12-03-2007, 09:40 PM
TU'S STADIUM RENOVATION WILL BE COMPLETE FOR 2008
By Eric Bailey, Tulsa Sports Xtra, 9/20/2007
In exactly one year--on Sept 20, 2008--Tulsa will play its first football game in the renovated H.A. Chapman Stadium.
Fans who attend Friday night's game against Oklahoma probably won't recognize the stadium next fall after it receives a much needed face lift.
"We're very excited," TU football coach Todd Graham said. "W're not talking about something happening three years from down the road. So many people for so many years have known what needed to be done here and to see it happening at a brisk pace is great."
Here's what Hurricane fans will see when they visit campus for the 2008 home opener, tenatively scheduled against New Mexico.
A large press box with 20 luxury suites will be built on the west side. A $1.5 million scoreboard will loom over the south stands. Each seat in the stadium will be replaced. And 6,800 of the current seats being replaced with a bench seats with chairbacks. The football field will be replaced with new turf.
Aesthetically, two grand piazas will be on each side of the stadium, with Florence Avenue being replaced with trees behind the west stands. The blue and gold will go away, and will be changed to Tennessee Ledge stone and beige colors to be consistent with the rest of the buildings on campus.
Progress will also eat up seating. Capacity of the stadium will hover around 30,000 which makes it the smallest in Conference USA behind Houston and SMU (32,000 each). The number of "fixed seats" will be about 26,000.
Construction of the $20-$24 million renovation project is scheduled to begin right after Tulsa plays its final home football game, which may be as late as December if the Hurricane hosts the Conference USA Championship game.
Whenever the start date, renovation may have been long overdue for the 76 year old stadium.
"This is extremely exciting," TU athletic director Bubba Cunningham said. "We probably talk about it too much, but the transformation of the campus has been extra ordinary for the past 24 months."
The football stadium's renovation will coincide with the university's new south entrance, Cunningham said. The area has already been filled with new apartments for student housing.
Cunningham said that while boosters and fans are excited about the changes, the top question to him has been the capacity, which takes into account not only seated fans but everyone within the gates of Chapman stadium.
The new capacity will be 30,000, a 25% decrease from 2005 when the venue held 40,385. Five thousand seats were lost when the Case Athletic Complex was built where the north end zone stands were located.
Despite the reduction, the athletic director said the new stadium "fits our needs. If you look at the historical attendance figures, even with the paid (and complimentary) tickets, the new capacity is plenty."
"I thought the BYU crowd (which was 24,445) was absolutely terrific and that crowd will fit the new stadium," he added.
Cunningham said the capacity figures won't deter power conference programs from visiting Tulsa in the future.
"We've had conversations with BCS schools about coming in and we'll get some of the contracts signed shortly. So it won't be an issue wish scheduling," he said.
He mentioned Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and said "when you bring those schools in, you allocate 5,000 tickets to the visiting team. As long as we can do that, they are comfortable with that."
Two C-USA atheltic directors with simalar sized stadiums said their capacity is a perfect fit.
"The size of our stadium has worked fine for us, it's not a big concern," Houston atheltic director Dave Maggard said. "If they are around 30,000, it should not be a problem."
Reigning C-USA Champion Houston averaged 21,910 fans a game last season. Tulsa averaged 21,364.
Added SMU Atheltic director Steve Orsini, "I feel that 32,000 capacity is a very good number....we wanted a size that was manageable with compliance to Division I-A and something that we can fill up."
Cunningham hopes attendance booms and tha the need to "bowl in" the southeast and southwest corners of Chapman Stadium is a must.
"We'll definitely take a look at that when we get to that position, he said. "I think that selling out on a season basis or more consistency from game to game is what we're trying to do."
Stanford lowered its capacity from 85,000 to 50,000 during a 2006 renovation, and Cunningham said season ticket sales for the Cardinal went from 11,000 to 30,000.
Naming rights for the stadium came after a $9 million gift from the Chapman Foundation. Additional financing will come from the 20 suites. A 10 year agreement costs between $300,000-$400,000 and only four openings remain.
The average fan will notice the new bench seating. Code doesn't allow the whole stadium to have bench backs. Many of the west side stands and the 50 yard line on the east side will have backing.
The new $1.5 million scoreboard will be a solid metal structure and enclosed with Tennessee ledge stone. It will be a full screen video board that can include a scoreboard, clock, and video.
"It's very high tech and we definitely need to enhance what we currently have," Cunningham said.
Graham said the new look stadium goes hand-in-hand with the goal of being a top 25 program.
"To have this stadium is paramont," said Graham. "The stadium will help our recruiting in a big, big way."
PICTURES OF NEW TULSA UNIVERSITY CHAPMAN FOOTBALL STADIUM
http://www.utulsa.edu/physicalplant/proj...dium.shtml
TODD GRAHAM LOOKS AHEAD TO NEW TEAM, STADIUM
http://www.gtrnews.com/greater-tulsa-rep...ead-to-new tea...
CASE ATHELTIC CENTER
(Located north end zone. Houses football offices, history, hall of fame, lockers. Plus additional suites for games.)
http://www.utulsa.edu/physicalplant/proj...plex.shtml
UNIVERSITY OF TULSA CAMPUS MAP
McFarlin Library (#22), the heart of the campus, faces the campus mall (#29) and old west enterance.
#28 is new south entrance.
#73 is Chapman Football Stadium. #62 is Case Atheltic Center. #72 is Reynolds Arena for basketball
http://www.utulsa.edu/campusmap/map.html
PICTURE OF NEW CAMPUS SOUTH ENTRANCE (#28 on campus map)
http://www.utulsa.edu/physicalplant/proj...ance.shtml
TULSA UNIVESITY ANNOUNCES CONSTRUCTION OF NEW SOUTH ENTRANCE
http://www.utulsa.edu/news/article.asp?Key=1391
FUTURE TULSA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=257084
SUMMARY OF 2008 TULSA FOOTBALL RECRUITS
http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=245891
HENRY KENDALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM, 1897
Tulsa Univesity is the only IA football school that began as a native american school.
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/resu...ee+Indians
NEBRASKA GATORS? PENN STATE LONGHORNS? ALABAMA HUSKIES? TULSA HURRICANE?
I would like to see an Indian word for wind adopted by the University of Tulsa as its nickname, thus keeping its current stormy and windy Golden Hurricane history and heritage but now also adding its Native American heritage as a former Native American college. This would be similar to the University of New Mexico nickname of Lobos, the spanish word for wolf, which combines the sports tradition of a "fighter" and the spanish heritage of the state of New Mexico.
http://www.unm.edu/~unmarchv/History/Tra...kname.html
ROGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN LYRICS FROM THE STATE SONG, OKLAHOMA!
Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain!
http://www.50states.com/songs/okla.htm
OKLAHOMA STATE FLAG
The native american shield from the Oklahoma state flag should be put on University of Tulsa helmets, similar to the logo of the University of Utah.
http://www.50states.com/flag/okflag.htm
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/University...21234_.htm
By Eric Bailey, Tulsa Sports Xtra, 9/20/2007
In exactly one year--on Sept 20, 2008--Tulsa will play its first football game in the renovated H.A. Chapman Stadium.
Fans who attend Friday night's game against Oklahoma probably won't recognize the stadium next fall after it receives a much needed face lift.
"We're very excited," TU football coach Todd Graham said. "W're not talking about something happening three years from down the road. So many people for so many years have known what needed to be done here and to see it happening at a brisk pace is great."
Here's what Hurricane fans will see when they visit campus for the 2008 home opener, tenatively scheduled against New Mexico.
A large press box with 20 luxury suites will be built on the west side. A $1.5 million scoreboard will loom over the south stands. Each seat in the stadium will be replaced. And 6,800 of the current seats being replaced with a bench seats with chairbacks. The football field will be replaced with new turf.
Aesthetically, two grand piazas will be on each side of the stadium, with Florence Avenue being replaced with trees behind the west stands. The blue and gold will go away, and will be changed to Tennessee Ledge stone and beige colors to be consistent with the rest of the buildings on campus.
Progress will also eat up seating. Capacity of the stadium will hover around 30,000 which makes it the smallest in Conference USA behind Houston and SMU (32,000 each). The number of "fixed seats" will be about 26,000.
Construction of the $20-$24 million renovation project is scheduled to begin right after Tulsa plays its final home football game, which may be as late as December if the Hurricane hosts the Conference USA Championship game.
Whenever the start date, renovation may have been long overdue for the 76 year old stadium.
"This is extremely exciting," TU athletic director Bubba Cunningham said. "We probably talk about it too much, but the transformation of the campus has been extra ordinary for the past 24 months."
The football stadium's renovation will coincide with the university's new south entrance, Cunningham said. The area has already been filled with new apartments for student housing.
Cunningham said that while boosters and fans are excited about the changes, the top question to him has been the capacity, which takes into account not only seated fans but everyone within the gates of Chapman stadium.
The new capacity will be 30,000, a 25% decrease from 2005 when the venue held 40,385. Five thousand seats were lost when the Case Athletic Complex was built where the north end zone stands were located.
Despite the reduction, the athletic director said the new stadium "fits our needs. If you look at the historical attendance figures, even with the paid (and complimentary) tickets, the new capacity is plenty."
"I thought the BYU crowd (which was 24,445) was absolutely terrific and that crowd will fit the new stadium," he added.
Cunningham said the capacity figures won't deter power conference programs from visiting Tulsa in the future.
"We've had conversations with BCS schools about coming in and we'll get some of the contracts signed shortly. So it won't be an issue wish scheduling," he said.
He mentioned Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and said "when you bring those schools in, you allocate 5,000 tickets to the visiting team. As long as we can do that, they are comfortable with that."
Two C-USA atheltic directors with simalar sized stadiums said their capacity is a perfect fit.
"The size of our stadium has worked fine for us, it's not a big concern," Houston atheltic director Dave Maggard said. "If they are around 30,000, it should not be a problem."
Reigning C-USA Champion Houston averaged 21,910 fans a game last season. Tulsa averaged 21,364.
Added SMU Atheltic director Steve Orsini, "I feel that 32,000 capacity is a very good number....we wanted a size that was manageable with compliance to Division I-A and something that we can fill up."
Cunningham hopes attendance booms and tha the need to "bowl in" the southeast and southwest corners of Chapman Stadium is a must.
"We'll definitely take a look at that when we get to that position, he said. "I think that selling out on a season basis or more consistency from game to game is what we're trying to do."
Stanford lowered its capacity from 85,000 to 50,000 during a 2006 renovation, and Cunningham said season ticket sales for the Cardinal went from 11,000 to 30,000.
Naming rights for the stadium came after a $9 million gift from the Chapman Foundation. Additional financing will come from the 20 suites. A 10 year agreement costs between $300,000-$400,000 and only four openings remain.
The average fan will notice the new bench seating. Code doesn't allow the whole stadium to have bench backs. Many of the west side stands and the 50 yard line on the east side will have backing.
The new $1.5 million scoreboard will be a solid metal structure and enclosed with Tennessee ledge stone. It will be a full screen video board that can include a scoreboard, clock, and video.
"It's very high tech and we definitely need to enhance what we currently have," Cunningham said.
Graham said the new look stadium goes hand-in-hand with the goal of being a top 25 program.
"To have this stadium is paramont," said Graham. "The stadium will help our recruiting in a big, big way."
PICTURES OF NEW TULSA UNIVERSITY CHAPMAN FOOTBALL STADIUM
http://www.utulsa.edu/physicalplant/proj...dium.shtml
TODD GRAHAM LOOKS AHEAD TO NEW TEAM, STADIUM
http://www.gtrnews.com/greater-tulsa-rep...ead-to-new tea...
CASE ATHELTIC CENTER
(Located north end zone. Houses football offices, history, hall of fame, lockers. Plus additional suites for games.)
http://www.utulsa.edu/physicalplant/proj...plex.shtml
UNIVERSITY OF TULSA CAMPUS MAP
McFarlin Library (#22), the heart of the campus, faces the campus mall (#29) and old west enterance.
#28 is new south entrance.
#73 is Chapman Football Stadium. #62 is Case Atheltic Center. #72 is Reynolds Arena for basketball
http://www.utulsa.edu/campusmap/map.html
PICTURE OF NEW CAMPUS SOUTH ENTRANCE (#28 on campus map)
http://www.utulsa.edu/physicalplant/proj...ance.shtml
TULSA UNIVESITY ANNOUNCES CONSTRUCTION OF NEW SOUTH ENTRANCE
http://www.utulsa.edu/news/article.asp?Key=1391
FUTURE TULSA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=257084
SUMMARY OF 2008 TULSA FOOTBALL RECRUITS
http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=245891
HENRY KENDALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM, 1897
Tulsa Univesity is the only IA football school that began as a native american school.
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/resu...ee+Indians
NEBRASKA GATORS? PENN STATE LONGHORNS? ALABAMA HUSKIES? TULSA HURRICANE?
I would like to see an Indian word for wind adopted by the University of Tulsa as its nickname, thus keeping its current stormy and windy Golden Hurricane history and heritage but now also adding its Native American heritage as a former Native American college. This would be similar to the University of New Mexico nickname of Lobos, the spanish word for wolf, which combines the sports tradition of a "fighter" and the spanish heritage of the state of New Mexico.
http://www.unm.edu/~unmarchv/History/Tra...kname.html
ROGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN LYRICS FROM THE STATE SONG, OKLAHOMA!
Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain!
http://www.50states.com/songs/okla.htm
OKLAHOMA STATE FLAG
The native american shield from the Oklahoma state flag should be put on University of Tulsa helmets, similar to the logo of the University of Utah.
http://www.50states.com/flag/okflag.htm
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/University...21234_.htm