ADVERTISEMENT

UNIVERSITY NEWS The Facilities Announcement

I understand the hesitation about losing seats but I think MTSU needs to realize what it is. We’re never going to be a P5 school. We can however carve out a nice G5 spot. Our stadium is too big for what we need. Realistically, 25k would be perfect. We’ve only hit that 9 times and I highly doubt that was butts in seats. I think losing some of the upper deck and adding chair backs to the home side are a couple of ways to do that. Also, we should be scheduling TSU more often. They would be an easy win and would sell tickets. Getting Memphis, Vandy and Troy on the schedule should be a priority too.


1. 30,502 Georgia Tech 9/10/11
2. 28,105 Memphis 9/12/09
3. 28,010 Troy 10/5/10
4. 27,568 Tennessee State 9/5/98
5. 27,519 Southeast Missouri 9/28/02
6. 26,717 Vanderbilt 9/2/17
7. 25,908 Minnesota 9/2/10
8. 25,766 Florida Atlantic 9/30/08
9. 25,411 Vanderbilt 10/3/15
10. 24,911 WKU 9/13/14
The chairbacks do wonders for fans from a comfort experience sitting for 3 hours.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandallThomason
I'm thinking Rick donates 500K and then signs an extension to make up for the donation.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: RaiderDeez
The chairbacks do wonders for fans from a comfort experience sitting for 3 hours.

100%. I won't buy tickets unless they are chairbacks. Or against the top row wall at Charlotte.

Even bought someone's season tickets with the attached chairbacks for the VT game. But permanent chairbacks are 100% worth it. I'd pay a premium for it no questions asked.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DisgruntledAlum
I really wasn't trying to make the reduction of seats the main or even a substantial argument. While I like idea of keeping the best capacity possible and setting big goals to meet that capacity, arguing for big capacity when MT athletics are at a depressing low is a non-starter of an argument. People will too easily assert why do we need 30,000 seats when MT can't even draw 4,000? I'm also thinking a few years down the road when hopefully MTSU is out of the the current morass. That combined with most any government institution will take years or even decades to get something back if you give it up.

Anyways, back to the more pressing matter of M&M essentially yelling squirrel at a time to get people to look elsewhere while their leadership has yielded an unmitigated disaster of a dumpster fire of MTSU athletics for all the public to see. While doing this to turn people's attention, the same problems and failures of their leadership are still on full display and in full effect. Are there any signs of accountability to suggest a real change of heart and attitude from the same attitudes that led MTSU to this sorry state in the first place?

Still painfully present are low energy, general lethargy, low expectations, no sense of urgency, little to no accountability, lack of vision, poor communication, poor fan engagement, miserable branding, and no signs of any energy or any hope of any real improvement for the two main revenue sports. So, yes, facilities are much needed and way past due, but will there be any real improvement if all other things remain the same?
 
And with Stocks donation, he has guaranteed himself to NEVER be fired. I mean how could they? It seems highly odd to me he would do this while still coaching the team. After you retire seems more logical. So either he is retiring at the end of this year, or he played his poker hand which solidified his job to eternity which maybe was in jeopardy this year.

So it’s very generous and appreciated , but his decisions will never be challenged again. if he keeps coaching, that’s not good for the program. If he steps away and helps raise more money and MT keeps baby Stock on staff, then that’s best case scenario.
 
And with Stocks donation, he has guaranteed himself to NEVER be fired. I mean how could they? It seems highly odd to me he would do this while still coaching the team. After you retire seems more logical. So either he is retiring at the end of this year, or he played his poker hand which solidified his job to eternity which maybe was in jeopardy this year.

So it’s very generous and appreciated , but his decisions will never be challenged again. if he keeps coaching, that’s not good for the program. If he steps away and helps raise more money and MT keeps baby Stock on staff, then that’s best case scenario.

yeah it’s a little weird. It makes me think he has discussed retirement with Massaro. Either end of this year or they have agreed he will coach for another year or two, but I feel like they have definitely decided on a time when he will be done
 
And with Stocks donation, he has guaranteed himself to NEVER be fired. I mean how could they? It seems highly odd to me he would do this while still coaching the team. After you retire seems more logical. So either he is retiring at the end of this year, or he played his poker hand which solidified his job to eternity which maybe was in jeopardy this year.

So it’s very generous and appreciated , but his decisions will never be challenged again. if he keeps coaching, that’s not good for the program. If he steps away and helps raise more money and MT keeps baby Stock on staff, then that’s best case scenario.
How could they? Easy! Wait for that check to clear, then show him the door. They could even give him a nice going away party at the HOF to be nice.
 
All he did in my mind was buy himself time to make it to his contract end. He knows the rumblings of using the CUSA $ to buy him out. He bought goodwill to ensure that money will be used elsewhere and he will leave on his terms.

He just looks tired though. I really don't see him going past 24. He will want to see this through and be done.

Just a hunch. Absolutely could be full of crap though.
 
Any of y’all that were around prior to MT being FBS, when they expanded Floyd’s capacity in order to meet requirements, is the aluminum product we see today the original plan? Meaning, was there more brick/chair backs, etc in the proposed design?
 
Any of y’all that were around prior to MT being FBS, when they expanded Floyd’s capacity in order to meet requirements, is the aluminum product we see today the original plan? Meaning, was there more brick/chair backs, etc in the proposed design?
IIRC, original plans called for a capacity of 36K, but estimates came back on the budget that basically cut off about 8-12 rows off the top of the upper deck in the plans. I think aluminum was always the planned material in expansion. Chair backs weren't anything more back then IIRC.
 
  • Like
Reactions: arg3b
IIRC, original plans called for a capacity of 36K, but estimates came back on the budget that basically cut off about 8-12 rows off the top of the upper deck in the plans. I think aluminum was always the planned material in expansion. Chair backs weren't anything more back then IIRC.
Remember this aluminum rendering too. Budget estimates then called for a $25,000,000 facility (in 1995 year dollars) stadium with seating for 36,000. What I remember was solution was to delete 8 rows from north end zone and 12 rows from east side of stadium. Also, there was reportedly fewer and/or smaller concourse amenities like concession stands, training/office, and restrooms. The east stadium demolition occurred the following week after Tennessee Tech game in 1996. 1997 season occurred in half of our stadium (the completed east side) with 8,800 capacity while west side was being refurbished. The final price tag was in the $27,000,000 range when finished in 1998. The main driver was maintaining the 30,000 minimum capacity for 1-A membership.
 
All he did in my mind was buy himself time to make it to his contract end. He knows the rumblings of using the CUSA $ to buy him out. He bought goodwill to ensure that money will be used elsewhere and he will leave on his terms.

He just looks tired though. I really don't see him going past 24. He will want to see this through and be done.

Just a hunch. Absolutely could be full of crap though.
He was making just over $700,000 base salary 7 years ago when he offered to forego any future bonuses for 3 years. He’s making close to a $1MM now. Just kicking those base salary numbers around, and not counting any bonuses, I backed into +/- $11.2 million using an average of $700,000 for 16 years. The average tenure for a FBS head coach is 3.8 years.
LINK: College Coach Tenure

He’s been well compensated for a long time. I think it’s great that he wants to honor his players with the donation. But it’s past time for a change. Waaay past time. Our fanbase deserves a conference title. At least one. I supported and defended him in here during 4 losing seasons in his first 6 years.
He lost me when I saw where it was headed with his staff hires in 2014-15.
I wish him well in his retirement.
 
Last edited:
He was making just over $700,000 base salary 7 years ago when he offered to forego any future bonuses for 3 years. He’s making close to a $1MM now. Just kicking those base salary numbers around, and not counting any bonuses, I backed into +/- $11.2 million using an average of $700,000 for 16 years. The average tenure for a FBS head coach is 3.8 years.
LINK: College Coach Tenure

He’s been well compensated for a long time. I think it’s great that he wants to honor his players with the donation. But it’s past time for a change. Waaay past time. Our fanbase deserves a conference title. At least one. I supported and defended him in here during 4 losing seasons in his first 6 years.
He lost me when I saw where it was headed in with his staff hires in 2014-15.
I wish him well in his retirement.

Just to clarify, he didn't buy any goodwill with me. I meant the general public and the admin.

If he told me today he was retiring, I'd shake his hand and say have fun. Wouldn't even ask him if he was sure.
 
Any of y’all that were around prior to MT being FBS, when they expanded Floyd’s capacity in order to meet requirements, is the aluminum product we see today the original plan? Meaning, was there more brick/chair backs, etc in the proposed design?
I remember there being plans for brick columns, I believe, on the outside of the stadium, but they were nixed in a cost saving effort. Similar to what happened with the baseball renovation.
 
I am not sure what Stock's motivations are, but it could just be that he is a good man that wants to give back to the university that has given him so much. There doesn't have to be an ulterior motive to it. I am also not saying there isn't, but no one can really say there is either. Sometimes this board can get a little too tinfoil hat.
 
I am not sure what Stock's motivations are, but it could just be that he is a good man that wants to give back to the university that has given him so much. There doesn't have to be an ulterior motive to it. I am also not saying there isn't, but no one can really say there is either. Sometimes this board can get a little too tinfoil hat.
This^.

Look, he may retire. He may not. Personally, I think its time for a change, but I can't deny that his donation says a lot about his character and care for his players.
 
This^.

Look, he may retire. He may not. Personally, I think its time for a change, but I can't deny that his donation says a lot about his character and care for his players.

The criticism of Stock isn't that he's not a good dude - he clearly is. He's just not anything more than a mediocre football coach.

You know, I got to thinking - Imagine an athletics program that put educating students, building character, providing a quality student athlete experience as paramount - recruiting good character kids who graduate, have their priorities in order, give back to their community, etc, etc - and they placed these priorities far above the winning games and titles. You'd love to see it! It's be as admirable and refreshing as it is noble.

Just not our team.

That probably says a lot more about me than them - but screw it, I want to see us win a championship.
 
Ummmm.....how does this quote from McPhee not set off major alarm bells?

“The importance of enhanced facilities became clear to me during the shifts in the national collegiate landscape prompted by the realignment of athletic conferences,” McPhee said. “The decision we made to remain with Conference USA aligns squarely with our desire to bring about meaningful change in our athletics campus.”

I mean, I don't even know what to say. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has known realignment is coming. It's been talked about for over a decade. But just now, he understands how important it is to take athletics seriously, after you get passed by all of your conference peers? LOL! How could you not prepare for realignment? How could you sit by idly and let others amass war chests, build beautiful facilities, deliver results on the field/hardwood, and then literally sit around while your major programs went on epicly bad losing streaks and high schools built nicer facilities than ours. Ohhhhhh, now that we are up shit creek without a paddle, Dr. McPhee wants to take things seriously......HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAH

I am truly speechless. Some of you talk about McPhee being a person installed by the state/UTK system to ruin MT/keep it in its place. I used to think it was hogwash conspiracy talk....but now....I'm actually on board with it. There's no way one man who is supposedly a well educated president of a major university can be that ****ing stupid.

No sane, logical, competent individual could sit in a position of power like that and not have the foresight and knowledge that you have to take athletics seriously and invest in them if you want to succeed at the D1/FBS level.

I cannot put into words how infuriating and depressing it has been being a fan of MT since coming to campus as a freshman student in 2003. I was hooked after my first game, where I saw FAU win on a last second 62 yard TD pass for their first ever win over a D1 program (Go figure that would be my first game, huh?). I've said it before and I will say it again, our "leaders" make it impossible to be a fan of this university. There is just so much to hate and be discontent about. And this goes way beyond your regular message board bellyaching where people are mad about offensive play calling or whatever. This is flat out incompetence at the highest levels of our administration and leadership and it's been going on for decades. These are people that are supposed to be on our side and working for the betterment of our university/athletics but instead are actually sabotaging it. And it's been allowed to flourish for decades....It makes all the caring and effort and investment feel so futile. They have destroyed athletics and the soul of our university, and I suspect they are too ignorant and surrounded by too much groupthink to grasp it all.

My only hope at this point is that, god willing, I will out live these ****ing leeches.
Does McPhee actually think we will allow him to get away with the .... it dawned on me that we needed better facilities comment? I mean reallyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????

The enthusiasm for this program used to be on fire and HE ruined it. He is the reason we are one of the leftovers....period!!!!! I CANT BELIEVE HE STILL HAS A JOB!!
 
Does McPhee actually think we will allow him to get away with the .... it dawned on me that we needed better facilities comment? I mean reallyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????

The enthusiasm for this program used to be on fire and HE ruined it. He is the reason we are one of the leftovers....period!!!!! I CANT BELIEVE HE STILL HAS A JOB!!
As long as 7wood is here I a very leery of everything. He should have been gone a long time ago. Until he is gone I have little to no faith in the program no matter who else gets fired/hired.
 
Mark Richt gave UM a million the year before the wheels feel off
As someone stated earlier, Richt was a former Miami player and graduate of the school.

Some Memphis folks still like to applaud Tommy West for his post firing public rant admonishing school admins “to put something in it (football) or do away with it! I put in 9 years here, hard years!”
That said, he still raked in another $2.75MM @ $925,000 a year with no offset or active job search requirement. How those remaining three years were disbursed is a whole different discussion that I won’t get into here but to my knowledge I don’t believe he ever donated to Tiger Athletics.

And never won a CUSA title.
 
Good graduation rates, acceptable APRs and winning consistently are not mutually exclusive if you hire hungry young assistants who will actually work at recruiting. Let that marinate.

Yep, but that would require work and effort in athletics.

Nothing about McPhee, Massaro, or Stockstill screams effort, work, or any of the qualities needed to have both a high achievement athletics program with championship caliber athletic success.
 
The criticism of Stock isn't that he's not a good dude - he clearly is. He's just not anything more than a mediocre football coach.

You know, I got to thinking - Imagine an athletics program that put educating students, building character, providing a quality student athlete experience as paramount - recruiting good character kids who graduate, have their priorities in order, give back to their community, etc, etc - and they placed these priorities far above the winning games and titles. You'd love to see it! It's be as admirable and refreshing as it is noble.

Just not our team.

That probably says a lot more about me than them - but screw it, I want to see us win a championship.
That's the frustrating thing. He's a good man. He's a man of character. He loves his players.

At this point - 16 years in - Stockstill is who he is. He's a .500 coach. He's gonna lose a game he shouldn't lose every year. And he's gonna win one game he shouldn't win every year.

But if McPhee & Massaro really believe what they said during the facility announcement, they'd move on.
 
Yep, but that would require work and effort in athletics.

Nothing about McPhee, Massaro, or Stockstill screams effort, work, or any of the qualities needed to have both a high achievement athletics program with championship caliber athletic success.
Maybe you haven't heard of a little thing associated with MT football called #EAT.T. Wait, or is it #EAT T.? Maybe #EATT.?
 
  • Haha
Reactions: RaiderDeez
A lot of talk and excitement around infrastructure. I’m cynical about the whole thing but if they bring down some aluminum stands, they should melt it down to a commemorative beer can and sell a special blue raider beer.

I still have a piece of Murphy center’s original basketball floor when they sold that for memorabilia.
 
The picture is worth a thousand words. That’s all I’m gonna say and I’ll gladly give and participate again when there is REAL change. I just don’t see it…..yet.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Predarat
A lot of talk and excitement around infrastructure. I’m cynical about the whole thing but if they bring down some aluminum stands, they should melt it down to a commemorative beer can and sell a special blue raider beer.

I still have a piece of Murphy center’s original basketball floor when they sold that for memorabilia.

That is a freaking awesome idea.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MTSUSkyman
Steven Smith states that MT is the #1 ranked public school in the nation for graduating athletes.
That’s great. But, if we plan to pay for all these facilities upgrades, the BOT better figure out a way to charge for admission to graduation ceremonies because that’s the only time Murphy Center has been a full house in over 3 years. “Winning” fills stadiums and arenas and sells Blue Raider Brats.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT