@d-b-cooper so what does IU need to have enough? Can things be improved? Always. Is it an emergency? No, they went 16-0 and won a title.
And the #1 portal class per On3.
I guess it was enough for that too.
And like you said of course we want to improve it over time.
@tammany I’m not against new things, there are just bigger issues that IU is behind on first. Stadium infrastructure has to be at the top of the list.
If money was no object, I’d tear down mellancamp and rebuild it with weight room, nutrition stuff where the current outdoor field is so it connects with the tunnel to the NEZ.
I was walking with a guy who is a pitching coach while touring Michigan on Sunday. He said,”The only thing going for IU athletic facilities is the equipment guy”. I had to agree with him. Everyone walking with us loves that guy.
@thehoosierhuddle this…..
IU has never done anything substantial for just football. Every upgrade has included other sports. Just walling off the weight room isn’t what I’m talking about.
@d-b-cooper Right now all upgrades needs to be revenue generating so they can do some of this stuff in the future. First priority should be to make sure Memorial Stadium can host a Playoff game without falling apart
@thehoosierhuddle true. It is pretty tough. I’m not arguing with the priorities just stating how far behind IU is. It was pretty shocking really.
It is pretty easy to say IU’s facilities are behind. Unless you have the kind of money to give to make the upgrades, or you know someone that is holding out on us then this to me is pretty disingenuous. Do you think for a minute that IU would not upgrade their football facilities if someone had the money to donate that would not effect the coaches salasries or NIL money? Come on man.@thehoosierhuddle true. It is pretty tough. I’m not arguing with the priorities just stating how far behind IU is. It was pretty shocking really.
IU is still comparatively limited in their funds and they have to make very careful decisions on where to spend the millions they get through the donation arm. I think they have by and large made good decisions. They do upgrade some things but until more big money comes in than they need for the other things they will not be able to match Michigan or Tennessee. In facilities. Just not going to happen.
@tammany I’m not against new things, there are just bigger issues that IU is behind on first. Stadium infrastructure has to be at the top of the list.
If money was no object, I’d tear down mellancamp and rebuild it with weight room, nutrition stuff where the current outdoor field is so it connects with the tunnel to the NEZ.
I'm excited to see what HOK and IU come up with for the next Memorial renovation.
@walt542 come on man…? It was just shocking how far behind. That’s all I’m saying. Then I saw that video and the comments he made. (I know it’s entertainment) but until you see the other facilities in person you might not understand. IU really did not care and it was shocking to me how far down they really are. Just to get mid level in the B1G in football facilities will be a task. The things IU overcame to do what they have done with what they have is just incredible. I don’t think incredible is even a strong enough word. I also think they had money over the years. They just chose to do something else. Cig…
I'll weight NC's many times heavier than glitzy buildings. Meatchicken would kill for our level of CFB attainment. I'm with Sam, 1st priority of $ is coaches and staff. Nothing good happens without the coaching. Ask Meatchicken if they have recollection of that?
I do think IU has a facility improvement plan, however it must take time to obtain the resources. An aspect I was thinking about, is winning football seasons and fan attendance. If we had consistently winning teams I imagine our facility upgrades would happen quicker.
Sammy has asked you 6 times what we're behind on. You just keep saying 'we're behind' and that a Michigan pitching coach, who, if it is their main guy, hasn't been here in close to a decade, says so.@thehoosierhuddle true. It is pretty tough. I’m not arguing with the priorities just stating how far behind IU is. It was pretty shocking really.
So what are we behind on that is keeping us from winning more? LOL Could we have gone 18-0 last year with better facilities? Would we have beaten Notre Dame? Would we have more guys getting drafted this year?
@gros-louis Exactly. Also, the guy wanted more money after the '24 season and we paid up. He obviously wanted more money again, with a program with good enough facilities to go 16-0 and win the National Championship, and Tennessee paid him more. Owings can say what he wants, this was about $$. Nothing wrong with that, but it is what it is.
@hoosier-clarion that’s fair but meat chicken pretty much has. Oregon on the other hand….
I suppose you can say IU didn't care about football but I do not see it that way. They had a very long legacy of bad football results dating back to the early part of last century when the other Big Ten schools would not even come to Bloomington because the roads were too difficult to travel so IU had all their B1G games on the road. The fan base was apathetic and had no interest in donating enough money to support the sport like other schools in larger cities did. If the main IU campus were in Indianapolis it would have been a different story but it is not and there was no money. It is somewhat surprising that they were able to get the money to do the end zone renovations that they did get done, while still trying to put together a decent coaching staff. They almost had it going a few times, but Hep's death and Wilson's drinking problem continued the curse.@walt542 come on man…? It was just shocking how far behind. That’s all I’m saying. Then I saw that video and the comments he made. (I know it’s entertainment) but until you see the other facilities in person you might not understand. IU really did not care and it was shocking to me how far down they really are. Just to get mid level in the B1G in football facilities will be a task. The things IU overcame to do what they have done with what they have is just incredible. I don’t think incredible is even a strong enough word. I also think they had money over the years. They just chose to do something else. Cig…
I really do not think it was because IU did not care. Of course there were some administrations that were less interested than others but the AD always tried to get FB going which had to happen before they would get the interest needed. For some unknown reason IU struck GOLD with Cignetti, and now they have a chance to generate the kind of interest it will take. The issue of course is that it also requires a huge commitment in coaches salaries, which they have done, and NIL, which they have done pretty well at. I am sure there is a plan and a lot of interest in upgrading the facilities which are far behind, but they are also balancing it with how to keep this going. Not an easy task.