAA allows unlimited meals starting Aug. 1...

Features an ATM with only one button (and no card reader)..........

[NaturalStateReb]

Features an ATM with only one button (and no card reader)..........

Well, it is Auburn.

[go hogues]

Good grief. We better put something new in the works soon.

[jbcarol]

Bill Martin @MSUBillMartin  ·  20h
All new elevators in Davis Wade Stadium have the @msstate logo on the buttons. The little things. #branding



Bob Carskadon @bobcarskadon  ·  20h
Scoreboard Club in the new endzone at DWS. I can vouch for the comfort of the couches



Bill Martin @MSUBillMartin  ·  19h
Might be coolest element of all. Entrance with #HailState built out of cowbells in new DWS north EZ.  @darrenrovell

[jbcarol]

bartgregory @bartgregory  ·  24h
Walking through a Field Level Suite. Still have availability for gameday rental.



Bill Martin @MSUBillMartin  ·  24h
Official kickoff time is set for @HailStateFB vs. Southern Miss. 6:39 p.m. CT live on the @SECNetwork in 8 days. #HailState

[jbcarol]

http://kentuckyfootball.io-media.com

Virtual tour of UK football stadium renovation including view from menu driven seat location.

[NoNC4Tubs]

Bill Martin @MSUBillMartin  ·  20h
All new elevators in Davis Wade Stadium have the @msstate logo on the buttons. The little things. #branding

So the Elevator only has "Down" buttons......

[jbcarol]

GoGamecocks.com @gogamecocks  ·  4h
That's one very tall HBC. (85 feet tall to be exact.) http://www.gogamecocks.com/2014/08/23/607073/in-photos-new-sign-going-up-

[jbcarol]

GoGamecocks.com @gogamecocks  ·  4h
That's one very tall HBC. (85 feet tall to be exact.) http://www.gogamecocks.com/2014/08/23/607073/in-photos-new-sign-going-up-

GoGamecocks.com @gogamecocks  ·  8h
Spurrier on banner: 'Hopefully we'll keep winning here at Williams-Brice. I don't want people going by here throwing eggs at it.'

[Inhogswetrust]

I didn't know KY had a stadium............................Slippery turf I bet.

[jbcarol]

Tod Palmer @todpalmer  ·  18h

#Mizzou announces a ribbon cutting/tour of the Memorial Stadium east-side expansion at 630 pm Tuesday for those wanting a sneak peek.

[Inhogswetrust]

Has Les been to college station yet to see how his investment is going?

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones @KySportsRadio  ·  15h

Commonwealth Stadium is striped and ready to go. Here is how it looks after all the construction: http://bit.ly/1tIaq6A

[jbcarol]

About $120 million in renovation work at Commonwealth Stadium, along with fewer parking places, new traffic routes and other changes, could pose challenges for fans at Saturday's University of Kentucky football season opener.

Jen Smith @jenheraldleader  ·  7m
Good morning on game day.

[jbcarol]

Jen Smith @jenheraldleader  ·  13m
...Commonwealth Stadium capacity now listed at 62,093, down from 67,606 because of construction.

[JansterZ71]

Jordan Hare is a great atmosphere but it is in SERIOUS NEED of an upgrade. The scoreboard sucks, the sound system sucks and now the elevator doesn't work.  I'm just wondering why they didn't take the stairs like most teams coaches do.

[HyperDrive]

Scoreboard, ref's mic and an elevator all broke down at some point yesterday. Auburn needs to invest in some infrastructure upgrades.

That we do.  And there's a master plan already in the works for that and several other things including expanded luxury seating and such that would probably take the capacity up to around 93,000.  I imagine once all the SEC Network money starts rolling in, they can accelerate some of those plans.

[NoNC4Tubs]

That we do.  And there's a master plan already in the works for that and several other things including expanded luxury seating and such that would probably take the capacity up to around 93,000.  I imagine once all the SEC Network money starts rolling in, they can accelerate some of those plans.

Jordan-Hare-Dye is a dump.........

Kudos for upgrading to indoor restrooms a few years ago.

(That should keep you busy on Google for a while.....) 

[jbcarol]

Mark Stoops is pumped for the 98,000-square foot training center and practice fields, and he'll be even happier when the UK Board of Trustees approves nearly $4 million worth of donations for the facility on Friday.

Who broke open their checkbooks for the future of the program? One name should be pretty familiar: Chris Sullivan, a UK alum and founder of Outback Steakhouse.

Helped get UK in the Outback Bowl in Jan. 1999, their only Jan. 1 bowl since the 1950s.