FOOTBALL Q&A with with MT AD Chris Massaro
- Thread starter SpaceRaider
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About forgot about the MT being 1 of 10 NCAA programs to go to a bowl and send both men's and women's basketball teams to the NCAA Tournament this past year. Reflecting on that is pretty darn awesome especially considering how far that is from where MT was when I became a fan over 20 years ago. That kinda gets me all excited about the new sports year starting up here in a month or two.
The article touched on facilities. AD Massaro touched on a few. He even mentioned some of the things you'd expect to hear about to keep things up to date that don't necessarily break the bank....relatively speaking. MBB locker room updates & improvements. Baseball scoreboard. Some softball facilities upkeep. I'd say those are the typical type of things one might expect to hear of during the offseason for C-USA type programs. Not to minimize these sort of projects as I'm sure those price tags do add up, but it seems safe to assume that it's good to stay on top of those sort of things.
A big ticket item I would have thought I would have heard something about by now is an indoor football practice facility. It seemed to be all the talk and priority for football just a few seasons ago. I was somewhat surprised to hear of an almost cursory mention of the need for an indoor practice facility. At the same time, it really threw me for a loop when he seemed to just casually mention a football operations center of which I've only heard extremely vague rumors. Massaro mentioning an indoor practice facility and a football ops center in the same breath about left me astonished.
So, what can anyone tell me on the facilities improvements & upgrades front? Obviously, I've become way out of touch. I thought the ongoing emphasis was on funding for an indoor football practice facility. One seems needed. It was downright embarrassing a couple of months ago that on Pro day for Kevin Byard et al., MT players had to go to TSU's indoor facility due to weather. Shouldn't that have been the other way around?
Again, can anyone provide any updates and/or details on a football indoor practice facility?
Any info at all on a new football ops center would be an improvement on what I currently know which is next to nothing.
Am I reading too much into Massaro's response, or was it supposed to sound like a connection between the indoor practice facility and football ops center? It almost read like it might have been referred to as a package deal. Anyone know anything? Do share please.
A big ticket item I would have thought I would have heard something about by now is an indoor football practice facility. It seemed to be all the talk and priority for football just a few seasons ago. I was somewhat surprised to hear of an almost cursory mention of the need for an indoor practice facility. At the same time, it really threw me for a loop when he seemed to just casually mention a football operations center of which I've only heard extremely vague rumors. Massaro mentioning an indoor practice facility and a football ops center in the same breath about left me astonished.
So, what can anyone tell me on the facilities improvements & upgrades front? Obviously, I've become way out of touch. I thought the ongoing emphasis was on funding for an indoor football practice facility. One seems needed. It was downright embarrassing a couple of months ago that on Pro day for Kevin Byard et al., MT players had to go to TSU's indoor facility due to weather. Shouldn't that have been the other way around?
Again, can anyone provide any updates and/or details on a football indoor practice facility?
Any info at all on a new football ops center would be an improvement on what I currently know which is next to nothing.
Am I reading too much into Massaro's response, or was it supposed to sound like a connection between the indoor practice facility and football ops center? It almost read like it might have been referred to as a package deal. Anyone know anything? Do share please.
Price tag for both facilities greatly depends on how many bells and whistles you put in them. You could probably build a full size indoor facility (with track) for ~$5 million but it wouldn't be aesthetically pleasing.
Marshall spent $14 million on an indoor facility and an additional ~$10 million on an attached medical facility and student athletic academic center in the last 5 or so years so a full-indoor facility (with track) and football ops center would cost in the neighborhood of $25-30 million (depending on how many bells and whistles).
Optimally, the project would include an end zone football ops facility (see Louisana Tech) attached to an indoor facility with track. This would likely reduce seating at Floyd Stadium to about 28,000 and could create increased revenues if a club level overlooking the end zone was added.
Marshall spent $14 million on an indoor facility and an additional ~$10 million on an attached medical facility and student athletic academic center in the last 5 or so years so a full-indoor facility (with track) and football ops center would cost in the neighborhood of $25-30 million (depending on how many bells and whistles).
Optimally, the project would include an end zone football ops facility (see Louisana Tech) attached to an indoor facility with track. This would likely reduce seating at Floyd Stadium to about 28,000 and could create increased revenues if a club level overlooking the end zone was added.
This was the photo accompanying an article on a new master plan several months back. IIRC, #1 the indoor facility, and #4 the endzone facility. At this point I think it is just a wish list...
https://middletennessee.forums.riva...-draft-includes-renovation-to-floyd-ipf.7900/
https://middletennessee.forums.riva...-draft-includes-renovation-to-floyd-ipf.7900/
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The only vague mention I remember of this was that article on info release which had some sort of addon at the stadium which looks like a lot of other football ops centers on other campii. I'm also assuming that over by the practice field is the hoped for indoor practice facility.
On the football ops center, that graphic is the only vague mention I remember about it.
Due to costs, I would guess that they would build the indoor practice facility as soon as they could as it is much needed. I'd expect something like a football ops center afterwards once the $$$ is in place to make it happen.
That's just me spitballing.
On the football ops center, that graphic is the only vague mention I remember about it.
Due to costs, I would guess that they would build the indoor practice facility as soon as they could as it is much needed. I'd expect something like a football ops center afterwards once the $$$ is in place to make it happen.
That's just me spitballing.
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