New University of Minnesota Football Stadium

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Sodak
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New University of Minnesota Football Stadium

Post by Sodak »

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/912505.html

Attached is a link to an update on the Gopher's new stadium to be built on campus.  A lot of money is being spent to rebuild essentially the same stadium that was demolished when the Gopher's moved into the Metrodome.
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Post by Stargazer »

...and Frank Solich is purportedly on the short list of prospects for the Gophers head coaching job. :)


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Post by the1wags »

That open end looking at the skyline is pretty sweet, but screw Minnesota. GO HAWKEYES!!!  :twisted:
StreetsOfOmaha
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

That looks GREAT.
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nebugeater
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Post by nebugeater »

There are WAY too many people in the stands for that to be a Minn. stadium.
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

I'd love to see UNO build something similar (albeit a slightly smaller scale), perhaps on south campus.
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Sodak
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Post by Sodak »

You're right, there are too many fans.  The college atmosphere up here really sucks....nothing close to Lincoln on Saturdays.  Hopefully, with the new stadium and a new coach, the college atmosphere will return.  Solich is not on the A list, from what I have heard.  They really want Tony Dungy to return to the U, since he is an alum.  Not going to happen, though.

I will pass on the renderings for the Twins' new stadium in the Minneapolis warehouse district (north of Target Center) when they are released in February.  The Minneapolis skyline will be prominently displayed in center field.  The light rail and the  Northstar commuter rail line will link at the stadium and there will be a transit station there for fans to stop off at the games.  It should be awesome.
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Post by Brad »

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:I'd love to see UNO build something similar (albeit a slightly smaller scale), perhaps on south campus.
UNO needs a new stadium to move up to D1AA.... Great Idea.  
sodak wrote:I will pass on the renderings for the Twins' new stadium in the Minneapolis warehouse district (north of Target Center) when they are released in February.  The Minneapolis skyline will be prominently displayed in center field.  The light rail and the  Northstar commuter rail line will link at the stadium and there will be a transit station there for fans to stop off at the games.  It should be awesome.
1.  They are finally going to blow up that dump called the metradome

2.  Are the vikings going to get a new stadium?
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Post by Golden Eagle »

Yes, the Vikings have a new arena. I thought the MetroDome was kind of retro.

By the way, Husker fans, here is a team that you can throw all of your titles at.
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Post by Uffda »

Yes, the Vikings have a new arena.
At this time, there is nothing in writing for a new stadium for the Vikings although they are expected to lobby for funding from the State in 2007
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Post by Golden Eagle »

I saw this two years ago, thought it was a 'go', and haven't heard anything or thought anything about it since.

http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/future/VikingsStadium.htm

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Post by Uffda »

I looked at the same page this morning
However, in November 2006 the Vikings and Anoka County parted ways and the team has officially announced their preference for a new stadium in downtown Minneapolis. The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission has now hired an urban planner to conduct a revitalization study of the east side of downtown Minneapolis. The Vikings are expected to lobby for funding from the State in 2007 to try to secure money for future construction of a retractable roof to replace the Metrodome
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Post by Sodak »

That's right.  The Vikings do not have a stadium site, but are paying for a study in downtown Minneapolis in the area around the Metrodome.  It will be a hard sell to the legislature.  Hennepin County is already paying a separate sales tax to pay the public portion of the Twins stadium and the State of Minnesota is paying for about 1/2 the cost of the Gopher's new stadium on campus ($125 million).  Any financing plan for the Vikings will require a broader sales tax spread out over the traditional 7 county metro area or perhaps the other metro counties, as well.  Hennepin County does not have the political will to fight the battle it did over the Twins stadium again.  [/b]
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Post by Scuzz »

Golden Eagle wrote:Yes, the Vikings have a new arena. I thought the MetroDome was kind of retro.

By the way, Husker fans, here is a team that you can throw all of your titles at.


I suggest you do better research on who's won the most National Championships in college football:

Minnesota = 6 (1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960) - yes, the last three-peat in major college football.
Nebraska = 5 (1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997)
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Post by Harpoon »

And with the hiring of Tim Brewster today to be their next head coach that stadium will be filled by the time it is open.
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Post by Scuzz »

Here is a link to the webcam for the stadium site:


http://128.101.28.100/view/indexFrame.shtml
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Post by Maverick »

Minnesota = 6 (1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960) - yes, the last three-peat in major college football.
Nebraska = 5 (1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997)
One big issue here is how you determine a national champion.  Prior to the consolidation into AP/Coaches poll, and now the BCS, there were multiple national champions every year.  In fact, in 1960, Minnesota technically shared the National Championship with Iowa, a fellow Big 10 member.
1960
Iowa: Berryman, Boand, Litkenhous, Sagarin
Minnesota: AP, FB News, NFF, UPI
Mississippi: Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, FW, National Championship Foundation, Williamson
Missouri: Poling
Washington: Helms

1941
Alabama: Houlgate
Minnesota: AP, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling
Texas: Berryman, Williamson

1940
Minnesota: AP, Berryman, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dickinson, Football Research, Houlgate, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation
Stanford: Helms, Poling
Tennessee: Dunkel, Williamson

1936
LSU: Williamson
Minnesota: AP, Billingsley, Dickinson, Dunkel, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling
Pittsburgh: Boand, Football Research, Houlgate

1935
LSU: Williamson*
Minnesota: Billingsley, Boand, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling
Princeton: Dunkel
Southern Methodist: Dickinson, Houlgate
TCU: Williamson*

* Note : Organization chose multiple schools.
Source:  http://www.ncaa.org/champadmin/ia_footb ... hamps.html


As for the Vikings, my hunch is that they will eventually be playing in a new stadium that will be built at the same site where the Metrodome is now.  Minneapolis doesn't want them to go to another county, the train line already runs there, and the Twins are moving out.  Plus, when the U's new stadium is done, it'll give the Vikes somewhere to play for a year while the stadium is built (much like the Bears did at Illinois when Soldier Field was torn down and rebuilt).  I know this has been discussed, and my gut tells me it'll happen in the end.
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Post by icejammer »

Maverick wrote: One big issue here is how you determine a national champion.  Prior to the consolidation into AP/Coaches poll, and now the BCS, there were multiple national champions every year.  In fact, in 1960, Minnesota technically shared the National Championship with Iowa, a fellow Big 10 member.
1960
Iowa: Berryman, Boand, Litkenhous, Sagarin
Minnesota: AP, FB News, NFF, UPI
Mississippi: Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, FW, National Championship Foundation, Williamson
Missouri: Poling
Washington: Helms
One should be careful in how these "champions" are determined.  How many of these "computer rankings" were even around in 1960?  Hmmmm, let me see.... :roll:
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Post by Big E »

Some of today's "computer" polls have been around longer than computers, but the same type of formulation has always been used.  Just because a computer is doing the math instead of a math geek doesn't make the numbers any more or less credible.  It just makes them faster.

As far as the NC awards go, also keep in mind that until the early 70s or so, one poll (AP or UPI, forget which) crowned its champion PRIOR to the bowl games.  In 1970, Nebraska split with Texas but Texas lost in the Cotton Bowl.  Could you imagine if Ohio State had been crowned this year's champ in December?  How about USC last year?

And let's not forget the insanity of the bowl tie ins for the years previous to the BCS and its initial incarnations (Bowl Alliance and some other stupid thing).  As late as 1997, #1 (Michigan) and #2 (Nebraska) could not meet in a bowl because Michigan was tied to the Rose Bowl as the Big Ten champ, prior to the Rose joining the BCS.  In previous years, national champions had been crowned simply because they were the highest ranked team to not lose their bowl.  Heck, NU played Clemson in an Orange Bowl in 1981 (I think), ranked 4th or lower with a record of 9-2-1, and would likely have been NC had they won the game.  

So, the moral to the story?  Considering NCAA 1-A football has a helluva time crowning a champion to this day, I'd put very little stock in most championships prior to the 80s.  There are a few obvious ones (71 Nebraska comes to mind) that are indisputable, but most are just a bunch of headlines trying to sell papers and sweatshirts and tickets.

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Post by icejammer »

Big E, I'm fully cognizant of which mathematical models have been around for "predicting" who would beat who - the point is they are nothing but models and not entirely reliable.  AP and UPI were around for a long time and most recognize only those two for the national champs.  As far as naming the champ prior to the bowl games - for a long time, the bowls were treated as less than a regular season game and hence why one poll chose their champ before the bowls, so I really don't think you can discount either poll for that reason alone.

Anywaaaay, the new stadium plan looks great!
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Post by RockHarbor »

I just learned they are tearing down the Metrodome, and I was wondering what the new stadium was going to look like.  So, now I know!

I've actually been up in Minneapolis-St.Paul the last few days visiting a friend.  I love the Twin Cities. Minneapolis has always had a rockin' skyline, and I got a tour of downtown St. Paul, as well as some beautiful inner city neighborhoods.  Minneapolis calls itself the "Gem of the Midwest", and I can't help but see their argument.  I'll always love my hometown, though.
I can get pushed out because I'm "too much" for some. Then, an observer of me comes suddenly swooping in to "fill my shoes." People are always more accepting of the new one, because their feathers aren't truly ruffled by them. (Yawn) I can count on it every time.
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Post by Harpoon »

Maverick wrote:
One big issue here is how you determine a national champion.  Prior to the consolidation into AP/Coaches poll, and now the BCS, there were multiple national champions every year.  In fact, in 1960, Minnesota technically shared the National Championship with Iowa, a fellow Big 10 member.
They still do have split national championships, nothing has changed. See USC and LSU in '03.

Minnesota has a strong football history, and even holds a winning record vs. the Corn... they just haven't done much since the 60's.
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Post by Maverick »

I just learned they are tearing down the Metrodome, and I was wondering what the new stadium was going to look like.  So, now I know!
WOAH!  Where did you hear that from?  Have a link?  I knew  it was being discussed, and figured it would probably happen, but I haven't seen anything official.
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Post by Maverick »

Update:

They want to tear it down, and are putting together a plan.  They are far from anything official.  The site analysis *may* be done by April 19th.

http://www.twincities.com/searchresults/ci_5451061
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Post by Scuzz »

They have the final renderings up for the stadium now... It is impressive! I can't wait to go up there for opening day.

http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle ... ID=1382763
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Post by Scuzz »

http://www.gophersports.com/PhotoAlbum. ... 1945[/img]

Two months away from the opening of the new stadium now...  It will revive Gopher Football to get the game back on campus.
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Post by Stargazer »

I didn't realize we had a thread for this... I'll be up there at least three times to watch my son march.  His apartment is just a couple of blocks away.  Say goodbye to seeing drunken, fornicating Hawkeye fans take over the Metro Dome (Josh) :) ... I was barely able to get tickets for 'band parent' day... the new stadium only seats 50,000... although it's an expandable horse shoe should the Gophers suddenly see a resurgence in fan following.  Great view of the Minneapolis skyline too.
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Post by the1wags »

That's how we get down.  :cheers:  :banana:
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Post by thenewguy »

here's one thing i didn't understand: the metrodome isn't that far from he university...obviously closer than anywhere in Iowa.  But when we went up to the game in November, i was shocked how many MN fans were replaced by hawkeye fans.  Why would moving it from the metrodome to a campus stadium make that much difference?  The fans & students should make the trek, especially when it's right there.   I'm not talking |expletive| about Minnesota because i know your son goes there, but i'd think that if it were any school.  The only problem with the metrodome for an out of town visitor is that walk from there to your hotel on the far opposite edge of downtown when it's 15* outside!! :)
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Post by Scuzz »

The Metrodump is not a place that you can create a college fanfare atmosphere.  It's a big cave and yes, not having an on-campus stadium that you call your own is a huge deal, a few reasons:
-There have been several gametimes that have had to be changed to Friday night games in the past due to The Twinkies
-They never had a recruiting lounge for recruits that visited on gamedays, so they were put into a portable tent instead
-The coach wouldn't be able to show the recruit what the stadium looks like set up for football when they came on non-game weeks because it was set up for monster truck shows or other event
-Limited tailgating options in downtown Minneapolis.

That's just a few of several reasons, but hopefully those things will help people to understand what this will mean to The U of M.
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Post by Vince Furlong »

Bring back Murray Warmath, Judge Dixon, Sandy Stephens, Carl Eller.....that might fill up the place  :)

I went to a couple games at the old stadium on campus in the late 60s while going to grad school at UM.....what was the name of that field?

"go-go-gopher it" is the only cheer I remember  :)

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Post by Scuzz »

Vince Furlong wrote:Bring back Murray Warmath, Judge Dixon, Sandy Stephens, Carl Eller.....that might fill up the place  :)

I went to a couple games at the old stadium on campus in the late 60s while going to grad school at UM.....what was the name of that field?

"go-go-gopher it" is the only cheer I remember  :)

Vince
The old stadium was "Memorial Stadium" aka The Brickhouse.  The U has actually created a wonderful new website that was released this week that chronicles old Memorial Stadium: http://brickhouse.lib.umn.edu/
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Post by Stargazer »

Night/day difference in atmosphere between the Metrodome and 'the Bank'

[youtube][/youtube]
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