As you know and we reported at the time, FSU made some commitments to Jimbo Fisher when he was being courted by LSU in late 2016. One of those projects Fisher wants FSU to tackle is a new Football Operations Center, similar to the one built recently at Clemson. The proposed project was confirmed to Warchant this week by FSU President John Thrasher and A.D. Stan Wilcox.
Here's the link to the main story:
At Fisher's request, FSU looks at building new Football Operations Center
As we reported in the story, this is in the initial stages, so firm plans are not in place. But President Thrasher told me he wants to get this done for Jimbo, so my hunch is it will happen in some fashion.
There obviously are some logistical hurdles to clear ... one is money, and the other is space. While Clemson spent $55 million on its new facility, I'm not sure FSU would have to match that or exceed it. If you look at the Indoor Practice Facility, FSU did that for less than $20 million, while other schools have spent much more than that. Miami is currently raising funds for its planned indoor facility, with a price tag of $34 million. So maybe FSU can do it cheaper.
If Seminole Boosters believes it can raise the money, the next big issue is space. There simply isn't a lot of room near the Moore Center. I don't think they can wipe out much more of the parking there, since there are classrooms and offices all around Doak. And there isn't much room between Doak and Howser Stadium. Then you have softball and soccer on the other side of the IPF. So I'm not sure what they could do. Maybe they could wipe out some of the parking space and add new garages. Wilcox said they are basically considering every possible option, including expanding the current Moore Center.
And as I wrote in the story, I think this will materialize quickly. Jimbo's spring booster tour will start right after spring football, so they're going to want to have a plan in place that he can pitch on the tour.
I jokingly asked Wilcox if FSU was going to look at building a big slide in its facility the way Clemson's Dabo Swinney did, and Wilcox laughed and said that wasn't in the plans: “Maybe some area where you can plant a spear," he said.
Overall, I get the impression that FSU's administration sees this as a major priority, more than as a wish-list item. So I'd be surprised if it doesn't get done one way or the other.
There's always a debate in athletics departments about spending so much money on football when other sports programs need things as well. But Thrasher and Wilcox both said that the other sports will see residuals from football's success.
“Football drives it,” Thrasher said. “So we have to give priority to that. Look, when you bring in 80,000 people into your stands six or seven times a year, it makes a difference.”
Said Wilcox: “What football does helps all the other sports as well."
If you have any questions, fire away and I'll see if I can answer them.
Here's the link to the main story:
At Fisher's request, FSU looks at building new Football Operations Center
As we reported in the story, this is in the initial stages, so firm plans are not in place. But President Thrasher told me he wants to get this done for Jimbo, so my hunch is it will happen in some fashion.
There obviously are some logistical hurdles to clear ... one is money, and the other is space. While Clemson spent $55 million on its new facility, I'm not sure FSU would have to match that or exceed it. If you look at the Indoor Practice Facility, FSU did that for less than $20 million, while other schools have spent much more than that. Miami is currently raising funds for its planned indoor facility, with a price tag of $34 million. So maybe FSU can do it cheaper.
If Seminole Boosters believes it can raise the money, the next big issue is space. There simply isn't a lot of room near the Moore Center. I don't think they can wipe out much more of the parking there, since there are classrooms and offices all around Doak. And there isn't much room between Doak and Howser Stadium. Then you have softball and soccer on the other side of the IPF. So I'm not sure what they could do. Maybe they could wipe out some of the parking space and add new garages. Wilcox said they are basically considering every possible option, including expanding the current Moore Center.
And as I wrote in the story, I think this will materialize quickly. Jimbo's spring booster tour will start right after spring football, so they're going to want to have a plan in place that he can pitch on the tour.
I jokingly asked Wilcox if FSU was going to look at building a big slide in its facility the way Clemson's Dabo Swinney did, and Wilcox laughed and said that wasn't in the plans: “Maybe some area where you can plant a spear," he said.
Overall, I get the impression that FSU's administration sees this as a major priority, more than as a wish-list item. So I'd be surprised if it doesn't get done one way or the other.
There's always a debate in athletics departments about spending so much money on football when other sports programs need things as well. But Thrasher and Wilcox both said that the other sports will see residuals from football's success.
“Football drives it,” Thrasher said. “So we have to give priority to that. Look, when you bring in 80,000 people into your stands six or seven times a year, it makes a difference.”
Said Wilcox: “What football does helps all the other sports as well."
If you have any questions, fire away and I'll see if I can answer them.
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