Athletic Program Needs and Wants

[achrist70]

I have seen a bunch of different ideas of what our different athletic programs need. I thought it would be nice to put it all on one list.

Here is what I would like to see, some are major projects some are simple things.

Athletic Program Wide: All teams where uniforms with our official font, and personally all teams where Nike (I think that volleyball is the only one that doesn’t). I am fine with using a script Panthers as well as the UNI and Panthers with our number as it looks fine to me on the one set of Softball uniforms. To me this is an identity thing, making us more noticeable.

Football: Complete meeting room, I have heard the holdup is the seats being stuck with the supply chain issues. I am sure this will be done by the fall, but if it not it is going to be a really bad look.

Football/Track/Softball?: Dome remodel. I included softball in this, because I do wonder if we are able to make the dome more softball friendly, if not it’s fine. I would personally like to see the capacity reduced, to make the seats nicer and meet the guidelines. I also hope that his is done right, don’t half ass this project, the Dome is the most recognizable building on campus.

Men’s and Women’s Basketball/ Volleyball?: Practice center. I don’t know if Volleyball would have access to this building or not. But this is something that needs to happen to keep us at the same level with other Valley schools. I am not sure I like the idea of it being attached to the McLeod Center. I see benefits and drawbacks to that.

Track: Resurface the outdoor track, and general upkeep of the track complex. The track complex is starting to show it’s age.

Wrestling: A plan for where this program is going to compete. We either need to completely remodel and make the West Gym safe and I would say wrestling specific. I think we could actually increase the capacity with a reconfiguration. Or we need to include them in the practice facility and make their home for meets be the McLeod Center.

Wrestling: Women’s program, being a division 1 wrestling program in a wrestling hotbed state I think we need to get ahead of this and start a program sooner rather than later. I know we may not be in a great financial state, but I think this would be something widely supported.

Softball: Continued improvements of Robinson Dresser Field. We have done a lot to have a decent field for this team to play on, and I think that this should continue. Over the last 10 or so years the softball program may actually be the most consistent. Coach Jacobs has done a great job building a program from essentially nothing.

These are just my ideas, if you disagree or see other pressing things I am totally fine with that. I also don’t know how to pay for all of these things, but I think as an athletic program these are things that need to be in the works.

[UNIpanther99]

McLeod Center:

Total audio/video update of the with center-hanging video board.

I also think it would make sense to convert sections 109 and 112 (south end corner sections) from wood benches to matching purple seat-backs. It might reduce the capacity a tiny amount, but who cares? Seatbacks are more desirable and the idea that students will ever fill all of those sections disappeared years ago. Leave the two end sections for the students and band.

[BCPanther]

In the things that need to happen tomorrow category...

New UNI themed lighting and vinyl graphics all over the south side and south windows of the McLeod Center. That would instantly make the whole complex look better and only cost a few thousand dollars.

Long term but like announced VERY soon--

The Dome has to be done. It's a death trap for older folks and those with mobility issues, somebody is going to get seriously hurt on those stairs. Time to modernize with premium seating, small suites, more amenities, resurfaced track, new turf, not to mention bathrooms and concessions.

McLeod needs all new lighting, audio/video, scoreboards, ribbon boards and a way to make it work for wrestling since the West Gym is dead. I would also transform the east deck into a true party deck.

Basketball practice facility where the abandoned softball and baseball fields sit. In a dream scenario you build a 3500 seat fieldhouse with it for wrestling, VB and WBB.

Softball deserves an on campus facility. Build it in the empty space between the (destroyed) NU Fieldhouse and track complex.

Resurface the outdoor track and put turf in the middle for soccer

[sevelev711]

These are all great ideas...We're not gonna do any of 'em, but they're great ideas.

[vbfan19]

I don't think a font is going to make the program any more "noticeable".

[BCPanther]

I don't think a font is going to make the program any more "noticeable".

Branding matters.

Why do you think everybody is so protective of their trademarks?

[UNIAlum95]

We just saw a major effort at the University level to get control of the colleges using their own logos and hence the new "UNI / College of _____" with common fonts, colors, and sizes. Carrying that over to the athletic department is the logical next step. Not that it needs to match exactly, but it needs to be consistent for primary and secondary logos, names, and fonts.

[vbfan19]

so when deciding which college or collegiate sports team y'all want to support, you compare what fonts they use?
does that take higher or lower precedence than what brand of underwear their athletes wear?

[UNIAlum95]

so when deciding which college or collegiate sports team y'all want to support, you compare what fonts they use?
does that take higher or lower precedence than what brand of underwear their athletes wear?

Point





You



I'm sure you are delight at parties. I'm sorry if you don't see the value in a University taking ownership of a consistent brand. I'm sure Michigan doesn't care what color of blue they use in the maize and blue color scheme. After all a blue is still a blue. Coke doesn't care about the font used on their beverages because after all a letter is a letter.

[sevelev711]

I'm actually gonna agree with vb to a point. I do think that our branding should be more cohesive, but I do think it should be a fairly low priority. Like if the school announced that it was going to do three and only three of the things listed here, would anyone pick the branding? Over dome-renos, practice facilities, and McLeod updates? I certainly hope not.

I'd agree that it'd be a thing to worry about, if we didn't have a bunch of other things to worry about.

[clenz]

Branding isn’t its own thing. It’s everything in that list

if you are going to reno 3 buildings and you aren’t making sure every inch of those match for branding you’re doing everything wrong.

[achrist70]

I put it on the list first because it is probably the easiest to accomplish, teams get new uniforms every year, I’ve heard football is getting them this year, much easier to change the font on a uniform then it is to renovate a 46 year old building.