Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Woodling

Woodling: Stadium pretty, imperfect

By Chuck Woodling

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Anderson complex helps KU beat preseason heat

Preseason workouts are underway for the Kansas football team, and while the Jayhawks are playing in 100 degree heat, they are able to relax afterward in their new practice facility.

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Few college football stadiums can boast as picturesque a setting as Kansas University's Memorial Stadium.

Located at the foot of Mount Oread, with green space sprawling southward up Campanile Hill, Memorial Stadium is one of the few college facilities remaining that juxtaposes football with scenery.

Nevertheless, Memorial Stadium is still the oldest campus stadium west of the Mississippi River, and it does have its drawbacks. Parking, for instance. And access roads. At KU, early arrival is a necessity, and staying late isn't a bad idea, either.

Then there is the ancient 88-year-old structure itself. Back in the mid-1990s, KU officials took a hard look at the stadium after spending more than $800,000 for waterproofing and repair of structural damage.

Hey, they said, what are we going to do with this place? The rest rooms are outmoded, the concession stands are pre-Cambrian and the concourses are mushroom habitat.

At the time, there was talk of building a brand-new stadium somewhere east on K-10 highway where the land was flat and access would be optimal from the the K.C. Metro area and, after the South Lawrence Trafficway was completed (ha!), from the west, as well.

Logical, yes. But traditionalists balked at such a move, grousing that moving football off-campus reeked of commercialism even though the only thing more commercial than football at KU is men's basketball.

Not that it mattered. KU couldn't afford to build a new stadium anyway. At the time, a bare-bones football facility would have cost at least $50 million, and KU couldn't hope to raise that kind of cash.

Still, Memorial Stadium was becoming shabbier and shabbier. With its parking and access issues, it was asking a lot to expect people to come and watch a game in a dump. So the athletic department issued $26 million in revenue bonds for a massive facelift. At the same time, a new press box with luxury suites went up, financed by the suite holders.

This was in 1999, and Kansas was poised to enter the 21st century as a major player in major-college football. That didn't happen, of course, until last fall when the Jayhawks rode a serendipity comet to a 12-1 season.

Looking at it another way, in 2007 Kansas had the best football team in the America that plays on a field surrounded by a competitive track.

Now there is talk of building a separate track facility, removing the track and making Memorial Stadium strictly a football arena. If they removed the track, they could lower the playing field and make the first 10 or so rows into premium seating, whereas now players block the view from those rows.

But can the field be lowered without causing serious drainage problems? Excessive rainwater cascading down Campanile Hill could turn Memorial Stadium into an outdoor swimming pool. But perhaps that problem could be solved.

Regardless, Memorial Stadium, squeezed into a tight urban-campus space, continues to maintain the aura of what the whole college football experience is all about.

And let's face it, what football stadium doesn't have some kind of access and parking problems?

Comments

jakejayhawk (anonymous) says...

Wouldn't be the same off campus. I, for one, will trade driving and parking convenience for the atmosphere that makes it unique. Keep it going Fighting Manginos!!

August 6, 2008 at 8:16 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

txrockchalk (anonymous) says...

"The rest rooms are outmoded, the concession stands are pre-Cambrian and the concourses are mushroom habitat."

This is being overly generous. It's amazing how much better the stadium is now than it was pre-1998.

I always like to hear the story about how the great John Wooden of UCLA coaching fame helped pour concrete at Memorial Stadium as a teenager while passing through town in 1927.

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2001/sep...

August 6, 2008 at 9:54 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

RckChalkJeff (anonymous) says...

Ive never been bothered by the access issues. We park down by Allen Fieldhouse and walk through campus. I enjoy the walk through the hills, trees and buildings.

August 6, 2008 at 10:22 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

number1jayhawker (anonymous) says...

Jeff, same here. It gets you really pumped seeing the sights on the way to the stadium. And bumping into some of the visiting crowd helps also. :-)

August 6, 2008 at 12:53 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

asauder (anonymous) says...

Awesome story txrockchalk.

Love Memorial, can't even think about them moving from there.

August 6, 2008 at 4:37 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawker85 (anonymous) says...

You know, the "K" has some pretty good drainage systems that would work here. If we lower the field, why not add real turf.

August 6, 2008 at 6:11 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

bg_duck1 (anonymous) says...

Real grass would be cool as sh!t

August 6, 2008 at 7:06 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

scramjay (anonymous) says...

Since I live too far from Lawrence and can't attend every game, part of our pregame tradition is walking from AFH parking lot up the hill enjoying the beauty of fall on campus and to the Union to shop and eat then out through the tunnel or walking down Campanile Hill, if we have tailgated, taking in all the pre-game hype which by the way is growing more and more each year. Got our tickets to the Tech and Texas game and am getting pumped for the season to begin.

With the new facilities, it is a given that Memorial will be here to stay. With KU football on the rise I'm sure Lew well be looking at improvements and possible expansion to the stadium in years to come. Nothing would be finer than to fill a 75,000+ seat stadium on game days. Please, just don't ever ruin the view looking up the hill, Lew.

August 6, 2008 at 9:09 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

njjayhawk (anonymous) says...

KU should start planning for 75,000 seats at Memorial, along with a massive, 100 foot tall bronze statue of Lew on the east side of the stadium. The statue should come first: Lew deserves the praise and recognition.

August 7, 2008 at 5:29 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

bmcmich1 (anonymous) says...

I agree with your assessment of Lew, nj, but with all due respect to him I think there is no question that the first bronze statue at Memorial should be of Don Fambrough. Lew baby would probably agree.

August 7, 2008 at 10:13 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhawkjdub (anonymous) says...

I love memorial, just like Cubs and Red Sox fans love Wrigley and Fenway. There's more tradition at those 2 ballparks, but there is still tradition at Memorial Stadium and you can't forget about that. Parking is an issue at every stadium, so we shouldn't worry about that.

I'm going to the game in Lincoln this year and I wanted to check out their parking set up. I went to their website and ALL of their lots close to the stadium are reserved for season ticket holders. We have to hop on a shuttle that is like 5 or 6 miles away from the stadium, but I don't mind. I'm just letting everyone know that's how it is at lots of places.

Keep Memorial Stadium! But more importantly, get your butts in the seats! We can't expand to 75,000 seats if we don't sell out every game by early August when we only have 50,000. Make it a tough ticket to get!

August 7, 2008 at 1:23 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jeffthejayhawk (anonymous) says...

I cannot even imagine what a cluster bleep it would be with an additional 10,000 let alone 25,000! I love the Hill, but if we ever get to a point where we need to expand more than a few thousand seats it could mean a off-campus stadium.

August 7, 2008 at 1:39 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

EvanstonReader (anonymous) says...

jhawkjdub--There is plenty of parking within 5-10 blocks of the stadium in Lincoln. Depending on what time you get there, parking ranges from free street parking (it is right by the downtown so there is quite abit of street parking) to private/publice parking that tends to be $20 or so bucks to park.

August 7, 2008 at 2:47 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

bmcmich1 (anonymous) says...

And make sure to take in just how many RVs there are in one place--you'd think that every single recreational vehicle ever made is gathering in Lincoln for that one day. It's insane...

also if you want to grab a beer before/after (or both), O street has some pretty good bars.

August 7, 2008 at 5:23 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

JBurtin (anonymous) says...

I'm not real sure what point this article is trying to make.

The stadium is old, we like it that way, and KU fans seem more than willing to deal with any minor inconveniences associated with going to a game there.

Just watch, in about 20 years schools that have built gigantic plastic stadiums with no character are suddenly going to be stuck with outdated stadiums with no charm and no history. Then they'll be wishing they hadn't torn down whatever quirky old building they had originally played their games in.

Which is cooler?

Bill Snyder family parking lot with its high school bleachers.

OR

The Castle

I know the Castle was outdated and it would be a challenge to expand something like that and use it in today's game, but the expense and challenges would be totally worth it for the charm of the old fashioned stadium.

I for one am glad that KU is not going in the direction of destroying history and replacing it with crap. I think they probably learned their lesson after destroying old Frasier.

August 7, 2008 at 5:50 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

JJHawq (anonymous) says...

Last year - even my two year old helped pull the cooler and carry bags from AFH to the stadium. That walk - sometimes hot as hell and quite a trek - is part of the experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Now when I bring up Jayhawk football - he says "are we going to walk over the big hill daddy?"...

That is the STUFF it is all about. Love the old stadium!!!

August 7, 2008 at 8:24 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Shazam (anonymous) says...

I just hope they bring back public toll parking. Being able to tailgate along memorial drive was the best game day experiences.

August 7, 2008 at 11:18 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhawkjdub (anonymous) says...

Thanks for the tips on parking at Lincoln, I guess there's some things that the internet can't help you with.

August 7, 2008 at 11:54 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kansas22 (anonymous) says...

Well said JJHawq. I can't imagine it being any other way. The walk across the beautiful campus just reminds me of how lucky I am to be a part of it all.

August 8, 2008 at 2:42 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

railer1122 (anonymous) says...

KU will not move off-campus now. Are you serious!? How much did we just spend for this facility? They can lower the field and add a couple of thousand, and possibly add some seats above the bowl seats, maybe make another level. But for now 51,000 seats is perfectly fine because we don't even really sell every game out. The Florida's, Michigan's, and USC's sell out every game no matter what game. So KU fans should pack every single game and make Memorial a tough, tough place to play. I would like to see more enthusiasm from fans, its almost too boring sometimes, with everyone sitting down and quiet too often.

August 11, 2008 at 10:39 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

sevenyearhawk (anonymous) says...

Decent article, great posts!

Jayhawks have to learn to be football fans, it won't happen over night ... but the atmosphere is improving.

Having a packed Memorial Stadium will be good for team motivation as well as a plus for recruiting.

Football is almost here ... beak 'em, Hawks!

August 12, 2008 at 8:23 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

KGphoto (anonymous) says...

Love the idea of lowering the field and adding seats closer to the players. Not so much for the extra seats, as the proximity to the players. Maybe you could even keep the track by making the new seats retractable. The Kansas Relays are a great tradition that I would hate to move. A lowered field at a track meet would be totally unique.

Whatever happens, you gotta keep it on campus. Like many have said, walking through campus on game day is priceless .

August 12, 2008 at 2:05 p.m. ( | suggest removal )