03-18-2009, 11:46 PM
03-19-2009, 11:43 AM
Why would there be any mention? paulie and mullins don't want football. They have rebuffed every idea and every effort to keep or to revive football. They found a way to keep NFL "Coach of the Year", Mike Smith, a former ETSU football player and grad from speaking on campus. When you see universities and colleges all over the country honoring their sports people you would think that ETSU would jump at the chance to have Mike Smith but nooooo, he is a football person. Mercy, ETSU couln't allow a non country club sport person to walk on their campus.
03-24-2009, 11:27 PM
Yes, we know all that. But...............football *will* return to ETSU.
And when it does, wouldn't it be much better for all concerned if there was a good stadium that could perhaps fit the bill for both entities?
I understand Johnson City needs to make their own path as it stands now, and they can't count on ETSU having a team in the near future. But.........to pretend ETSU doesn't exist, and that there will never be football there again is shortsighted. The author could have at least brought up that angle, even if there is nothing concrete that could be done about it. To locate a stadium on the Liberty Bell campus pretty much excludes the possibility of a joint-serving stadium, whereas one downtown on the site of the old warehouse could conceivably, at *some* point in time, be useful to ETSU as well, and could a) help the city afford it; and b) have a ready-made place for ETSU to play, thus eliminating a GIANT obstacle to bringing football back.
A smart-thinking planner for Johnson City would realize that a stadium that ETSU *could* use in the future would help the city in that way, for there is no doubt that Johnson City as a whole will be better off with ETSU football back, whether they realize it now or not. Don't you think the decision to bring back football at ETSU would be MUCH easier if there already was a place they *could* play? Is this (potential) factor enough to sway the decision in that direction? I can't answer that, and perhaps no one without a crystal ball can, either. But to ignore that as a conceivable scenario just ignores the elephant out on the West end of town.
Johnson City must eventually decide what's best for it's own programs, but there should be at least a consideration of synergies, a la Cardinal Park for baseball. Make sense, bucten?
And when it does, wouldn't it be much better for all concerned if there was a good stadium that could perhaps fit the bill for both entities?
I understand Johnson City needs to make their own path as it stands now, and they can't count on ETSU having a team in the near future. But.........to pretend ETSU doesn't exist, and that there will never be football there again is shortsighted. The author could have at least brought up that angle, even if there is nothing concrete that could be done about it. To locate a stadium on the Liberty Bell campus pretty much excludes the possibility of a joint-serving stadium, whereas one downtown on the site of the old warehouse could conceivably, at *some* point in time, be useful to ETSU as well, and could a) help the city afford it; and b) have a ready-made place for ETSU to play, thus eliminating a GIANT obstacle to bringing football back.
A smart-thinking planner for Johnson City would realize that a stadium that ETSU *could* use in the future would help the city in that way, for there is no doubt that Johnson City as a whole will be better off with ETSU football back, whether they realize it now or not. Don't you think the decision to bring back football at ETSU would be MUCH easier if there already was a place they *could* play? Is this (potential) factor enough to sway the decision in that direction? I can't answer that, and perhaps no one without a crystal ball can, either. But to ignore that as a conceivable scenario just ignores the elephant out on the West end of town.
Johnson City must eventually decide what's best for it's own programs, but there should be at least a consideration of synergies, a la Cardinal Park for baseball. Make sense, bucten?
03-26-2009, 12:08 PM
In my mind.. There is only one thing more embarrassing for a Div. 1 University than not having a football team. and that is having a football team and playing on a high school field.
I would rather play games in summers-taylor stadium. No joke!
I would rather play in the dome. No joke!
I will hang my head in shame for the university and probably never again wear an ETSU shirt outside of the city in fear of being laughed at if we ever play football on high school turf. No joke!
I would rather play games in summers-taylor stadium. No joke!
I would rather play in the dome. No joke!
I will hang my head in shame for the university and probably never again wear an ETSU shirt outside of the city in fear of being laughed at if we ever play football on high school turf. No joke!
03-26-2009, 12:36 PM
It is not clear whether you mean at Liberty Bell (which won't happen), or if you mean in the context of a shared facility (which if that were the case would not be mere "high school turf", but something more).
03-26-2009, 02:11 PM
We need an on campus facility, let Science Hill do their own thing. I've wondered for awhile now why Science Hill hasn't fixed up the track area into a football stadium. It's kind of ridiculous that it isn't.
03-26-2009, 05:06 PM
I agree about the on campus stadium. I think it is important and could be built near mid-campus and would be a rallying point for student and fans(again). The AD could get this done if he wanted to. All area high schools should have their stadiums and ETSU should have a nice facility. Very few football playing schools have to play in high school facilities as a look at area schools such as App, Tusculum, EH, UTC, etc, attest to. This should remain a goal of ETSU along with re-instating football.
03-27-2009, 09:40 AM
When it comes back, finding a good spot of land for a new stadium will be tough, but it's there. The good news is we've already got an incredible indoor practice facility!!!
03-30-2009, 07:51 PM
As I've mentioned before, the new stadium should be built on the southwest quadrant of University Parkway and S. Roan St., behind the shopping center on the land east of Pine Oaks Golf Course. It is convenient to campus and entry/exit is easy on the parkway, S. Roan and I-26. This would minimize road infrastructure requirements. Beautiful piece of land.