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NFL's Benson and Glazer funding new Tulane Stadium
http://www.fox8live.com/news/local/s...dWQNrJcsg.cspx
FOX 8 News has learned that a deal for a new on-campus stadium at Tulane University is in the works.
The money is being largely funded by the Benson family and the Glazer family, which owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
According to our source, an official announcement is being set for some time next month as details are finalized.
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Why would the Glazers fund this? Any of them graduate from Tulane?
Glazer daughter goes to Tulane
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ORLY? Is she attractive?!? Daddy needs a new Corvette!
Here's the daughter:
Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, she has no Tulane ties: http://www.glazerfamilyfoundation.or...azer-kassewitz
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One of his sons, Avie, and his wife Jill (pic of the "lovely" couple below), have Tulane ties, but no idea if children attend Tulane.
http://www.glazerfamilyfoundation.or...ly/avie-glazer
Glazer and Jill support numerous causes, including the Cleveland Clinic, Tulane University....
Avie and his wife Jill are both on the Board and Jill attended Tulane.
http://tulane.edu/giving/news/glazer...-dedicated.cfm
A large contingent of Tulane University supporters turned out in force to dedicate the Glazer Gardens and Bocce Court and Newcomb Pottery Garden in memory of Judith and Morris R. Henkin, the parents of Tulane board member Jill Henkin Glazer (NC ’85). Jill Glazer and her husband, Avie, who serves on the President’s Council, donated the gardens in support of a broader beautification initiative for the university’s uptown campus.
I totally disagree with this idea from Tulane. They're better off staying in the dome and building an indoor practice facility. I know attendance stinks now, but if they hire a good coach and start winning, attendance will rise at least to 30,000 and probably more. Plus, the Dome can be used as a recruiting tool. Playing in a small OCS will permanently relegate Tulane to second class status, which they do deserve right now for the ineptitude from their AD and president over the last 10 years.
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Sorry, disagree completely. Students do not want to travel to a stadium off campus and sit in emptiness even if they get to 30,000. A stadium on campus is much more appealing to the student body and school spirit. Hopefully it is built like most stadiums, with the potential to be expanded in the future if needed.Originally Posted by Hornets78
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Agreed. And the reality is Tulane will never shake off its 'second class' status. That would require a move back to the SEC or another major BCS conference (and not one dying/on its way out/that craptacular megaconference they're thinking of making). Not only will an on campus stadium attract more students but it will also possibly attract more Uptown/Broadmoor area residents who can't be bothered to go downtown to see Tulane get their butts handed to them by Houston. An Uptown stadium could even attract foot traffic depending on when games are scheduled.
It's the right move. Tulane will never be a major program so they need to focus on being the best mid-tier program they can: posting consistent winning records and going to some decent mid tier bowls as a reward for the players and a financial bonus to the institution.
Students at Tulane don't even care about athletics. Attendance will stink on a OCS. Plus there's no where to build a stadium and parking will be a nightmare. It's a waste of money and just another incompetent idea from an incompetent administration and athletic director. Tulane students don't deserve an on campus stadium. They don't support anything.
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It's a chicken versus egg argument. You have to start somewhere. Making an on campus stadium will lead to greater student attendance/support. As far as wasting money, it's Benson/Glazer money so who cares? Not like they have a shortage of it.
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People are going to go to the games if Tulane plays on campus. Students will be able to stumble from the dorms to the games, there will be a band leading the kids into the stadium, it will be a real expirence for college football. With only 30,000 seats to fill, Tulane will create a demand for tickets and when the UTs of the world come to town, they will move the games to the dome.
Right now the dome is a bad place for Tulane to play games. Too big, too far away from campus, blah blah blah. I cant wait to see an on campus stadium for Tulane, mainly because I am so tired of hearing old Tulane fans tell me how great it was.
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I also imagine they will net more revenue in ticket sales, etc. as they don't have to pay a cut (or all of it?) to the state/Dome. I'm sure the new OCS will have a decent share of suites, too, that local business will buy into.
Parking was a nightmare with 70,000+ seat Tulane Stadium.
If the school is going to commit to a new stadium, I'd suspect they'd commit to the football program, which would bring better support from students and alum. Students will attend games on campus - not so much at the Dome.
I still don't think students will attend games even on campus, especially if the team continues to struggle. SMU built an on campus stadium 10 years ago and it didn't help the program with wins or even current attendance. When they finally hired a winning coach 3 years ago, it was too late. They only fill half of a 32K stadium.
Besides, I think Benson is just trying to get rid of Tulane out of the Dome.
Finally, there are only about 10K students at Tulane. They won't fill the stadium by themselves.
Would never be accused of being a Tulane fan, but it's a great move for their program.
Build a smaller, more intimate stadium on campus. Whether the students or the alumni come out initially is not the driving factor.
Control is.
In the Dome, Tulane is a tenant. They get no share of concession or parking revenue. None. Zip. With anemic attendance, they can't possibly net out a gain after paying whatever rent they have to pay to the Dome for each game.
So, if they can raise the funds to build a high class, smaller stadium on their campus, it's a win for them right out of the box.
Will the students attend? Tulane is not a commuter school. 90% of the students live on campus or within walking, biking or streetcar distance.
That fact alone improves the odds that more will go if the stadium is also within walking, biking or streetcar distance.
And if the venue is done well, the atmosphere at games will improve. The atmosphere at Tulane games in the Superdome is nonexistent. It's a cavernous stadium and there is just no excitement generated.
With a stadium on campus, Tulane can ressurect old gameday traditions or start new ones.
They'll get a bump initially, but then it will subside, depending on the product on the field.
However, it's definitely a good idea that will provide a big boost for Tulane.
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Or rebuild houses.
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half filling a 30K stadium trumps filling 1/7 of a 70k stadium everytime. perception and accessibility is everything. its a no brainer and easy decision for tulane.
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Seriously. What was attendance like for Tulane games last few years? Terrible, I'm sure. The OCS will only help. And again, it's not just about students. If I live in Uptown, Broadmoor, Mid City, or even the Lakefront it's a lot less of a hassle to get to Uptown than it is Downtown. Pretty sure they aren't stupid and a sizable parking lot (potentially multi story like the one by the Reilly center) is part of the plans.
Last edited by Unknown Poster; 11-17-2011 at 04:54 PM.
Yeah, they are. The president and AD have run the school academically and athletically into the ground. That's why I'm skeptical of this decision because they've screwed up so many other things. I think they're using the stadium as a distraction from their past failures.
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so what does that say about the people who donated the money to make this happen? should tulane just stay in the superdome? what are the other alternatives?
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Tulane has been run into the ground academically? Not that I keep track of the rankings but aren't they still pretty high?
I believe they've fallen from the 20s into the 50s now.
It's a good question. Alot of the fans/alumni I talk to would rather use the money to build an indoor practice facility for the football program, hire the best possible coach, and increase the recruiting budget. They feel that fans would come back to the Superdome once the program started to win and that the Superdome is still a good recruiting tool especially now with the renovations. Also, they feel that Tulane could regain the interest of the city in general which would increase attendance. Attendance will be difficult in C-USA, but hiring someone like Rich Rodriguez would help, especially if the team did win consistently. The team does need to schedule better out of conference opponents to help fill the Dome, but that will only occur once the team starts to win.
Contributor
Ah, I never thought Tulane ever cracked the top twenty. But again it's been well over a decade and a half since I looked at university rankings.
Tulane was never that high. They have been the bottom to middle tier 2 school in academics. Their recent gains were eroded by reaction to their post-Katrina measures, at least some of them.
They may be on the way up, and they may have had some wild fluctuations within a discipline or two, but they were never regarded as a top tier school.
I wish they were, but it just isn't so, and never was.
They were in the 20s in the past according to rankings. Not recently, but long before.
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