MIAC Facility Wars - next move

[Schnauzer]

MIAC facility wars have been going on for a while and it can probably be traced back to 1984 when Gustavus opened the original Lund Center. It was the premier sports complex for many years and only in recent times began to show its age by lacking in some areas that have grown in importance in the decades since it was opened.

It appears those lacking areas and more will be addressed 2024 (description and renderings of Lund Center renovation)...

Fundraising Underway for Lund Center Expansion Project - News

Gustavus is fundraising for an ambitious $60 million project that will expand and renovate the College's wellness and athletic facility.

news.blog.gustavus.edu

This will give the football team new locker rooms, all new weight facilities, and a full sized indoor practice facility. The only drawback is the new indoor practice facility will likely take away the view of the river valley from the home side seats in the football stadium.

It is amazing to see the differences in philosophies between local small colleges. Roughly half the MIAC is drawing a line in the sand, and St. Cloud State eliminating football completely. Meanwhile other schools are not looking back.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Now the City/Public Schools just need to put lights at the stadium so the whole community can benefit from awesome football facilities. Hopefully lights are part of the $60 million.

 

[Schnauzer]

Now the City/Public Schools just need to put lights at the stadium so the whole community can benefit from awesome football facilities. Hopefully lights are part of the $60 million.

The old Gustavus football stadium did have lights but they never added lights to the new stadium (which was built around the time of TCF Bank Stadium).

 

[BigGopher69]

Nice facilities but the schools are charging 40 to 50 thousand a year...

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Can't remember- did the 1998 tornado take down the lights at the football field? I know there was some fairly significant damage to the basketball arena.

The new stadium does look a lot better than the old field. Of course, I haven't been to a FB game at Gustavus since 1977 or 78 when I was keeping stats for Augsburg. Back in the days when Augsburg played at the old (and I mean old) Parade Stadium, which no longer exists.

Talking about facilities, the Augsburg Ice rink was built when I was a student there. Opened in - I think - 1975. that was a big deal for an MIAC school to have two indoor sheets of ice on campus.

 

[Schnauzer]

Nice facilities but the schools are charging 40 to 50 thousand a year...

Tuition is not paying for this facility.

Can't remember- did the 1998 tornado take down the lights at the football field?

The 1998 tornado basically blew out every window on campus, toppled pretty much everything that towered above the tree line, and destroyed at least one old dorm building. Yet, somehow the football lights remained standing (see photo)!

Amazing transformation since then (a new academic building has replaced the original football field but you can see the new stadium toward the back right)...

 

[MaxyJR1]

This is Gustavus saying we will compete to be the best program in the MIAC post St. Thomas. However, they are just a liberal arts college.

 

[BleedGopher]

For years (and still to this day) Gustavus has had incredible tennis facilities, better than many D1 programs. All private funded in large part by tennis coaching legend Steve Wilkinson who has done more for that campus and University than most ever will.

Where Gustavus is severely lacking though is its dorms. Crazy how they've neglected even modest updates to most of them.

Go Gustie Tennis!!

 

[Crosby]

Schnauzer, did you attend Gustavus? I have never even been on campus but the stadium looks great! Sadly, I have never even been to an MIAC game. It's a long trip for me from northern MN and my Saturdays are pretty much reserved for the Gophers. I do follow the MIAC scores, however, and will be watching to see if this turns into an athletic arms race.

 

[hungan1]

Schnauzer, did you attend Gustavus? I have never even been on campus but the stadium looks great! Sadly, I have never even been to an MIAC game. It's a long trip for me from northern MN and my Saturdays are pretty much reserved for the Gophers. I do follow the MIAC scores, however, and will be watching to see if this turns into an athletic arms race.

You should try to make it to a football game at Saint John's University Clement Outdoor Stadium at the peak of Autumn when the leaves changed colors. It is truly beautiful up there in Collegeville. It is just about 13 miles north of Saint Cloud.

 

[Panthadad2]

MIAC facility wars have been going on for a while and it can probably be traced back to 1984 when Gustavus opened the original Lund Center. It was the premier sports complex for many years and only in recent times began to show its age by lacking in some areas that have grown in importance in the decades since it was opened.

It appears those lacking areas and more will be addressed 2024 (description and renderings of Lund Center renovation)...

Fundraising Underway for Lund Center Expansion Project - News

Gustavus is fundraising for an ambitious $60 million project that will expand and renovate the College's wellness and athletic facility.

news.blog.gustavus.edu

This will give the football team new locker rooms, all new weight facilities, and a full sized indoor practice facility. The only drawback is the new indoor practice facility will likely take away the view of the river valley from the home side seats in the football stadium.

It is amazing to see the differences in philosophies between local small colleges. Roughly half the MIAC is drawing a line in the sand, and St. Cloud State eliminating football completely. Meanwhile other schools are not looking back.

Whoa. Is that an indoor full-sized turf field (permant structure) in the lower right? That would really amp up the facility wars in the MIAC. Those things are usually territory of major D1.

 

[OddStack]

Whoa. Is that an indoor full-sized turf field (permant structure) in the lower right? That would really amp up the facility wars in the MIAC. Those things are usually territory of major D1.

Georgia didn't get an indoor facility until late 2016 or early 2017.

 

[Schnauzer]

Whoa. Is that an indoor full-sized turf field (permant structure) in the lower right? That would really amp up the facility wars in the MIAC. Those things are usually territory of major D1.

Yes. 60,000 square feet. To be added on to existing sports complex.

Schnauzer, did you attend Gustavus?

Yes. I am biased but I have always felt Gustavus is the MIAC's sleeping football giant. The football comparisons of the Gusties in the MIAC and the Gophers in the B1G are quite remarkable.

 

[Winnipegopher]

I have never been down that way. Is it a nice drive/ worth a day trip from Minneapolis? Worth it to continue on to Mankato?

 

[benlaur]

This is Gustavus saying we will compete to be the best program in the MIAC post St. Thomas. However, they are just a liberal arts college.

Gustavus better be careful trying to be the best, you may not be wanted in the MIAC if you are too good.

 

[Panthadad2]

Yes. 60,000 square feet. To be added on to existing sports complex.



Yes. I am biased but I have always felt Gustavus is the MIAC's sleeping football giant. The football comparisons of the Gusties in the MIAC and the Gophers in the B1G are quite remarkable.

I've wondered if geographic competition has been holding back the Gusties in football. There are multiple schools in that neck of the woods recruiting (relatively) high academic players with one also being Lutheran. In contrast, St. John's and Concordia (strong in decades past) have had their own unique geographic markets with limited private school competition. UST, of course, has been on its own level the past few decades. The Gusties need some form of differentiation to build tradition. Maybe facilities will kick start that.

 

[Schnauzer]

I have never been down that way. Is it a nice drive/ worth a day trip from Minneapolis? Worth it to continue on to Mankato?

Apologies as I am responding to everything on this thread. St. Peter is only about 10 minutes from Mankato so any trip to St. Peter could also easily include Mankato. I have lots of ideas of things to do/see in the area so send me a PM and I can give you lots of suggestions.

 

[SJUgopher]

You should try to make it to a football game at Saint John's University Clement Outdoor Stadium at the peak of Autumn when the leaves changed colors. It is truly beautiful up there in Collegeville. It is just about 13 miles north of Saint Cloud.

Clemens was named a top 10 place to watch college football about 20 yrs ago by SI.

 

[SJUgopher]

I've wondered if geographic competition has been holding back the Gusties in football. There are multiple schools in that neck of the woods recruiting (relatively) high academic players with one also being Lutheran. In contrast, St. John's and Concordia (strong in decades past) have had their own unique geographic markets with limited private school competition. UST, of course, has been on its own level the past few decades. The Gusties need some form of differentiation to build tradition. Maybe facilities will kick start that.

UST was great for 5 years and have been overtaken by SJU again. Their overall athletic program is the best, but recently SJU has been better in the big MIAC sports - FB, basketball, baseball, and hockey.

There’s a ton of good FB up that way by St Cloud that SJU draws from. Gagliardi half-joked he thought he was gonna get Decker.

 

[UpAndUnder43]

This is off topic

UST was great for 5 years and have been overtaken by SJU again. Their overall athletic program is the best, but recently SJU has been better in the big MIAC sports - FB, basketball, baseball, and hockey.

There’s a ton of good FB up that way by St Cloud that SJU draws from. Gagliardi half-joked he thought he was gonna get Decker.

Gagliardi wasn't joking. Had Mason not offered, he would have got Decker.

 

[UpAndUnder43]

This is off-topic but excellent. And true. And interesting. And kinda sad. Helps explain the facilities race. FWIW, I saw this first hand as part of an athletic program that added football while I was there. Suddenly, 80-100 new males were on a campus struggling to attract male students. And at $25,000+ each, and renting a nearby D2 stadium to save on building one on campus, that helped fix some financial issues at the school basically over night.

Deadspin | How Division-III Colleges Profit From Football No One Watches

Deadspin | How Division-III Colleges Profit From Football No One Watches

deadspin.com

 

[Panthadad2]

This is off-topic but excellent. And true. And interesting. And kinda sad. Helps explain the facilities race. FWIW, I saw this first hand as part of an athletic program that added football while I was there. Suddenly, 80-100 new males were on a campus struggling to attract male students. And at $25,000+ each, and renting a nearby D2 stadium to save on building one on campus, that helped fix some financial issues at the school basically over night.

Deadspin | How Division-III Colleges Profit From Football No One Watches

Deadspin | How Division-III Colleges Profit From Football No One Watches

deadspin.com

College football has been a major marketing tool of colleges since inception in the late 1800s. Dave Revsine wrote an excellent book about it called "The Opening Kickoff". D1 uses it for branding/name recognition, TV revenue, ticket sales and alumni donations. D3 uses it as a tuition driver (largely males who are the vast minority at most private schools), alumni donations, and branding to a lesser extent. D2 is in a weird spot with higher costs but similar, if not worse, branding and revenue drivers as D3.

 

[UpAndUnder43]

College football has been a major marketing tool of colleges since inception in the late 1800s. Dave Revsine wrote an excellent book about it called "The Opening Kickoff". D1 uses it for branding/name recognition, TV revenue, ticket sales and alumni donations. D3 uses it as a tuition driver (largely males who are the vast minority at most private schools), alumni donations, and branding to a lesser extent. D2 is in a weird spot with higher costs but similar, if not worse, branding and revenue drivers as D3.

D2 football will cease to exist eventually. Scholarships are expensive, football programs are expensive, fans don't care, donors don't care and TV doesn't care. They'll go D1 or D3 or stop their programs entirely.

 

[4four4]

I don't know if football in it's current form will be around in 50 years. What will the next sport be to replace it with.

 

[Schnauzer]

In terms of overall athletic programs - men's and women's across the board: the conference has been completely dominated by UST (there hasn't been a men's or women's winner of the annual "all-sports" trophy other than UST since 2007). After that, it has been consistently GAC and SJU/STB in the next tier, with St. Olaf (men's) and Carleton (women's) in a distant fourth.

When looking at every full year since the turn of the century (19 seasons), in terms of placement in the all-sports standings looking at 1st through 4th place finishes in the "all sports competition" in mens and womens:

Men
1st-2nd-3rd-4th
UST 13-3-3-0
SJU 5-6-5-3
GAC 1-6-6-5
STO 0-4-5-6
Rest of conference combined 0-0-0-5

Women
1st-2nd-3rd-4th
UST 14-5-0-0
GAC 5-12-2-0
STB 0-1-11-4
STO 0-1-3-4
Carleton 0-0-2-8
Rest of conference combined 0-0-1-4

 

[Swede]

I've wondered if geographic competition has been holding back the Gusties in football. There are multiple schools in that neck of the woods recruiting (relatively) high academic players with one also being Lutheran. In contrast, St. John's and Concordia (strong in decades past) have had their own unique geographic markets with limited private school competition. UST, of course, has been on its own level the past few decades. The Gusties need some form of differentiation to build tradition. Maybe facilities will kick start that.

Gustavus is only Lutheran when soliciting aged potential donors. There isn't the same religious loyalty to schools like gustavus as for the catholic institutions.

 

[Crosby]

You should try to make it to a football game at Saint John's University Clement Outdoor Stadium at the peak of Autumn when the leaves changed colors. It is truly beautiful up there in Collegeville. It is just about 13 miles north of Saint Cloud.

Yeah, that's on the list of things to do. I'll have to look at the MIAC schedule to see when a Saturday game matches up with a Gopher Friday night game. Could make a whole weekend out of it.

 

[Crosby]

Yes. 60,000 square feet. To be added on to existing sports complex.



Yes. I am biased but I have always felt Gustavus is the MIAC's sleeping football giant. The football comparisons of the Gusties in the MIAC and the Gophers in the B1G are quite remarkable.

It's good to be biased. I like loyalty to one's school! And now that you mention it.. there are some good comparisons for the Gusties and the Gophers. Except that your Ohio State is leaving the conference. Opens a door for sure.

 

[hungan1]

Yeah, that's on the list of things to do. I'll have to look at the MIAC schedule to see when a Saturday game matches up with a Gopher Friday night game. Could make a whole weekend out of it.

When you are up there, be sure and get a loaf of that delicious Saint John's Multi-grain Bread. If you have time, and it is Autumn, take time to go for a walk on the trails through Saint John's woods. Saint John's is only about 1-1/2 hours from Crosby.

 

[hungan1]

MIAC facility wars have been going on for a while and it can probably be traced back to 1984 when Gustavus opened the original Lund Center. It was the premier sports complex for many years and only in recent times began to show its age by lacking in some areas that have grown in importance in the decades since it was opened.

It appears those lacking areas and more will be addressed 2024 (description and renderings of Lund Center renovation)...

Fundraising Underway for Lund Center Expansion Project - News

Gustavus is fundraising for an ambitious $60 million project that will expand and renovate the College's wellness and athletic facility.

news.blog.gustavus.edu

This will give the football team new locker rooms, all new weight facilities, and a full sized indoor practice facility. The only drawback is the new indoor practice facility will likely take away the view of the river valley from the home side seats in the football stadium.

It is amazing to see the differences in philosophies between local small colleges. Roughly half the MIAC is drawing a line in the sand, and St. Cloud State eliminating football completely. Meanwhile other schools are not looking back.

Good for them and for the MIAC. Part of small college life enjoyment is going to sports events and cheering for your college team. There is something different about small college sports. It is a different atmosphere in that you don't have the super large crowd and traffic jam going to a Gophers game.

If they can keep up with the expenses of building new facilities, more power to them.

Saint John's has been blessed with location and being able to invest money in renovating their buildings and athletic facilities gradually over the years. I don't think it happened all at once. Warner Palaestra has been around since the 1970s.

SJU Athletic Facilities

SJU Athletic Facilities

gojohnnies.com