Sun Bowl Stadium

[SisyphusMiner]

Kyy recently mentioned the Sun Bowl stadium showing its age.  I've heard this a number of times from various sources.  I am curious if anyone knows whether the Sun Bowl can be brought up to standard as is, or will it need to essentially be demolished and rebuilt from scratch?  I can't imagine the games anywhere else than its current location -- one of the most picturesque stadiums in the country.

[EMA884]

Yeah, that's an interesting question.  For example, I know that often times it is cheaper to demolish a high-rise office building and rebuild a new, modern building than it is to retrofit the old building with modern amenities (HVAC, clearing out asbestos, new wiring, fiber-optics, etc.).  As far as a stadium goes I am really not sure.  The process of demolishing the Sun Bowl and rebuilding it again in its current location would literally take over 2 years in my opinion.  Could the team play at Kidd Field in the interim?  I would bet that they do major updates to the Sun Bowl rather than destroy and rebuild.

[kyyote]

I think the bowl itself is just fine both above and below the concourse.  I also believe that it was built in such a way that most stuff is added to the basic structure and not built in-meaning it can be added or retrofitted fairly easily.  Except for the plumbing.  but even that I believe could be torn up and retrofitted within the basic structure.  Having said all of that, it is basically like do you fix up the old car, get new upholstery and paint, because it still runs like a tank, or do you just want one of those sexy new cars with all of the new fangled gadgets.  Stull knew there wasn't money for a new car, but a paint job worked and some sexy new rims(club box seats) would look good and show the neighbors you are trying.

[Minermojo]

If the structure is still safe then just buy it new rims. One thing it DOES need is a good cleaning and a little painting. Some areas are saturated with bird poop and needs a good power wash. The restrooms also need a good cleaning. As far as needing more toilets I think the ones already in place are adequate as I see no one having to wait like we sometimes have to do at the Don. The old Juarez type urinals in one of them is the only one that needs to be upgraded. I believe that one is on the west side below where the press box would be. Clean them for Pete's sake.

[kyyote]

Winning generates the money needed to anything wanted.  Money invested in a winning coach would pay his salary EASILY! The math is real simple. 25,000 fans x $20 a ticket=$500,000 a game.  50,000 x $20=$1,000,000 a game  Six home games equals $3 million a season.  It isn't like they have to wonder if the people would come out for it.  Price showed how much the people of El Paso would come out to see a winner.  You get some pretty good coach for 2 million bucks, tell him he has two years and anything less than a bowl game and he is gone.  Big name would generate the butts in the seats and winning games would keep them coming out.  Since that still leaves an extra million each year, you have 2 million in reserve for year three.  That year you give him a one year contract with a million bucks raise.  He is at 3 mil and you still have a million left in the bank.  If by then he is steadily putting butts in the seats and teams in bowl games, the hot ticket cand be raised in the fourth year to an average of $30 instead of $20.  That generates an additional $500,000 a game at home-meaning you have $3million a season of new money to build on the program with.

Or we could go on the cheap and get some leaping unknown for 3/4 of million bucks and cross our fingers.  I think we know which way UTEP will go.

[liebestraum]

I don’t know what you guys are complaining about.  Last time I visited the Sun Bowl, everything was fine.  UTEP even won the game.  I sat with Ky and we had a grand old time.  The bathrooms worked, too.

I say leave the Sun Bowl alone!

lieb

[kyyote]

The SB works just fine for me.  It is the football that needs to be renovated.

[SisyphusMiner]

Winning generates the money needed to anything wanted.  Money invested in a winning coach would pay his salary EASILY! The math is real simple. 25,000 fans x $20 a ticket=$500,000 a game.  50,000 x $20=$1,000,000 a game  Six home games equals $3 million a season.  It isn't like they have to wonder if the people would come out for it.  Price showed how much the people of El Paso would come out to see a winner.  You get some pretty good coach for 2 million bucks, tell him he has two years and anything less than a bowl game and he is gone.  Big name would generate the butts in the seats and winning games would keep them coming out.  Since that still leaves an extra million each year, you have 2 million in reserve for year three.  That year you give him a one year contract with a million bucks raise.  He is at 3 mil and you still have a million left in the bank.  If by then he is steadily putting butts in the seats and teams in bowl games, the hot ticket cand be raised in the fourth year to an average of $30 instead of $20.  That generates an additional $500,000 a game at home-meaning you have $3million a season of new money to build on the program with.

Or we could go on the cheap and get some leaping unknown for 3/4 of million bucks and cross our fingers.  I think we know which way UTEP will go.

That's a lot of math there big fella.  Unless you can figure out a way to clearly tie spending the money on a coach to Tier 1 it ain't gonna happen. 

Lieb, there's an exercise for your grad students...

[kyyote]

lol  Yeah, a long winded way of saying an investment in the right coach, wins, and full SB is easily doable.

[Austintacious]

The big schools charge $65 - $100 for the cheap seats. 

We need to start winning so UTEP can charge $35 - $40.  It takes money to make money. 

[SisyphusMiner]

Austin, since you have Groucho as your avatar, have you seen the movie "Horsefeathers"?
Groucho is the new president of the college and realizes the only way he can save the college is by building up the football team.  So he asks how to build a winning football team and is told to do that he needs great players.  And there are two great players that hang out at a speakeasy (bar) downtown.  So he goes to bribe them to play for his college, and mistakenly hires Chico and Harpo.  Hilarity ensues....

[EMA884]

Winning generates the money needed to anything wanted.  Money invested in a winning coach would pay his salary EASILY! The math is real simple. 25,000 fans x $20 a ticket=$500,000 a game.  50,000 x $20=$1,000,000 a game  Six home games equals $3 million a season.  It isn't like they have to wonder if the people would come out for it.  Price showed how much the people of El Paso would come out to see a winner.  You get some pretty good coach for 2 million bucks, tell him he has two years and anything less than a bowl game and he is gone.  Big name would generate the butts in the seats and winning games would keep them coming out.  Since that still leaves an extra million each year, you have 2 million in reserve for year three.  That year you give him a one year contract with a million bucks raise.  He is at 3 mil and you still have a million left in the bank.  If by then he is steadily putting butts in the seats and teams in bowl games, the hot ticket cand be raised in the fourth year to an average of $30 instead of $20.  That generates an additional $500,000 a game at home-meaning you have $3million a season of new money to build on the program with.

Or we could go on the cheap and get some leaping unknown for 3/4 of million bucks and cross our fingers.  I think we know which way UTEP will go.

Can boosters dictate what their donated money specifically goes towards within athletics?  Like for instance, could a very wealthy donor say to the university, "I specifically want my $250,000 donation this year to be contributed toward the salary for a new football coach (in addition to what the school is willing to pay) so that we can reach out to a more competitive pool of coaches."

[liebestraum]

Winning generates the money needed to anything wanted.  Money invested in a winning coach would pay his salary EASILY! The math is real simple. 25,000 fans x $20 a ticket=$500,000 a game.  50,000 x $20=$1,000,000 a game  Six home games equals $3 million a season.  It isn't like they have to wonder if the people would come out for it.  Price showed how much the people of El Paso would come out to see a winner.  You get some pretty good coach for 2 million bucks, tell him he has two years and anything less than a bowl game and he is gone.  Big name would generate the butts in the seats and winning games would keep them coming out.  Since that still leaves an extra million each year, you have 2 million in reserve for year three.  That year you give him a one year contract with a million bucks raise.  He is at 3 mil and you still have a million left in the bank.  If by then he is steadily putting butts in the seats and teams in bowl games, the hot ticket cand be raised in the fourth year to an average of $30 instead of $20.  That generates an additional $500,000 a game at home-meaning you have $3million a season of new money to build on the program with.

Or we could go on the cheap and get some leaping unknown for 3/4 of million bucks and cross our fingers.  I think we know which way UTEP will go.

Can boosters dictate what their donated money specifically goes towards within athletics?  Like for instance, could a very wealthy donor say to the university, "I specifically want my $250,000 donation this year to be contributed toward the salary for a new football coach (in addition to what the school is willing to pay) so that we can reach out to a more competitive pool of coaches."

I think the short answer is “yes.”  When I was department chair at my university, I used to get updates from university advancement telling me who had donated $XX dollars to the math department.  There would be a place on the donation form for the donor to specify where or to whom the money should go.

lieb