Shooter: Gophers admin, coaches & civic leaders heading to AZ to meet with T Denny



When do we think this will actually happen?

I mean, another false Sid Hartman story.
 


But boosters must be contributing, because the Star Tribune has learned that ground will be broken this December

Sid will have the last laugh as honored guest at the ground breaking ceremony this December...

This is why I am not worried...Shooter said December and it will be in December. The T. Denny trip was merely a courtesy call to let him know we had the money to break ground and if he wanted to be part of the leadership on this project, he needed to make a pledge. The announcement will be after the 4th of July and will include a 3 year construction plan on the whole $190 million dollar project.
 


The Secrecy is the part I don't get

UConn doesn't have a basketball practice facility. But they have a website to publicize getting one and allowing people to donate. http://www.uconnbasketballcenter.com/

Why is our facilities campaign sooooooo freakin' secretive? There is no buzz whatsoever anywhere on this topic. One throw away
line from Charlie Walters and we have a thread. We don't even know if this true but it's the closest to buzz we have.

The UConn site has a tab on the far right: "How can you help?" Wouldn't it give credibility to our project if we had a similar site?
Wouldn't it help recruiting? Isn't it possible somebody might be more encouraged to donate if we had a similar site?

I do not understand the secrecy of the campaign. What has Norwood been here? Two years or three? Whatever it is...he is still
not willing to speak publicly about facilities. He evidently put a muzzle on Nanne because there is no news source there either. Dave
Mona is a public relations business millionaire. It all just doesn't make any sense to me why this virtually never talked about...and
as a result in my opinion nothing has happened. Some people want recognition. Some people don't want recognition. But anybody
interested in this wants to feel part of something tangible. At least a website would make it seem real.
 

UConn doesn't have a basketball practice facility. But they have a website to publicize getting one and allowing people to donate. http://www.uconnbasketballcenter.com/

Why is our facilities campaign sooooooo freakin' secretive? There is no buzz whatsoever anywhere on this topic. One throw away
line from Charlie Walters and we have a thread. We don't even know if this true but it's the closest to buzz we have.

The UConn site has a tab on the far right: "How can you help?" Wouldn't it give credibility to our project if we had a similar site?
Wouldn't it help recruiting? Isn't it possible somebody might be more encouraged to donate if we had a similar site?

I do not understand the secrecy of the campaign. What has Norwood been here? Two years or three? Whatever it is...he is still
not willing to speak publicly about facilities. He evidently put a muzzle on Nanne because there is no news source there either. Dave
Mona is a public relations business millionaire. It all just doesn't make any sense to me why this virtually never talked about...and
as a result in my opinion nothing has happened. Some people want recognition. Some people don't want recognition. But anybody
interested in this wants to feel part of something tangible. At least a website would make it seem real.

There will be a public fundraising campaign when there is enough raised from the major donors to ensure that at least some form of the project will be done.

UCONN started fundraising in September 2009, and broke ground in April 2013. That's for a $35 million facility. It's ridiculous to expect a groundbreaking in December for our $190 million facility, which would be just 18(?) months after the campaign was announced. We just need to be patient.
 

There will be a public fundraising campaign when there is enough raised from the major donors to ensure that at least some form of the project will be done.

UCONN started fundraising in September 2009, and broke ground in April 2013. That's for a $35 million facility. It's ridiculous to expect a groundbreaking in December for our $190 million facility, which would be just 18(?) months after the campaign was announced. We just need to be patient.


Ugh.... I don't have the patience to wait that long... I quit.
 

There will be a public fundraising campaign when there is enough raised from the major donors to ensure that at least some form of the project will be done.

UCONN started fundraising in September 2009, and broke ground in April 2013. That's for a $35 million facility. It's ridiculous to expect a groundbreaking in December for our $190 million facility, which would be just 18(?) months after the campaign was announced. We just need to be patient.

So if we would have put up a site and got serious about public donations in 1997 we would be on year 2 of using our very nice $19 million BB practice facility that was proposed at that time? I would be fine with that.
 



Why is our facilities campaign sooooooo freakin' secretive? There is no buzz whatsoever anywhere on this topic.

Replace Teague with Maturi and practice facility with football stadium. I remember the exact same posts from 2006-08. The last step was asking the public.
 

Don't agree

Replace Teague with Maturi and practice facility with football stadium. I remember the exact same posts from 2006-08. The last step was asking the public.

Couple points: So, number one you are endorsing Maturi as an outstanding athletic director? You are suggesting his plan is unimprovable?
Just curious? ha And if you are praising Maturi...he did do a really nice job with basketball practice facility too.

My main point: I disagree they are comparable. The issue with the football stadium is that it couldn't happen without state money.
So, until that approval happened there was nothing to get excited about. This facilities upgrade plan is acknowledged as being privately funded completely from the beginning. That's a pretty significant difference in the model.

To the suggestion it's a $190 million dollars...that's the whole thing with a rowing clubhouse etc...the basketball facility is a fraction of
the total.

I don't see the football stadium and the facilities plan similar at all and I don't agree that once we got state funding that there wasn't immediately buzz with the football stadium. Just as, imo, there should have been immediate buzz moment one at the facilities plan announcement that kept building until completion versus hiding and being secretive that the idea even exists to this day. I mean does it really? What evidence is there? Some meetings? Some plans, you hear about whispered in a column versus a press release or news story. When Nanne started, he didn't express surprise at the progress to date? Since then he hasn't spoken either. A similar website could be done for a couple hundred dollars and at least verify there really is a dream, a goal, a plan, a legitimate idea versus "dunno?" about whether anyone is really working on the whole thing. I think they are but not sure ... nobody says much. Feel the momentum rising.
 

Couple points: So, number one you are endorsing Maturi as an outstanding athletic director? You are suggesting his plan is unimprovable?
Just curious? ha And if you are praising Maturi...he did do a really nice job with basketball practice facility too.

Did the stadium get built? Did the stadium open on time? Did the athletic department reach its fundraising goal on time?

Ah, the basketball practice facility. People are just lining up to donate to a facility they will never, ever, ever step foot in. It took Ohio State four years to build a basketball practice facility. They even broke it down into two phases because they couldn't find the money.

Yet somehow in this state where it took years and years and years for the Vikings and Twins to get their stadiums, the U escaped from under the Vikings' thumb and got one built first. Amazing accomplishment.

My main point: I disagree they are comparable. The issue with the football stadium is that it couldn't happen without state money.
So, until that approval happened there was nothing to get excited about. This facilities upgrade plan is acknowledged as being privately funded completely from the beginning. That's a pretty significant difference in the model.

Replace state money with corporation/huge donor money. The percentage of funding required for the stadium from the state was huge. The percentage of funding required for this project from corporation, big-time donors (those not donating through a website but through relationships cultivated by the U) is as big if not bigger.

So, until that approval happened there was nothing to get excited about.

Until lead donors/corporations are announced, naming rights are announced, targeted groundbreaking date is announced, there is nothing to get excited about.
 

UConn doesn't have a basketball practice facility. But they have a website to publicize getting one and allowing people to donate. http://www.uconnbasketballcenter.com/

Why is our facilities campaign sooooooo freakin' secretive? There is no buzz whatsoever anywhere on this topic. One throw away
line from Charlie Walters and we have a thread. We don't even know if this true but it's the closest to buzz we have.

The UConn site has a tab on the far right: "How can you help?" Wouldn't it give credibility to our project if we had a similar site?
Wouldn't it help recruiting? Isn't it possible somebody might be more encouraged to donate if we had a similar site?

I do not understand the secrecy of the campaign. What has Norwood been here? Two years or three? Whatever it is...he is still
not willing to speak publicly about facilities. He evidently put a muzzle on Nanne because there is no news source there either. Dave
Mona is a public relations business millionaire. It all just doesn't make any sense to me why this virtually never talked about...and
as a result in my opinion nothing has happened. Some people want recognition. Some people don't want recognition. But anybody
interested in this wants to feel part of something tangible. At least a website would make it seem real.

That has to be wrong. UConn won the national championship. We have long since established that basketball success is not possible without a basketball practice facility.
 



Did the stadium get built? Did the stadium open on time? Did the athletic department reach its fundraising goal on time?

Ah, the basketball practice facility. People are just lining up to donate to a facility they will never, ever, ever step foot in. It took Ohio State four years to build a basketball practice facility. They even broke it down into two phases because they couldn't find the money.

Yet somehow in this state where it took years and years and years for the Vikings and Twins to get their stadiums, the U escaped from under the Vikings' thumb and got one built first. Amazing accomplishment.



Replace state money with corporation/huge donor money. The percentage of funding required for the stadium from the state was huge. The percentage of funding required for this project from corporation, big-time donors (those not donating through a website but through relationships cultivated by the U) is as big if not bigger.



Until lead donors/corporations are announced, naming rights are announced, targeted groundbreaking date is announced, there is nothing to get excited about.[/QUOTE]

"four years" if I'm lenient, we are on year 8 and even at that it is minimum 2 years out, making ten years. Four would have been sweet.
website: why does a website have to be exclusive to those who are not being courted? Wouldn't everybody appreciate seeing some evidence the idea is real. Evidence we are really committed to doing this versus just talking about it?
I believe it's a product of the strategy that "there IS nothing to get excited about". I believe there could be plenty to be excited about: the vision, the dream, the goal, the architecture, the plans, the pictures, the passion all laid out for people to absorb and be a part of. You can set foot inside of a visual tour. You can get excited if you have something to see. If you believe it is really happening.
We have been talking, building relationships for many, many years. Let's take action!
 




Top Bottom