Indoor practice facility

[66volvo]

https://a.msn.com/r/2/AACkPtU?m=en-us&r ... InAppShare

Well heck, if Northwestern can pony up $270M for their emerging athletics, then why can't we?

[Badjuju]

I think the family might rather have a bigger or new yacht, plane or house. UM should be careful going to that well too often. I would focus on the academic side with them. UM needs $30 or $40 million for academics more than an indoor practice faculty. In my view.

i totally agree with this comment. it's nice to dream about an indoor practice facility, but the reality is that um needs money for academics. The budget isn't balanced yet, enrollment is still falling, etc. i would hope that bodner's focus isn't anywhere near athletic facilities.

I also agree with the comment. I know for a fact, some football players have dismissed the griz because of the academic reasons. Not just losing curriculum, but professors as well! Not good!

[PlayerRep]

https://a.msn.com/r/2/AACkPtU?m=en-us&r ... InAppShare

Well heck, if Northwestern can pony up $270M for their emerging athletics, then why can't we?

Northwestern’s endowment is $11 Billion.

[getgrizzy]

I think the family might rather have a bigger or new yacht, plane or house. UM should be careful going to that well too often. I would focus on the academic side with them. UM needs $30 or $40 million for academics more than an indoor practice faculty. In my view.

i totally agree with this comment. it's nice to dream about an indoor practice facility, but the reality is that um needs money for academics. The budget isn't balanced yet, enrollment is still falling, etc. i would hope that bodner's focus isn't anywhere near athletic facilities.

I also agree with the comment. I know for a fact, some football players have dismissed the griz because of the academic reasons. Not just losing curriculum, but professors as well! Not good!

Hog wash! Like how many 1 or 2?

[alabamagrizzly]

If I recall correctly, the $34MM project was far more than an indoor practice facility. It housed the indoor track and some other (expensive) amenities.

Correct, the facility they want to build will have a full indoor track, that can host meets, a full 100-yard football/soccer field, a softball practice area, offices, lockerrooms, and something else the program needs badly, a full-scale medical training and recovery facility. That facility was originally part of the Champions Center's original vision but was scrapped when it bumped the price tag to well over $20 million. The football program needs that as much as they need the indoor facility imho. It's another part of what recruits really look hard at these days which is why MSU is including that in its football ops building that's getting closer to a reality.

I have heard that the idea to include ALL of this in one facility is not only because the athletic department needs it all, but because they believe it will peak the interest of donors outside of the usual heavy hitters focused only on the football program. Believe it or not, there are some very wealthy track and field enthusiasts out there. See what one track and field enthusiast did for Glendive!

I have also heard that if they just wanted to put up a steel building at the South Campus complex that would house a 50 or even 100-yard field, and that's it, it would have been done a long time ago, but, it would essentially be for the football and soccer team to practice in with room for nothing else and THAT'S IT, and that's not what UM wants to do. They have decided to go for the big facility on the main campus that would benefit virtually the entire athletic department. And from what I have heard, just recently as a matter of fact, it's a longgggggggg way off, if ever.

I don't recall that the track and field team, the soccer team, or any UM team other than the football team ever attracted 26,000 fans to any of its events. Administration may want a Taj Mahal facility, but putting the football program on indefinite hold for its needs is idiotic. Football is the money maker. Nurture it and the others will benefit in the loooooooong run.

Neither does the football team unless another Montana team is involved.

[227GRIZ]

Neither does the football team unless another Montana team is involved.
[/quote]

Not true 7 out of 10 times


1
26,508 Montana 25, Montana State 29 Nov. 17, 2018

2
26,472 Montana 38, North Dakota State 35 Aug. 29, 2015

3
26,352 Montana 34, Montana State 7 Nov. 22, 2014

4
26,303 Montana 28, South Dakota 20 Sept. 13, 2014

5
26,293 Montana 30, Appalachian State 6 Aug. 31, 2013

6
26,136 Montana 23, Northern Arizona 14 Sept. 26, 2015

7
26,082 Montana 37, Eastern Washington 42 Oct. 26, 2013

8
26,066 Montana 17, Eastern Washington 14 Sept. 17, 2011

9
26,065 Montana 19, Cal Poly 20 Sept. 5, 2015

10
26,019 Montana 16, Montana State 21 Nov. 20, 2010

[BadlandsGrizFan]

If I recall correctly, the $34MM project was far more than an indoor practice facility. It housed the indoor track and some other (expensive) amenities.

Correct, the facility they want to build will have a full indoor track, that can host meets, a full 100-yard football/soccer field, a softball practice area, offices, lockerrooms, and something else the program needs badly, a full-scale medical training and recovery facility. That facility was originally part of the Champions Center's original vision but was scrapped when it bumped the price tag to well over $20 million. The football program needs that as much as they need the indoor facility imho. It's another part of what recruits really look hard at these days which is why MSU is including that in its football ops building that's getting closer to a reality.

I have heard that the idea to include ALL of this in one facility is not only because the athletic department needs it all, but because they believe it will peak the interest of donors outside of the usual heavy hitters focused only on the football program. Believe it or not, there are some very wealthy track and field enthusiasts out there. See what one track and field enthusiast did for Glendive!

I have also heard that if they just wanted to put up a steel building at the South Campus complex that would house a 50 or even 100-yard field, and that's it, it would have been done a long time ago, but, it would essentially be for the football and soccer team to practice in with room for nothing else and THAT'S IT, and that's not what UM wants to do. They have decided to go for the big facility on the main campus that would benefit virtually the entire athletic department. And from what I have heard, just recently as a matter of fact, it's a longgggggggg way off, if ever.

The Oakland family who was responsible for footing the bill for the Field and Track in Glendive happen to be big Griz fans....

[BadlandsGrizFan]

If I recall correctly, the $34MM project was far more than an indoor practice facility. It housed the indoor track and some other (expensive) amenities.

Correct, the facility they want to build will have a full indoor track, that can host meets, a full 100-yard football/soccer field, a softball practice area, offices, lockerrooms, and something else the program needs badly, a full-scale medical training and recovery facility. That facility was originally part of the Champions Center's original vision but was scrapped when it bumped the price tag to well over $20 million. The football program needs that as much as they need the indoor facility imho. It's another part of what recruits really look hard at these days which is why MSU is including that in its football ops building that's getting closer to a reality.

I have heard that the idea to include ALL of this in one facility is not only because the athletic department needs it all, but because they believe it will peak the interest of donors outside of the usual heavy hitters focused only on the football program. Believe it or not, there are some very wealthy track and field enthusiasts out there. See what one track and field enthusiast did for Glendive!

I have also heard that if they just wanted to put up a steel building at the South Campus complex that would house a 50 or even 100-yard field, and that's it, it would have been done a long time ago, but, it would essentially be for the football and soccer team to practice in with room for nothing else and THAT'S IT, and that's not what UM wants to do. They have decided to go for the big facility on the main campus that would benefit virtually the entire athletic department. And from what I have heard, just recently as a matter of fact, it's a longgggggggg way off, if ever.

I don't recall that the track and field team, the soccer team, or any UM team other than the football team ever attracted 26,000 fans to any of its events. Administration may want a Taj Mahal facility, but putting the football program on indefinite hold for its needs is idiotic. Football is the money maker. Nurture it and the others will benefit in the loooooooong run.

In my opinion they should just be looking at a large field, that Football, soccer, track, softball, could all use for a place to do cardio, hit grounders, practice football under a big bubble with lights. Nothing more, nothing less. Just a place to get out of the elements to train and practice.

[RXGriz]

I agree. Weber has a 60 yard indoor field in their athletic complex that all their sports teams can use.

[AZGrizFan]

Neither does the football team unless another Montana team is involved.

Not true 7 out of 10 times


1 26,508 Montana 25, Montana State 29 Nov. 17, 2018
2 26,472 Montana 38, North Dakota State 35 Aug. 29, 2015
3 26,352 Montana 34, Montana State 7 Nov. 22, 2014
4 26,303 Montana 28, South Dakota 20 Sept. 13, 2014
5 26,293 Montana 30, Appalachian State 6 Aug. 31, 2013
6 26,136 Montana 23, Northern Arizona 14 Sept. 26, 2015
7 26,082 Montana 37, Eastern Washington 42 Oct. 26, 2013
8 26,066 Montana 17, Eastern Washington 14 Sept. 17, 2011
9 26,065 Montana 19, Cal Poly 20 Sept. 5, 2015
10 26,019 Montana 16, Montana State 21 Nov. 20, 2010

Boom !

[tourist]

If I recall correctly, the $34MM project was far more than an indoor practice facility. It housed the indoor track and some other (expensive) amenities.

They have decided to go for the big facility on the main campus that would benefit virtually the entire athletic department. And from what I have heard, just recently as a matter of fact, it's a longgggggggg way off, if ever.

I don't recall that the track and field team, the soccer team, or any UM team other than the football team ever attracted 26,000 fans to any of its events. Administration may want a Taj Mahal facility, but putting the football program on indefinite hold for its needs is idiotic. Football is the money maker. Nurture it and the others will benefit in the loooooooong run.

In my opinion they should just be looking at a large field, that Football, soccer, track, softball, could all use for a place to do cardio, hit grounders, practice football under a big bubble with lights. Nothing more, nothing less. Just a place to get out of the elements to train and practice.

Why wait for the Taj Mahal, somewhere in the distant future, when they could start smaller and add to it as money is available. WGS was done in this manner, with a whopping 12,000 seats. Then add to it now and then. I doubt it was originally planned to seat 25,000+ and be the crown jewel venue of FCS. Think of it as a fixer upper house, improved one room at a time, and expanded as afforded.

[mcg]

Is it true that the Champions Center still has $5 million left to pay off?

[getgrizzy]

Is it true that the Champions Center still has $5 million left to pay off?

At most. When it was approved by the BOR back in November of 2014 the BOR also approved UM’s request to finance up to $5 million. This was one month after the Washington boys donated $7 million.

The BOR approved at 46,000 sqft facility, but UM announced it at 51,000 when it was finished.

Despite being approved in November of 2014, it didn’t start until the summer of 2016.

Mike Reid said we had $9 million on hand when the $7 million gift from the Washington’s came in and then stated “which leaves $5 million left to finance.” That was at the BOR approval meeting in 2014.

Gogriz.com referred to it as $14 million, 51,000 sqft facility. It says the facility is 100% privately funded.

There was a big piece of work to do to prep the site. Underground utilities had to be moved I think.

[Badjuju]

I think the family might rather have a bigger or new yacht, plane or house. UM should be careful going to that well too often. I would focus on the academic side with them. UM needs $30 or $40 million for academics more than an indoor practice faculty. In my view.

i totally agree with this comment. it's nice to dream about an indoor practice facility, but the reality is that um needs money for academics. The budget isn't balanced yet, enrollment is still falling, etc. i would hope that bodner's focus isn't anywhere near athletic facilities.

I also agree with the comment. I know for a fact, some football players have dismissed the griz because of the academic reasons. Not just losing curriculum, but professors as well! Not good!

Hog wash! Like how many 1 or 2?

I guess we will see how many of the top athletes in the state end up going to UM. Might have a little to do with the recruiting style, I'm told, but that along with the decreasing curriculum doesn't bode well for the griz. You can't blame some of the smarter, "star" athletes for actually wanting to walk away with a real degree. Career options are a deciding factor in choosing a college, believe it or not!

[PlayerRep]

I think the Champions Center was "lent" a big chunk of money, like multiple millions, by the GSA, so that the project could proceed before the total was raised. I believe ongoing fundraising was to repay the GSA. Don't know what has occurred since then.

[Griz#64]

Heck, we had an indoor practice facility. It was called Adams Field house.

[tgreseth]

the fishing's good here, isn't is Badjuju?

[AZGrizFan]

i totally agree with this comment. it's nice to dream about an indoor practice facility, but the reality is that um needs money for academics. The budget isn't balanced yet, enrollment is still falling, etc. i would hope that bodner's focus isn't anywhere near athletic facilities.

I also agree with the comment. I know for a fact, some football players have dismissed the griz because of the academic reasons. Not just losing curriculum, but professors as well! Not good!

Hog wash! Like how many 1 or 2?

I guess we will see how many of the top athletes in the state end up going to UM. Might have a little to do with the recruiting style, I'm told, but that along with the decreasing curriculum doesn't bode well for the griz. You can't blame some of the smarter, "star" athletes for actually wanting to walk away with a real degree. Career options are a deciding factor in choosing a college, believe it or not!

From the UM website, this is the complete list of Bachelor's degrees offered at UM. I'm sorry, but talking about "real degrees" is disingenuous at best. There are lots and lots of "real" degrees offered at UM. Granted there's lots of fluff too, but every school has that. Hell, Bozeman State offers degrees in Interior Design, Culinary Arts, Child Development, China Studies, Horticulture, Film, Global/Multicultural Studies, Human Development, etc., etc., etc.

UM Degrees:
Anthropology
Art
Communicative Sciences and Disorders (see also Speech-Language Pathology)
Media Arts
*Teacher Preparation in Biology option
*Teacher Preparation in General Science option
Accounting
African American Studies
*Archaeology option
*Cultural and Ethnic Diversity option
*Forensic & Biological Anthropology option
*Linguistics option
*Medical Anthropology option
Applied Science
Astronomy
Biochemistry
*Health Professions option
Biology
*Cellular and Molecular Biology option
Ecology and Organismal Biology
*Field Ecology option
*Genetics and Evolution option
*Human Biological Sciences option
*Natural History option
Central and Southwest Asian Studies
Chemistry
*Environmental Chemistry option
*Forensic Chemistry option
*Pharmacology option
Classics
*Classical Civilization option
*Classical Languages option
*Latin option
Communication Studies
*Communication and Human Relationships option
*Organizational Communication option
*Rhetoric and Public Discourse option
Computational Biochemistry
Computer Science
Computer Science - Mathematical Sciences (combined degree program)
Dance
Early Childhood Education (see also Curriculum & Instruction)
East Asian Studies
Economics
Ecosystem Sciences & Restoration
*Aquatic Ecological Restoration option
*Terrestrial Ecological Restoration option
Elementary Education
English
*Creative Writing option
*English Teaching option
*Linguistics option
*Literature and the Environment option
*Literature option
Environmental Studies
Finance
Forestry
French
Geography
*Community & Environmental Planning option
*Physical Geography option
Geosciences
*Earth Science Education option
German
Health and Human Performance
*Exercise Science option
*Public & Community Health option
History
*History Education option
History - Political Science
International Business
International Field Geosciences
Japanese
Journalism (see also Environ Sci & Nat Res Journalism Masters)
Linguistics
Management and Entrepreneurship
Management Information Systems
Marketing
Mathematical Sciences - Computer Science
Mathematics
*Applied Mathematics option
*Combinatorics & Optimization option
*Mathematics Education option
*Pure Mathematics option
*Statistics option
Medical Laboratory Science
Microbiology
Music
Music Education
Native American Studies
Neuroscience
*Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience option
*Cognitive Neuroscience option
Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Philosophy
Physics
*Astronomy option
*Computational Physics option
Political Science
*American Politics option
*International Relations and Comparative Politics option
*Public Administration and Public Policy option
*Public Law option
Psychology
Resource Conservation
Russian
Social Work
Sociology
*Criminology option
*Inequality and Social Justice option
Spanish
Theatre
Musical Theatre Performance
Wildlife Biology
*Aquatic option
*Terrestrial option
Womens, Gender and Sexuality Studies

[Jaredkuehn]

i totally agree with this comment. it's nice to dream about an indoor practice facility, but the reality is that um needs money for academics. The budget isn't balanced yet, enrollment is still falling, etc. i would hope that bodner's focus isn't anywhere near athletic facilities.

I also agree with the comment. I know for a fact, some football players have dismissed the griz because of the academic reasons. Not just losing curriculum, but professors as well! Not good!

Hog wash! Like how many 1 or 2?

I guess we will see how many of the top athletes in the state end up going to UM. Might have a little to do with the recruiting style, I'm told, but that along with the decreasing curriculum doesn't bode well for the griz. You can't blame some of the smarter, "star" athletes for actually wanting to walk away with a real degree. Career options are a deciding factor in choosing a college, believe it or not!

I'm curious what you mean by a "real degree".

[SWeberCat02]

As has been mentioned, Weber's indoor facility is only 60 yards. It doesn't seem to be used a ton by the football team for practice, but it is nice to have when needed. NFL Pro Day is always held there. The field can also accommodate soccer and softball. It's located on the second floor, over an NHL size hockey rink run by Weber County. Also houses a strength and conditioning complex and an additional exercise room. Total cost was $9.2 million (completed in 2013) and the cost was shared by the University and Weber County, with 80% of the University's share coming from private donations. A $2 million dollar grant was also used from a regional parks tax. So for $34 million, you would get quite the facility. I've always been impressed with Weber's ability to raise funds and build new facilities or expand/remodel existing ones. Expansion to the football stadium will be complete by the start of the season. Some of the credit has to go to outgoing AD Bovee, but more has to go to a generous community.

https://static.weberstatesports.com/cus ... house.html

https://weberstatesports.com/news/2019/ ... h=football

https://weberstatesports.com/news/2018/ ... h=football