Lets talk construction plans..

[UNLV]

I'd rather have a 30k horseshoe. Besides that design would have the stadium on the feeder road.

[NorthoftheBorder]

I'd rather have a 30k horseshoe. Besides that design would have the stadium on the feeder road.

I believe horshoeing the south end zone would get you to about 25-27k seating.  So, it you added second decks on both sides, say 7500 each then you could get to 40-42k.  It would take the exterior to the feeder road on the west side.

[BLUEDOVE3]

Okay, April 1st is over guys stop playing around. Surely you don't believe the Cards will fill out a 30,000 seat stadium? 

[Guest coachacola]

Okay, April 1st is over guys stop playing around. Surely you don't believe the Cards will fill out a 30,000 seat stadium? 

I didn't say anything about filling up a 30k stadium.  I'm just saying there's room to expand Cardinal Stadium to 30k.  ;D

[UNLV]

I would say it. If Lamar expand to 30k or 42k, the stadium would be full first game. After that, the numbers will

fall to about .70-.60 for the rest of the season. The results of the first season will determine second season.

[BLUEDOVE3]

I would say it. If Lamar expand to 30k or 42k, the stadium would be full first game. After that, the numbers will

fall to about .70-.60 for the rest of the season. The results of the first season will determine second season.

Okay, I'm willing to go along with this assessment. Makes sense to me.

[Green Menace]

JMO, they should buy the land across Hwy 69 where that old apartment complex is. It would have great access on and off the Hwy, would be highly visible from the Hwy and would be close to campus. Downtown would be a option and I think the best thing would be to build a stadium at Ford Park. Tear down the amphitheater, get the county to agree to donate the land for the use of a football stadium and approach BISD about building complex per a joint effort. Their bond dollars plus the money Lamar is about to put into renovating Cardinal Stadium would be significant. Cardinal Stadium could then be converted to a soccer and track facility by tearing down the visitors side stands they would be able to use it for a multipurpose complex. It would free the area now used for Ty Terrell for much needed parking.

The school district would get all the revenue from HS games played there. Lamar the revenue from the Cardinals games. The county could get revenue from HS playoff games, 7 on 7 tournaments and other activities held at the facility. Heck, they then (large enough stadium) might get the a exhibition game in Beaumont. Remember Walter Umphrey is good friends with Jerry Jones. No way a regular season game but if there was a 40,000 seat facility in Beaumont I could see a exhibition game there. Heck, Beaumont could then persue a training camp arrangement with the Cowboys.

I remember about 20 years ago Jerry looked at Beaumont as a site for training camp.

Before you say it, I know that is big dreams but as BLUEDOVE3 states I'm the dreamer!  ;D

Just my opinion, but your idea is wrong.  Here's why.  Lamar needs an "on campus" stadium, not something our at Ford Park.  On campus means so much to the college game day atmosphere.  Cardinal Stadium is what it is and where it is.  Too bad the whole campus sits across the road from a major refinery.

In addition, a 40,000 seat, quality stadium is going to cost much more than $50 mil.  Memphis plays football in the Liberty Bowl stadium, away from campus.  They recently did a study on building a new on-campus stadium with a capacity of 40,000.  Cost: $125,000,000.  The project was tabled.  I just don't think Lamar can jump too fast on this football thing or they will surely fail.  Lamar should look to other new, somewhat successful programs and use them as a blueprint.  Some of these new football programs are pretty successful, given their infancy in the sport.  Florida Atlantic, South Florida, come to mind.

[Guest roberthollister]

There is no way Lamar should even consider building a stadium away from campus.  I could not agree with you more, Green Menace.

[Guest abovetherim]

Great post but you can't really compare property value in Beaumont, Texas to Memphis, Tennessee can you? I bet a large part of that $125,000,000 would be just purchasing and development of the land (building roads to the stadium, parking lot, etc) needed to build the stadium. The stadium in Dallas that SMU plays in didn't cost $125,000,000.

I think this link will show I'm not completely crazy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_J._Ford_Stadium

[Tiger90]

It would be dumb to tear down the amphitheater for a new football stadium.  The amphitheater isn't even paid for yet it needs the added expense of tearing it down?  Lamar definitely needs to work on the aesthestics of the current stadium however.  I'd be more for a new stadium near the golf range before Ford Park.

[Guest abovetherim]

Well, BISD and the county are already discussing this issue. May be a dumb idea, but isn't having 4 events there a year dumb too?

[Guest coachacola]

Ford Park was a mistake made by the county.  I know Simmons and Tubbs are a lot smarter than that and will not even consider a stadium out there.  And unless some billionaire gives Lamar $50+ million they won't have the money for a new stadium anyways.  Sharing a stadium with BISD is also a bad idea, unless Lamar wants to play in a high school stadium.

Call me crazy but I like Cardinal Stadium, even with a refinery behind it.  With the right renovations to the stadium, and to the whole area around it, and Lamar will have a great football environment.

[Guest abovetherim]

I agree Cardinal Stadium could be made really nice but Lamar is selling bonds along with private donations fund the renovations. So you can have something like this...

http://smumustangs.cstv.com/facilities/ford-stadium.html

or this....

http://www.texasbob.com/stadium/stadium.php?id=512

You make the call. If you think a $50 million football facility would be "high schoolish", okay. Bad, idea.

Just to clarify, I've seen a couple of drawings of the renovation of Cardinal Stadium and it is really nice. It will be the nicest facility in the SLC. The point I'm trying to make is, why not instead of having one nice small college facility and one nice high school facility combine the funds to have one great facility?

Really, I'm not attempting to debate anyone. Just attempting to throw out a question which I know you guys are correct about but I don't understand. Why can't Jefferson County, the City of Beaumont, BISD and Lamar University partner about anything?

[TexasTerror]

ABR3 and others...

Question, will the upgraded stadium include a proper track and field complex?

Lamar is part of the group of schools that does not have the facilities to meet the requirements to hold an SLC outdoor meet, which puts this championship on a rotating basis among several schools in the conference,.

Seems only fitting for Lamar to continue their upgrades to include track and field, may be better for their team...

[Green Menace]

ABR3 and others...

Question, will the upgraded stadium include a proper track and field complex?

Lamar is part of the group of schools that does not have the facilities to meet the requirements to hold an SLC outdoor meet, which puts this championship on a rotating basis among several schools in the conference,.

Seems only fitting for Lamar to continue their upgrades to include track and field, may be better for their team...

You don't want a track around a football field.  You want the fans as close to the field as allowed to creat that homefield advantage.  Lamar's stadium does that.  All you need now are the fans.

Listen, I've been to countless games in Denton and you need binoculars at times to see the game, and that's from 50 yeard line seats!  Fouts Field was built in the early '50's for football and track and field.  The site lines are terrible and, like I said, the fans are too far from the field.  Big mistake for Lamar to do the same.  Cardinal Stadium is a fine facility.  Just put some money into for upgrades (new, state of the art press box) and it will be just fine.  They can easily add a new athletic center to the South End zone, and close in the bowl at that end too. 

BTW, North Texas is getting real close to building a new stadium at the new "Eagle Point" athletic complex.  The new athletic center was built a few years ago and is waiting for a stadium to attach to it.

[Guest coachacola]

The stands are real close to the field at Cardinal Stadium (some say too close) so they couldn't put a track in even if they wanted to.  I'm hoping they eventually make the new soccer field into a soccer/track and field facility, which is probably in their long term plans.

I've heard about the new stadium for North Texas.  That should be a nice facility.  Have they released any drawings for it yet or are they just talking about it?

[UNLV]

Ford Park was a mistake made by the county.  I know Simmons and Tubbs are a lot smarter than that and will not even consider a stadium out there.  And unless some billionaire gives Lamar $50+ million they won't have the money for a new stadium anyways.  Sharing a stadium with BISD is also a bad idea, unless Lamar wants to play in a high school stadium.

Call me crazy but I like Cardinal Stadium, even with a refinery behind it.  With the right renovations to the stadium, and to the whole area around it, and Lamar will have a great football environment.

Why it couldn't be high schools playing at a college stadium?

[UNLV]

The stands are real close to the field at Cardinal Stadium (some say too close) so they couldn't put a track in even if they wanted to.  I'm hoping they eventually make the new soccer field into a soccer/track and field facility, which is probably in their long term plans.

I've heard about the new stadium for North Texas.  That should be a nice facility.  Have they released any drawings for it yet or are they just talking about it?

Everyone else building a new stadium, why can't Lamar. We are the birth place of the worlds largest richest company; ExxonMobile.

The ExxonMobil stadium.

Anything partnered with the county would be a huge mistake.

I say new stadium. Turn Cardinal stadium into a track & field/soccer stadium.

[UNLV]

Did you know ExxonMobil gave $100 million or the price of a new Cardinal stadium to Stanford in 2007.

[KFDM COOP]

[Green Menace]

The stands are real close to the field at Cardinal Stadium (some say too close) so they couldn't put a track in even if they wanted to.  I'm hoping they eventually make the new soccer field into a soccer/track and field facility, which is probably in their long term plans.

I've heard about the new stadium for North Texas.  That should be a nice facility.  Have they released any drawings for it yet or are they just talking about it?

Here's the latest.

[UNLV]

Thats what Lamar needs to do, horseshoe the stadium, build huge press boxes on the refinery side of stadium, suites on the west side,

video scoreboard on the Montagne, turf, for $20 million.

[KFDM COOP]

The stands are real close to the field at Cardinal Stadium (some say too close) so they couldn't put a track in even if they wanted to.  I'm hoping they eventually make the new soccer field into a soccer/track and field facility, which is probably in their long term plans.

I've heard about the new stadium for North Texas.  That should be a nice facility.  Have they released any drawings for it yet or are they just talking about it?

Here's the latest.

Nice!

[Guest coachacola]

Did you know ExxonMobil gave $100 million or the price of a new Cardinal stadium to Stanford in 2007.

Maybe ExxonMobile will be donating some money to Lamar for stadium renovations too.  I just wish Lamar would reveal their plans for the stadium so we can stop guessing (although it's fun to speculate).  But Stanford didn't build a new stadium, they renovated their 85 year old stadium and also reduced seating capacity from 85k to 50k.

The University of Tulsa is also doing the same thing.  They are renovating they're old stadium and also reducing seating capacity down to around 30k.  Here's how the front will look:

Lamar could do something similar with Cardinal Stadium.  It wouldn't take much to increase capacity to around 25k which I think would be plenty.  They could put luxury boxes on the refinery side of the field to help block that view.  I think Lamar will end up with something similar to Tulsa's and North Texas' stadium.

[Guest abovetherim]

That is a very nice stadium UNT is looking at building. Coachacola, the pic of the renovation at Tulsa is a little nicer than what I saw of the renovation of Cardinal Stadium but not a great deal. It is really nice. But TU's is probably nicer.

Texas Terror, there will not be a track around the field at Cardinal Stadium. I'm hopeful, Lamar does like someone else mentioned and builds a soccer/track complex. At the level of the SLC and even a couple notches above there aren't huge crowds normally for women's soccer and track and field.

I think a complex with seating at 1500-2000 would be ideal for Lamar's soccer/track complex. They really need the space Ty Terrell sets for parking unless they are going to buy up some more property near campus and that could cost more than the alternative.