Mike Thomas talks changes to the Illinois football game day experience & appearance of Memorial Stadium

Dan · Apr 16, 2012, 06:22 PM

Mike Thomas on WDWS Saturday said they're working to improve Illinois' football game day experience & the appearance of Memorial Stadium.

MT: "Our intent is to have a lot more electricity and buzz and around the stadium."

"Memorial Stadium- if you're in the new construction side [West side] we've done a really good job with our history and reflecting on our past. But when you go inside the stadium and actually watching a game, very little orange & blue, no recognition of national championships, Big Ten championships, All-Americans, you name it. So we've put together a committee to look at every facility we have..looking at it from a branding standpoint -- not only just the orange and blue -- but also how we're going to recognize our past and our present, and that's just not on the insides of the facilities, but the outsides as well."

"There's some ideas that I have for the outside of Memorial Stadium, I'm not sure they'll pass our architect review committee on campus, so I'll hold onto those for now. But I don't disagree with what you're saying Al [caller who commented about the exterior appearance of MS] I think we need to do a better job in that area and we certainly intend to."

In the future, MT indicated he's like to have a museum/Hall of Fame area at the south end when they're able to rebuild the south horseshoe.

Starts 55:50-

http://www.illinihq.com/audio/2012-0...e-4-14-12.html

AHSIllini32 · Apr 16, 2012, 08:51 PM

That's a FANTASTIC idea and I can't wait to see how we show our rich tradition inside the stadium and out.

Dan · Apr 16, 2012, 09:57 PM

Exciting stuff..so nice that the AD is talking about and (attempting to) take action in an effort to improve the program. So let's brainstorm..

The "game day experience" outside the stadium

Right now you've got the "Illini Walk" off First St to cheer on the team when they get off the bus, the Marching Illini marches around and gives a performance, I think that's it.

Improvements to the "game day experience"?
# Turn Kirby between First & Fourth into a true streetfest lined with vendors & a stage.
# Bring back Tailgreat.
# Get rid of the assigned parking spots in the Loyalty lot and find a way to fill that lot (the lot on west side next to the Grange statue). Just find a way to fill that lot, then jam more cars across the street into Lot 31 to fill that sucker..essentially allow the season ticket holders to park as close to the stadium as possible.

Recognizing Illinois football history - Interior

Photo of the West Great Hall-

via

The West Great Hall, the West Balcony, the Colonnades Club, 77 Club, essentially everything on the new west side is covered with murals and banners recognizing the history of the program.

The rest of the stadium, not so much.

Here's a photo of the East Great Hall, circa 2007-

Note at the Spring Game the East Great Hall had some Illinois football history banners added along where the ramps are location (left side of photo above), so that's a start. But the east hall, east balcony, and south horseshoe there's a ton of potential for improvements there. (Not sure about how the north end zone looks. Do students care about history?

)

Recognizing Illinois football history - In the stadium

Well since they aren't being used as ribbon boards at the moment I'd say the best place to recognize the past national championships, Big Ten championships, All-Americans, would be the edge of the balconies-

via

..and also the edge of the south horseshoe. Which are still sadly being used as tacky ad space-

via

Exterior

So much potential. Just about anything would be an improvement over what we got now.

Let's take a look. This photo was taken circa 2008, just imagine it without the tower crane and everything else is the same.

Kirby Ave-

Awful. The Kirby facade is simply terrible and uninviting, and that's the major gateway to the stadium.

Kirby Ave highlights-
# A cheap chainlink fence.
# Two small, cruddy parking lots.
# A cheap awning for the "Varsity Room" (???).
# The main storage area for the DIA's supply of tailgating garbage cans.
# A brick wall that's about to fall down.
# Trees that hide the stadium.
# A big ramp down to the field which a lot of times is wide open but you still get the sense that you'd get arrested if you ran down.

It's all so bad and terrible. I cannot stress how gawd awful this side of the stadium is...and it's the most important facade.

Possible improvements-

# Get rid of the dadgum chainlink fence. Replace it with a proper wrought iron fence, and move the fence in so to be less intimidating.
# Eliminate the awful "Varsity Room" awning. Replace it with nothing, umbrellas were invented for a reason.
# Eliminate the cruddy Varsity Room parking lot. No cars there! And no cars/motor vehicles should ever be allowed on the east & west side sidewalk next to the stadium. Including the golf carts!
# Find a new -- secluded! -- area to store the DIA's supply of tailgating garbage cans fer cryin' out loud.
# Get rid of all the trees along the north side of Kirby next to the stadium.
# The parking lot at the southwest side where the TV trailers park, well I guess that will have to stay.
# Add some sexy street-level signs welcoming visitors to Memorial Stadium. Try to keep the threats of arrest at the very bottom in very small fine print.
# From there, you've got huge areas to add big signs/banners about Illinois football. The back of the scoreboard, the edge of the south horseshoe, etc.

Along the east & west facades, lots of space to put gigantic banners promoting Illinois football.

Another thing, take down all the tree/bush thingies along the west side. Why are they there? Because there's no unified landscaping plan for Memorial Stadium. Wipe the slate clean and start over.

Nothing should be blocking the stadium like that. (And a bonus Red Grange statue photo at the bottom of this photo)-

lexwaldez · Apr 16, 2012, 10:50 PM

Who else thinks everyone from the AD's office should sit in the east end and use the restrooms there until it too is renovated?

U of I 89-05-10 · Apr 16, 2012, 11:05 PM

For all of the criticism MT gets from some crazy Illini fans (*cough*, *cough* ...... Scout board.....), he deserves ten times the praise for even THINKING about doing something like this - it's been LONG overdue. People from the C-U area (not stereotyping all, just an observed generalization that most complainers about attendance are the locals) complain and wonder why people from Chicagoland, the STL area, Peoria, Rockford, etc. don't make the trip over when we're not winning ...... how about because Memorial Stadium, a naturally beautiful and historic stadium with loads of potential (as Dan highlighted

), has seemingly made every effort possible to dull itself down over the years?!

Thank God MT is thinking big unlike the man who previously occupied his position, because that's where it starts: if we settle for the occasional BCS trip once a decade followed by sub-.500 seasons and then don't put any money into improving the stadium/gameday experience because we claim there is not enough demand to do so yet ...... well, that's a chicken and the egg problem. Illinois athletics will go nowhere but up if we start spending with the big boys, and thankfully, that is what Mike Thomas seems to have in mind. Look no further than the Zook and Weber buyouts to see how much more willing our donors are to fork over the cash now that Thomas has shown a clear desire to make Illinois a big time athletic program.

DanvIllini · Apr 17, 2012, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Get rid of the assigned parking spots in the Loyalty lot and find a way to fill that lot (the lot on west side next to the Grange statue).

My family is part of the loyalty circle and at first I thought you were crazy for suggesting this since many of the big time donors are part of this group. Thinking back though, they just recently moved us there and I personally do not park there. I use our other parking passes simply because it takes quite a while to get out of that parking lot. I don't think many of the members would be as understanding as me, but most seem to really like MT... so I could be wrong.

DanvIllini · Apr 17, 2012, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by U of I 89-05-10

People from the C-U area (not stereotyping all, just an observed generalization that most complainers about attendance are the locals)

Agreed. I am one. It personally bothers me. I'm glad that long distant alums buy season tickets in a way. It supports the school but at the same time an empty seat looks awful when I watch the replays at home.

I'm fortunate to live close and therefore attend all games(kids permitting). National relevance would bring in more people. I don't mean to stereotype (

), but Chicago-land people tend to only support teams when they play well (Even the cubs numbers dipped last year

).

I look at it as such: If you are real fan with the ability to go to games, you go. You own season tickets and go to every game. Especially if it is the school that gave you your degree.

If you are a bandwagon fan, you go to games when teams are winning. Do not buy season tickets and sit in (upper) C or the (upper) upper balcony like a bandwagon fan is supposed to.

And then if you can't afford it, thats fine. Plant that Illinois flag on the front porch and scream from home!

illynifan34 · Apr 17, 2012, 06:30 AM

Will Tom Izzo have problems with these comments in a week or so?

anonymousalcoholic · Apr 17, 2012, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan

Mike Thomas on WDWS Saturday said they're working to improve Illinois' football game day experience & the appearance of Memorial Stadium.

MT: "Our intent is to have a lot more electricity and buzz and around the stadium."

"Memorial Stadium- if you're in the new construction side [West side] we've done a really good job with our history and reflecting on our past. But when you go inside the stadium and actually watching a game, very little orange & blue, no recognition of national championships, Big Ten championships, All-Americans, you name it. So we've put together a committee to look at every facility we have..looking at it from a branding standpoint -- not only just the orange and blue -- but also how we're going to recognize our past and our present, and that's just not on the insides of the facilities, but the outsides as well."

"There's some ideas that I have for the outside of Memorial Stadium, I'm not sure they'll pass our architect review committee on campus, so I'll hold onto those for now. But I don't disagree with what you're saying Al [caller who commented about the exterior appearance of MS] I think we need to do a better job in that area and we certainly intend to."

In the future, MT indicated he's like to have a museum/Hall of Fame area at the south end when they're able to rebuild the south horseshoe.

Starts 55:50-

http://www.illinihq.com/audio/2012-0...e-4-14-12.html

this guy. . . i like this guy. . .

seriously, what a breath of fresh air, and other applicable cliches.

Oskee Mayer · Apr 17, 2012, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lexwaldez

Who else thinks everyone from the AD's office should sit in the east end and use the restrooms there until it too is renovated?

They should have to pee on that wall that passes for a trough in the horseshoe. Women too!

P.S.Thanks for the post Dan.

illinicb · Apr 17, 2012, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanvIllini

My family is part of the loyalty circle and at first I thought you were crazy for suggesting this since many of the big time donors are part of this group. Thinking back though, they just recently moved us there and I personally do not park there. I use our other parking passes simply because it takes quite a while to get out of that parking lot. I don't think many of the members would be as understanding as me, but most seem to really like MT... so I could be wrong.

First, I like that MT understands that winning is the primary driver of these things. You can't market your way to excitement. That said, there is no reason not to do both!

I appreciate your thoughts on the Loyalty Circle parking. As someone who has attended games since the 70's, I think the biggest negative change to the game day experience has been changing the parking just west of the stadium. In general, that lot no longer has the carnival atmosphere (or rarely anything close) that it once had and I think due to its proximity to the stadium it has a large impact on the game day atmosphere. The challenge is how do you entice/reward large donors without the special parking? It is somewhat of the equivalent to the "A" section issue with basketball.

doho19 · Apr 17, 2012, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by illinicb

I appreciate your thoughts on the Loyalty Circle parking. As someone who has attended games since the 70's, I think the biggest negative change to the game day experience has been changing the parking just west of the stadium. In general, that lot no longer has the carnival atmosphere (or rarely anything close) that it once had and I think due to its proximity to the stadium it has a large impact on the game day atmosphere. The challenge is how do you entice/reward large donors without the special parking? It is somewhat of the equivalent to the "A" section issue with basketball.

We used to be parked over there and now we have been in Lot 42/Blue Lot for 10 years. This is unfortunate but then you are right about the challenge... if you lower your standards for parking people over there, then there is little to no incentive for people to up their donation... I think winning solves that problem, but other than try to get more people in that lot without compromising your money in take, I wouldn't mess with parking too much.

Parking is already a pain in my ass because it never fails every game we are out there at 7 am setting up and here comes Mr. Clueless with 200 other parking spots in the lot and they pull right where we are setting up and get as close as possible, and then get out of their car and walk off to some other lot to another tailgate. :laugh:

In the stadium in addition to listing championship etc.. I would like to see the penneants of the Big Ten teams back... either acorss the top of the north end zone (but you might be putting a scoreborad there next year) OR... six on each side around the bend of the horseshoe on either side of the scoreboard down there.

Illini125 · Apr 17, 2012, 08:06 AM

Right now when you look at the exterior (and interior too, I guess) the theme of the stadium appears to be red bricks and concrete. Doing something as small as adding some orange and blue would brighten the place up and give it a stronger Illini feel.

Example, look at the Wrigley Field marquee. Famous sign, but you've got chain link fences and pedestrian ramps all around it. A few years ago all they did was toss up some big pictures of current Cubs players and it really made the front of the stadium look better.

IlliniBubba · Apr 17, 2012, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doho19

We used to be parked over there and now we have been in Lot 42/Blue Lot for 10 years. This is unfortunate but then you are right about the challenge... if you lower your standards for parking people over there, then there is little to no incentive for people to up their donation... I think winning solves that problem, but other than try to get more people in that lot without compromising your money in take, I wouldn't mess with parking too much.

Parking is already a pain in my ass because it never fails every game we are out there at 7 am setting up and here comes Mr. Clueless with 200 other parking spots in the lot and they pull right where we are setting up and get as close as possible, and then get out of their car and walk off to some other lot to another tailgate. :laugh:

I agree the parking situation needs some new ideas. I'm not exactly a big donor, so I park pretty far away, typically in the Research Park or the lot west of AH (Lot 32?). I'm fine with that, since I know others donate much more than I do. But nothing is more disheartening than leaving a crowded, rowdy tailgate lot in the Research Park and walking through the AH lots where about 1/2 the spaces are empty within 30 minutes of gametime. There should be a way to reward those of us who show up early yet still reserve some premium spots for those big donors who actually show up.

Here's my idea: Instead of the current system where each lot has an assigned number of spots (which basically ensures there will always be empty spots in certain lots), I would propose grouping lots by donor level. Basically each donor level (or maybe multiple groups) would be assigned 3 lots, but within those lots it's first come first serve. Two of the lots would be close for the big donors, but then the third might be further away for those who don't show up until gametime. Then for us smaller donors, maybe one lot is right up next to the stadium, but once those are full, the rest of us park in the Research Park or somewhere far away.

The goal is basically to get all the lots next to the stadium as full of tailgaters as possible to create more of an atmosphere surrounding the stadium. If you don't show up until gametime, you shouldn't be taking up prime tailgating real estate.

blmillini · Apr 17, 2012, 09:16 AM

It is really nice to see a guy that concentrates so much on marketing the program. I don't recall any AD ever doing that at Illinois. I'm excited about where I think MT is going to take us. It will be nice to be relevant again.

Buster · Apr 17, 2012, 09:49 AM

Get rid of the chain link fence, clean up and add some landscaping on the South end.
Add outdoor food vendors outside the West end of the stadium.

zookitup · Apr 17, 2012, 10:06 AM

I was at the Arizona State game, walked from our lot east of AH through the Loyalty Circle lot to get to the Illini Walk.

There was 1, I repeat 1, car in the parking lot with any assemblance of tailgating / activity. And it was Arizona State fans standing behind the trunk of a car having a beverage.

Embarrassing. What a waste of space. Maybe there were 6 other cars parked there, maybe.

Clemens · Apr 17, 2012, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blmillini

It is really nice to see a guy that concentrates so much on marketing the program. I don't recall any AD ever doing that at Illinois. I'm excited about where I think MT is going to take us. It will be nice to be relevant again.

Neale Stoner understood marketing. Then we hired the anti-stoner.

RenoGray80 · Apr 17, 2012, 10:21 AM

I like this new AD. He sees the whole picture. I have complained to fellow fans for years about the stadium experience. It is like MT did a press release on my ideas for improvements! I look forward to the horseshoe rebuild. Everything about that area is awful.

riffraff · Apr 17, 2012, 10:55 AM

Underground parking for big donors, beneath a carnival-like tailgating extravaganza would be ideal. Let the big donors arrive as late as they want and take an underground tunnel to the elevators. Let the people that want to come for a great gameday experience have fun right outside the stadium without giving any big donors a reason to hold back on giving. Of course, that's not cheap.

Hoppy2105 · Apr 17, 2012, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riffraff

Underground parking for big donors, beneath a carnival-like tailgating extravaganza would be ideal. Let the big donors arrive as late as they want and take an underground tunnel to the elevators. Let the people that want to come for a great gameday experience have fun right outside the stadium without giving any big donors a reason to hold back on giving. Of course, that's not cheap.

Let the big donors pay for it.

DaytonIllini · Apr 17, 2012, 11:03 AM

I'd like to see a line of life-size bronze statues of our various All-Americans. Keep Grange in his prominent spot and larger than life. The new statues could be placed amongst appropriate landscaping in various approaches to the stadium. They could be unveiled one at a team each season going forward with appropriate fanfare and education about the man during half-time of key games.

This sort of thing would tie our stars to our university. It would give our players and recruits an asperational dream they could visualize. Being immortalized is no small goal. It also ties fans to the program and gives them a sense of something more than just going to a game. They are going to an experience.

Would work well for our basketball program as well. There are 20 consensus All-Americans in Illinois history by the way. You could certainly make the case for immortalizing college football or NFL hall of fame award winners as well.

DrewD007 · Apr 17, 2012, 11:44 AM

They definitely need something for Butkus, considering he's the only other retired number. I think it might get excessive having a statue for every All-American though. Maybe those who who were consensus All-American more than one year or players who are both in College Hall of Fame and were consensus All-Americans? Hopefully we'll be able to get a museum thing in the horseshoe to address the lack of tribute we pay to past players.

Here would be the players with both consensus All-American honors and College Football Hall of Famers... (* indicates multiple Consensus All-American)

Alex Agase
Dick Butkus*
Chuck Carney
JC Caroline
Jim Grabowski
Red Grange*
Bart Macomber
Bernie Shively
David Williams*

Moe Gardner was a two time consensus All-American, not in the Hall of Fame though

IlliniBacker · Apr 17, 2012, 11:49 AM

What's the policy on alcohol in tents these days? Used to be our fraternity would have a tent with kegs in it. Good times were had by all!

Anyway...

I think everyone agrees the Loyalty Circle lot is a graveyard. That needs to be moved across first street into the grass. Honestly, I think everyone can walk across the street, right? Plus there are more trees over there... it's actually a better lot for tailgating.

They should take about the south 1/3 of the current Loyalty Circle lot up against the west side of the stadium and put up 3 orange & blue tents. Develop a plan to partner with local bars/restaurants (ie. no tent fee or rent) to sponsor the tents. Free entry to all comers. Restaurants keep revenue from food and beverage sales. Have a live band/DJ in tent. WDWS pregame broadcasting live from another. Partner with other local media/radio stations for sponsorship to get free promotion. Find out what restaurants/bars go to the Taste of Champaign in the summer. Have a mini Taste of Champaign each gameday in a row on Kirby St. off the SW corner of the stadium.

The DIA should look to do this on a break even basis. Even if they have to subsidize it the first year or two, over the long haul, the returns it would generate for attendance/gameday excitement would outweigh the short term costs.

In general, bring back the Tailgreat and party atmosphere. The DIA went too far trying to make gameday family friendly. Look, I have kids too, 6 & 8, but they don't buy tickets and they certainly aren't driving down from Chicago for an Illini game. I'm not suggesting that Illinois turn into say LSU but some middle ground as far as atmosphere goes would be nice.

IlliniKat91 · Apr 17, 2012, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IlliniBacker

In general, bring back the Tailgreat and party atmosphere. The DIA went too far trying to make gameday family friendly. Look, I have kids too, 6 & 8, but they don't buy tickets and they certainly aren't driving down from Chicago for an Illini game. I'm not suggesting that Illinois turn into say LSU but some middle ground as far as atmosphere goes would be nice.

Amen. I never experienced Tailgreat at Illinois, but I have to say there's something lacking. If they're worried about family friendly but still appealing to those without children, they should talk to the White Sox (and I say this as a Cubs fan). Tailgating on the South Side manages to be fun for everyone there (beer and bags for the adults, face painting and hot dogs for the kids) without it getting so out of control that you can't have kids around.

Also, I think you could trust certain frats to run tents. I know a few guys that were in different houses who, as college kids, knew was appropriate in front of a kid and what wasn't, and they would have had fun while keeping that in mind. It's possible.

For anyone saying it's not possible to have a kid-friendly tailgate because of alcohol, I have to ask, what are you doing taking your kid to any college/professional event then? Get over yourself.

Apr 16, 2012, 06:22 PM	#1
Dan Admin Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 26,033	Mike Thomas on WDWS Saturday said they're working to improve Illinois' football game day experience & the appearance of Memorial Stadium. MT: "Our intent is to have a lot more electricity and buzz and around the stadium." "Memorial Stadium- if you're in the new construction side [West side] we've done a really good job with our history and reflecting on our past. But when you go inside the stadium and actually watching a game, very little orange & blue, no recognition of national championships, Big Ten championships, All-Americans, you name it. So we've put together a committee to look at every facility we have..looking at it from a branding standpoint -- not only just the orange and blue -- but also how we're going to recognize our past and our present, and that's just not on the insides of the facilities, but the outsides as well." "There's some ideas that I have for the outside of Memorial Stadium, I'm not sure they'll pass our architect review committee on campus, so I'll hold onto those for now. But I don't disagree with what you're saying Al [caller who commented about the exterior appearance of MS] I think we need to do a better job in that area and we certainly intend to." In the future, MT indicated he's like to have a museum/Hall of Fame area at the south end when they're able to rebuild the south horseshoe. Starts 55:50- http://www.illinihq.com/audio/2012-0...e-4-14-12.html Last edited by Dan; Apr 16, 2012 at 06:28 PM.

Apr 16, 2012, 09:57 PM	#3
Dan Admin Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 26,033	Exciting stuff..so nice that the AD is talking about and (attempting to) take action in an effort to improve the program. So let's brainstorm.. The "game day experience" outside the stadium Right now you've got the "Illini Walk" off First St to cheer on the team when they get off the bus, the Marching Illini marches around and gives a performance, I think that's it. Improvements to the "game day experience"? # Turn Kirby between First & Fourth into a true streetfest lined with vendors & a stage. # Bring back Tailgreat. # Get rid of the assigned parking spots in the Loyalty lot and find a way to fill that lot (the lot on west side next to the Grange statue). Just find a way to fill that lot, then jam more cars across the street into Lot 31 to fill that sucker..essentially allow the season ticket holders to park as close to the stadium as possible. Recognizing Illinois football history - Interior Photo of the West Great Hall- via The West Great Hall, the West Balcony, the Colonnades Club, 77 Club, essentially everything on the new west side is covered with murals and banners recognizing the history of the program. The rest of the stadium, not so much. Here's a photo of the East Great Hall, circa 2007- Note at the Spring Game the East Great Hall had some Illinois football history banners added along where the ramps are location (left side of photo above), so that's a start. But the east hall, east balcony, and south horseshoe there's a ton of potential for improvements there. (Not sure about how the north end zone looks. Do students care about history? ) Recognizing Illinois football history - In the stadium Well since they aren't being used as ribbon boards at the moment I'd say the best place to recognize the past national championships, Big Ten championships, All-Americans, would be the edge of the balconies- via ..and also the edge of the south horseshoe. Which are still sadly being used as tacky ad space- via Exterior So much potential. Just about anything would be an improvement over what we got now. Let's take a look. This photo was taken circa 2008, just imagine it without the tower crane and everything else is the same. Kirby Ave- Awful. The Kirby facade is simply terrible and uninviting, and that's the major gateway to the stadium. Kirby Ave highlights- # A cheap chainlink fence. # Two small, cruddy parking lots. # A cheap awning for the "Varsity Room" (???). # The main storage area for the DIA's supply of tailgating garbage cans. # A brick wall that's about to fall down. # Trees that hide the stadium. # A big ramp down to the field which a lot of times is wide open but you still get the sense that you'd get arrested if you ran down. It's all so bad and terrible. I cannot stress how gawd awful this side of the stadium is...and it's the most important facade. Possible improvements- # Get rid of the dadgum chainlink fence. Replace it with a proper wrought iron fence, and move the fence in so to be less intimidating. # Eliminate the awful "Varsity Room" awning. Replace it with nothing, umbrellas were invented for a reason. # Eliminate the cruddy Varsity Room parking lot. No cars there! And no cars/motor vehicles should ever be allowed on the east & west side sidewalk next to the stadium. Including the golf carts! # Find a new -- secluded! -- area to store the DIA's supply of tailgating garbage cans fer cryin' out loud. # Get rid of all the trees along the north side of Kirby next to the stadium. # The parking lot at the southwest side where the TV trailers park, well I guess that will have to stay. # Add some sexy street-level signs welcoming visitors to Memorial Stadium. Try to keep the threats of arrest at the very bottom in very small fine print. # From there, you've got huge areas to add big signs/banners about Illinois football. The back of the scoreboard, the edge of the south horseshoe, etc. Along the east & west facades, lots of space to put gigantic banners promoting Illinois football. Another thing, take down all the tree/bush thingies along the west side. Why are they there? Because there's no unified landscaping plan for Memorial Stadium. Wipe the slate clean and start over. Nothing should be blocking the stadium like that. (And a bonus Red Grange statue photo at the bottom of this photo)- Last edited by Dan; Apr 16, 2012 at 10:06 PM.

Apr 17, 2012, 06:30 AM	#8
illynifan34 That's a winner!! Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 7,639	Will Tom Izzo have problems with these comments in a week or so? __________________ www.afsp.org In Mike I Trust Aggressive

Apr 17, 2012, 09:49 AM	#16
Buster Posts: 176	Get rid of the chain link fence, clean up and add some landscaping on the South end. Add outdoor food vendors outside the West end of the stadium. Last edited by Buster; Apr 17, 2012 at 09:53 AM.

Apr 17, 2012, 10:06 AM	#17
zookitup Posts: 20	tailgating experience I was at the Arizona State game, walked from our lot east of AH through the Loyalty Circle lot to get to the Illini Walk. There was 1, I repeat 1, car in the parking lot with any assemblance of tailgating / activity. And it was Arizona State fans standing behind the trunk of a car having a beverage. Embarrassing. What a waste of space. Maybe there were 6 other cars parked there, maybe.

Apr 16, 2012, 08:51 PM	#2
AHSIllini32 Posts: 7,077	That's a FANTASTIC idea and I can't wait to see how we show our rich tradition inside the stadium and out.

Apr 16, 2012, 10:50 PM	#4
lexwaldez Posts: 229	Who else thinks everyone from the AD's office should sit in the east end and use the restrooms there until it too is renovated?

Apr 16, 2012, 11:05 PM	#5
U of I 89-05-10 Location: Iowa City, Ia. Posts: 962	For all of the criticism MT gets from some crazy Illini fans (cough, cough ...... Scout board.....), he deserves ten times the praise for even THINKING about doing something like this - it's been LONG overdue. People from the C-U area (not stereotyping all, just an observed generalization that most complainers about attendance are the locals) complain and wonder why people from Chicagoland, the STL area, Peoria, Rockford, etc. don't make the trip over when we're not winning ...... how about because Memorial Stadium, a naturally beautiful and historic stadium with loads of potential (as Dan highlighted ), has seemingly made every effort possible to dull itself down over the years?! Thank God MT is thinking big unlike the man who previously occupied his position, because that's where it starts: if we settle for the occasional BCS trip once a decade followed by sub-.500 seasons and then don't put any money into improving the stadium/gameday experience because we claim there is not enough demand to do so yet ...... well, that's a chicken and the egg problem. Illinois athletics will go nowhere but up if we start spending with the big boys, and thankfully, that is what Mike Thomas seems to have in mind. Look no further than the Zook and Weber buyouts to see how much more willing our donors are to fork over the cash now that Thomas has shown a clear desire to make Illinois a big time athletic program.

Apr 17, 2012, 08:06 AM	#13
Illini125 Posts: 1,598	Right now when you look at the exterior (and interior too, I guess) the theme of the stadium appears to be red bricks and concrete. Doing something as small as adding some orange and blue would brighten the place up and give it a stronger Illini feel. Example, look at the Wrigley Field marquee. Famous sign, but you've got chain link fences and pedestrian ramps all around it. A few years ago all they did was toss up some big pictures of current Cubs players and it really made the front of the stadium look better.

Apr 17, 2012, 09:16 AM	#15
blmillini Location: Bloomington, IL Posts: 2,013	It is really nice to see a guy that concentrates so much on marketing the program. I don't recall any AD ever doing that at Illinois. I'm excited about where I think MT is going to take us. It will be nice to be relevant again.

Apr 17, 2012, 10:21 AM	#19
RenoGray80 King of 'Paign Location: Des Moines Posts: 32	I like this new AD. He sees the whole picture. I have complained to fellow fans for years about the stadium experience. It is like MT did a press release on my ideas for improvements! I look forward to the horseshoe rebuild. Everything about that area is awful. __________________ Go Illini!

Apr 17, 2012, 10:55 AM	#20
riffraff Location: Peoria Posts: 63	Underground parking for big donors, beneath a carnival-like tailgating extravaganza would be ideal. Let the big donors arrive as late as they want and take an underground tunnel to the elevators. Let the people that want to come for a great gameday experience have fun right outside the stadium without giving any big donors a reason to hold back on giving. Of course, that's not cheap.

Apr 17, 2012, 11:03 AM	#22
DaytonIllini Posts: 15,068	I'd like to see a line of life-size bronze statues of our various All-Americans. Keep Grange in his prominent spot and larger than life. The new statues could be placed amongst appropriate landscaping in various approaches to the stadium. They could be unveiled one at a team each season going forward with appropriate fanfare and education about the man during half-time of key games. This sort of thing would tie our stars to our university. It would give our players and recruits an asperational dream they could visualize. Being immortalized is no small goal. It also ties fans to the program and gives them a sense of something more than just going to a game. They are going to an experience. Would work well for our basketball program as well. There are 20 consensus All-Americans in Illinois history by the way. You could certainly make the case for immortalizing college football or NFL hall of fame award winners as well. __________________ No nation can preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare. -- James Madison

Apr 17, 2012, 11:44 AM	#23
DrewD007 Location: Swansea, IL Posts: 3,564	They definitely need something for Butkus, considering he's the only other retired number. I think it might get excessive having a statue for every All-American though. Maybe those who who were consensus All-American more than one year or players who are both in College Hall of Fame and were consensus All-Americans? Hopefully we'll be able to get a museum thing in the horseshoe to address the lack of tribute we pay to past players. Here would be the players with both consensus All-American honors and College Football Hall of Famers... (* indicates multiple Consensus All-American) Alex Agase Dick Butkus* Chuck Carney JC Caroline Jim Grabowski Red Grange* Bart Macomber Bernie Shively David Williams* Moe Gardner was a two time consensus All-American, not in the Hall of Fame though __________________ Follow me! http://www.twitter.com/illinidrew11 Last edited by DrewD007; Apr 17, 2012 at 11:55 AM.

Apr 17, 2012, 11:49 AM	#24
IlliniBacker Posts: 131	Tents! What's the policy on alcohol in tents these days? Used to be our fraternity would have a tent with kegs in it. Good times were had by all! Anyway... I think everyone agrees the Loyalty Circle lot is a graveyard. That needs to be moved across first street into the grass. Honestly, I think everyone can walk across the street, right? Plus there are more trees over there... it's actually a better lot for tailgating. They should take about the south 1/3 of the current Loyalty Circle lot up against the west side of the stadium and put up 3 orange & blue tents. Develop a plan to partner with local bars/restaurants (ie. no tent fee or rent) to sponsor the tents. Free entry to all comers. Restaurants keep revenue from food and beverage sales. Have a live band/DJ in tent. WDWS pregame broadcasting live from another. Partner with other local media/radio stations for sponsorship to get free promotion. Find out what restaurants/bars go to the Taste of Champaign in the summer. Have a mini Taste of Champaign each gameday in a row on Kirby St. off the SW corner of the stadium. The DIA should look to do this on a break even basis. Even if they have to subsidize it the first year or two, over the long haul, the returns it would generate for attendance/gameday excitement would outweigh the short term costs. In general, bring back the Tailgreat and party atmosphere. The DIA went too far trying to make gameday family friendly. Look, I have kids too, 6 & 8, but they don't buy tickets and they certainly aren't driving down from Chicago for an Illini game. I'm not suggesting that Illinois turn into say LSU but some middle ground as far as atmosphere goes would be nice.