Collegiate Stadiums

NCAA FBS College Football Stadiums, Attendance, Stats, History & Travel Blog

Tag Archives: Oklahoma State

Daily Huddle 4-22-12

Today’s daily huddle will be all photos and videos since I worked 18 hours yesterday and 14 hours today.

A photo of the 2011 Michigan State team ring

A photo of the 2011 Michigan State team ring

 

Georgia Tech showing of their beat up field before the spring game

Paul "Bear" Bryant at General Robert Neyland's funeral

2012 Penn State spring game crowd

2012 Arkansas spring game crowd

2012 Kentucky spring game crowd

2012 NC State spring game crowd

2012 Ohio State spring game crowd

2012 Ole Miss spring game crowd

2012 Syracuse spring game crowd

2012 Washington State spring game crowd

Not much to say here, it's Trooper Taylor in a fireman's hat

A photo of Bryant-Denny Stadium from an Army helicopter

And finally, Brandon Weeden destroying clay pigeons with a football. Personally, I can’t do that with a shotgun, let alone a football!

[ring photos via @MSU_Football]

[Grant Field photo via @GeorgiaTech]

[Bear Bryant photo via @LinkVol]

[Penn State photo via @KevinOnCFB]

[all other crowd photos via @SPORTSbyBROOKS]

[Weeden video via @pistolsguy]

[Bryant-Denny photo via @marctorrence]

Mike Gundy Wins Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award

Here is the full release of the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award won by Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy.

 

OKLAHOMA STATE’S GUNDY
WINS 2011 EDDIE ROBINSON AWARD
DALLAS (FWAA) – Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has been named the winner of the 2011 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. The award, presented by the Fiesta Bowl, is selected by the members of the 1,200-member strong Football Writers Association of America.Gundy, a finalist for the award a year ago, is the first Oklahoma State coach to win the FWAA’s coach of the year award and was selected in an association-wide vote from five finalists, including Michigan’s Brady Hoke, LSU’s Les Miles, Kansas State’s Bill Snyder and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. Gundy is the third coach from the Big 12 Conference to win the award in the last 12 years.

The official presentation of the Eddie Robinson bust to Gundy will be at a reception on Jan. 8, 2012, at 5:30 p.m. at Cochon in the New Orleans Warehouse District. ESPN’s Mark May will host the event. Eddie Robinson Jr., officials from the Fiesta Bowl, the FWAA and the Eddie Robinson Museum will be in attendance.

“What an honor to be recognized with the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award,” Gundy said. “We’ve had a tremendous year at Oklahoma State, winning the Big 12 and earning our first-ever trip to a BCS bowl. It’s a testament to our players and our coaching staff that we are in the position that we are in. I want to thank the Football Writers Association of America for recognizing our team in this way.”

Gundy led the Cowboys to their first outright conference title since 1948, when the school was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Cowboys (11-1) won their first 10 games before they suffered an upset loss in overtime at Iowa State. But they rebounded with a decisive 44-10 season-ending victory over arch-rival Oklahoma to win the undisputed Big 12 title and earn the school’s first berth in a BCS bowl game.

“Mike Gundy has earned this honor by inspiring excellence in his players. He led Oklahoma State to an 11-1 record in one of the nation’s toughest conferences, and he did it with an entertaining style of play that captured the nation’s attention,” said Robert Shelton, the Fiesta Bowl Executive Director. “The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl is thrilled to match the Cowboys against the Stanford Cardinal in the highest-rated non-championship BCS bowl this year.”

The Cowboys are one of the most explosive teams in college football this year, ranking second in the country in points per game (49.3), second in the country in passing offense (386.2 yards) and third in the country in total offense (557.0 yards).

“Coach Gundy is a very worthy winner of the Eddie Robinson Award this season,” said Tommy Hicks, 2011 FWAA president. “The Cowboys were one of college football’s most exciting offensive teams and came within an overtime loss of making the national title game. Oklahoma State has risen to national prominence under Coach Gundy.”

Gundy, 44, become Oklahoma State’s head football coach in 2005, when he succeeded Les Miles. He has compiled a 58-30 overall record in seven seasons. The third-ranked Cowboys are in their sixth straight bowl game under Gundy – the longest postseason streak in school history.

Gundy played quarterback at Oklahoma State from 1986-89 under coach Pat Jones and starred on teams that included Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders and standout running back Thurman Thomas. Gundy has been a part of four of Oklahoma State’s five 10-victory seasons in its history as either a player or coach.

“The Robinson Family is very pleased to honor another outstanding coach,” said Eddie Robinson Jr., the late coach’s son. “Over the years, the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award has gone to the ‘Who’s Who’ of the coaching profession. My father would be very proud to welcome coach Mike Gundy into that fraternity of coaches.”

The FWAA has honored a major-college coach with its Coach of the Year Award since 1957. In 1997, the FWAA coaching award was named after Eddie Robinson, the coaching legend at Grambling State University for 55 years. The late “Coach Rob” is the second winningest coach in Division I history (408 games).

Robinson, who passed away on April 3, 2007, won 70.7 percent of his games during his illustrious career. Robinson’s teams won or tied for 17 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championships after joining the league in 1959. His Tigers claimed nine Black College Football Championships during his career spent all at the same school.

Robinson was named by the FWAA in 1966 as “The Coach Who Made the Biggest Contribution to College Football in the Past 25 Years.” He often took his show on the road to places such as the Louisiana Superdome, the Cotton Bowl, the Astrodome, Tiger Stadium and Yankee Stadium. And, with his star-studded array of players, Robinson helped integrate professional football.

In 1975, with one of his greatest teams quarterbacked by eventual All-Pro Doug Williams, Robinson’s Grambling team and Alcorn State became the first college teams to play a game in the Louisiana Superdome. The next season, Robinson’s Tigers, along with Morgan State, became the first American college football teams to play in Japan.

In 1949, Grambling standout Tank Younger was the first player from a Historically Black College to sign with an NFL team (Los Angeles Rams). By 1963, Buck Buchanan became the first player from a Historically Black College to be selected first overall in the professional draft (American Football League by the Kansas City Chiefs). Over the years, Robinson produced more than 200 players who wound up on professional rosters.

A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Robinson has the keys to cities all over the planet, has been awarded in every form and fashion and has honorary degrees from many schools. In 2010, the Eddie Robinson Museum was opened in his honor in Grambling, La., where numerous memorabilia now reside, including a bust of the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tigerfwaa@aol.com or 972-713-6198.

The Fiesta Bowl is a non-profit organization founded by Arizona community leaders in 1971. Through the creation of the Festival of College Football, which is inclusive of more than 40 statewide events, the annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and the Insight Bowl, the organization continues to promote volunteerism, athletic achievement and higher education. Its mission is to remain a source of pride for all Arizonans by contributing strongly to the state’s economic development, tourism and community causes.

The Eddie Robinson Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official Web site, ncfaa.org.

My Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award Ballot

On December 15th, the Football Writers Association of America will announce the winner of the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. Since I am a member of the FWAA, I have a vote in this award. I thought I would post my ballot and explain why I put ranked the candidates in the order that I did.

 

Now I know no matter what order I put these five coaches in, I am bound to attract all sorts of comments, but I tried to put decent rationalization behind by vote, along with some help from @CFBZ and @sportingpuma.

Bill Snyder: Snyder got #1 on my ballot because he managed to win consistently with inferior talent. To go 10-2 in the Big 12 is a tough accomplishment with a loaded team. To do it with a lack of talent is just incredible.

 

Les Miles: I went back and forth between Miles and Mike Gundy for second on my ballot before making a final decision. The deciding factor here was how Miles was able to handle multiple issues from losing is offensive coordinator right before the season, to losing key players due to bar stompings and smoking weed (allegedly).

 

Mike Gundy: Now that isn’t to say Gundy didn’t have to get his team to handle adversity, but the one major issue that faced Oklahoma State did not directly involve the football team. While much more of a travesty versus anything LSU faced, I couldn’t overlook the fact that Oklahoma State blew a 24-7 lead against Iowa State. Iowa State is a team that I saw play in person and well, the Cyclones just were not a good football team.

 

Brady Hoke: Fourth on my ballot was Hoke. A good coach who seems to have quickly turned the culture at Michigan back to its traditional roots, but the overall body of work this season just wasn’t as impressive as some of the other candidates. The major wins by Hoke, over Ohio State and Notre Dame came during down years for those programs and just were not as impressive as they would be most years.

 

Dabo Swinney: Last on my ballot was Swinney. Clemson had a great year, but they also had a few consecutive games where they just flat were out-coached and outplayed, particularly against North Carolina State. To me, that is not the hallmark of a team coached by the national coach of the year, so I put Swinney fifth.

Multiple Stadiums Updates

Since I am trying to get caught up on everything I need to, I am going to make a large post here with little nuggets of stadium information. Normally this will go in either the daily links section or a separate post.

At Conference USA Media Day, Larry Porter said “Facilities don’t win championships, players do. But facilities do win players.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

First up is an older story on Colorado and how they are looking for a corporate sponsor for their stadium due to financial issues in the athletic department.

Stanford is adding AT&T WiFi to their stadium this year. It says you can connect to the WiFi with any device but I have a feeling it will be faster for AT&T devices.

Cal is renovating their stadium and are going as far as having seismic experts check over the plans.

This story is about Penn State adding WiFi and new scoreboards, among other things, to Beaver Stadium over the next three to four year, but it is a few wrong statements in it. For one, Beaver stadium will not be the only or even the first college stadium with AT&T WiFi, just check the Stanford story above. Two, they took seats away to make room for the 101 ADA seats, lowering seating capacity in Beaver stadium to 106,572.

Staying with Penn State, here is a study from their FieldTurf research building that shows the new FieldTurf Revolution is by far the best turf in terms of wear. The report is huge and will teach you more than you could ever imagine about synthetic turf. Ironically, Beaver Stadium is grass and Penn State has the best turf grass management program in the country.

The final item from Penn State is this picture of upgrades to Lasch Building, their football only complex.

Upgrades to Lasch Building

A photo of a trial version of the Kansas Touchdown Club

And here is a link for the full story on Kansas trying to build a club for big boosters. Note that season tickets in the club are coming down as the team continues to be bad after their magical BCS run. 

Here’s a good story behind how Boone Pickens decided to donate $165 million to Oklahoma State athletics.

Oklahoma State is adding a huge flag poll to Boone Pickens Stadium

I’ve linked this story before, but to me it just outlines how desperate some schools are to try and keep up in the money race of BCS and FBS football. Washington is begging you for money and will let you sponsor or name just about any park of their stadium.

A nice video of the scoreboard update at Arizona.

Vanderbilt replaced their grass field this summer for the first time since 1999!Photo of the grass being laid at Dudley Field

Story to go with the Vanderbilt picture, or if you want a video, try this link.

The new "vintage" scoreboard that has been added to the Rose Bowl

Picture of workers installing seats in the UNC Blue Zone

UNC added the Blue Zone, which cost ticket holders a large donation per seat, then they fired Butch Davis, which might lead to a lawsuit as I linked earlier today. At least it looks good in this picture. The picture below is of the scoreboard going on top of the blue zone seats. Here is another take on the scandal and renovation.

Scoreboard on top of the Blue Zone seats

Part of a two year process at Nebraska to expand Memorial Stadium

Nebraska also has a time lapse video of the construction. And a link for the construction details, explaining the completion date of fall of 2013 and capacity of approximately 92,000 fans.

The newest official photo from Kansas State of Bill Snyder Family Stadium

I’m assuming the picture is to show off the new AstroTurf GameDay 3D360 grass for which they sent out this video. 

 Skip Holtz wants USF to build an on-campus stadium. This story outlines why on-campus stadiums help, which is probably what sparked the Holtz quotes.

I’m not sure what was so great about this except Washington State was excited to see the sun out at Martin Stadium, so they sent this picture.

OMG, sun in Washington!

 OK, in all seriousness, Washington State does have a cool program, just like a few other schools such as Army and North Texas where they have movie nights in their stadiums during the summer. I think it is a great way to bring out fans and to use the stadium in a non-traditional way, especially with drive-in theaters dying off so quickly.

Georgia added an HD scoreboard to Sanford Stadium

Michigan will now allow you to say “I do” at Michigan Stadium for the right price. Thankfully they added lights and a scoreboard this summer to enhance the experience.

A photo of the new scoreboard at Michigan Stadium

A photo of the TCU Stadium construction

This is just a general story about planned facility upgrades at South Carolina. 

A photo of the field at Bobby Dodd Stadium

 LSU provided this picture of the window upgrade project. And a full gallery of photos here.

Photo of the LSU window project

Also, LSU has raised the capacity of their stadium to 92,542 seats this year according to a trivia contest they ran on twitter. 

The Chick-fil-A kickoff game wants you to have this info if you are attending the game.

Baseball playoffs might make the Cal-USC game move according to ESPN. Remember that Cal is renovating their stadium so they are playing in AT& T Park this year.

Davis Wade Stadium is getting ribbon boards. Hard to see in this picture but you get the idea.

Here is a rendering of planned upgrades and a full story.

A nice rendering of planned upgrades to Davis Wade StadiumUSC Coliseum is getting a new scoreboard

Lost Letterman ranked his 10 worst stadiums. Sorry, I can only rank places I have been which I will do at a later date

Here is a look at the value of home field advantage and features a heavy dose of Penn State.

Corn Nation is afraid that booing will return to Memorial Stadium at Nebraska this fall.

Rutgers wants everyone to know that they are enhancing game day festivities. Pretty much a fluff piece but worth the read if you are a VIP ticket holder.

Wisconsin has been informed that Soldier Field will have new turf installed in time for the Northern Illinois game according to Brett Bielema.

Boise State may not be able to remove the track in Bronco Stadium due to state board inaction.

Cincinnati has changed up the tailgating areas. Here is the full story.

 

Uniform Update: 48 flavors of Oklahoma State

some of the 48 uniform combinations for Oklahoma State in 2011 (via Dr Saturday)

Earlier today, some photos of the new Oklahoma State uniforms leaked prompting outrage by the school toward the blogger who got ahold of the photos.

I’m pretty sure the school was only outraged because they actually realized how eye-gouging bad they looked.

Or, it could be because they had to move up the press release, which just came out in the last five minutes.

Of course, before I quote the entire release, I present you with a link to the official “uniform selector” where you can mix and match your favorite combinations from the 48 available combinations.

STILLWATER, Okla. – Today, the Oklahoma State University Athletic department unveiled the new Nike Pro Combat football uniforms for the 2011 football season.

OSU partnered with Nike, the industry leader in apparel and footwear technology, to develop the new looks. The fully integrated uniform system incorporates the latest in performance innovation and design from the world’s most renowned athletic outfitter. The redesigned base layer facilitates the uniform’s overall innovation, delivering the ultimate in lightweight protection for maximum speed. Strategically placed seams, pads and cooling zones also help minimize distraction and optimize protective coverage.

“We are proud to continue our long relationship with Nike,” said Mike Holder, Athletic Director for Oklahoma State. “The name is synonymous with providing athletes the finest gear in the world. Nike is uniquely qualified to provide us with lighter, performance based equipment that will allow our players to look great and play their best.”

When OSU rededicated Boone Pickens Stadium in 2009, Pickens spoke of change and innovation. That spirit of innovation, competition and success at OSU extends beyond facilities and is reflected in the uniforms on the field. The uniforms take direct insight from the student-athletes in terms of providing them with a vast array of choices in color combination. For each home game, the Cowboys will have their choice of colors for their jerseys, helmets and pants. The choices for the helmet include white, matt black and anthracite. The jersey choices include orange, black and gray and for the pants there are four options – orange, black, gray and white. In all, OSU can mix and match its uniforms into 48 different combinations.

“Nike takes pride in giving athletes an advantage by providing them with cutting edge innovation. The Nike Pro Combat system of dress uniform delivers unparalleled on-field performance benefits while inspiring the team through each uniform’s unique design,” said Todd Van Horne, Nike’s Creative Director for Football. “It is a privilege to collaborate with the coaches and student-athletes to develop a look that’s truly distinctive to each university and its teams.”

The Nike Pro Combat integrated uniform system provides enhanced durability and innovation from the inside out. Robust padding without the bulk offers optimal low-profile impact protection specifically throughout the crucial “hit zone” between the knees and shoulders. Nike Pro Combat Deflex padding has also been integrated in the hip and knee areas of the pant for crucial impact protection that stays in place. The base layer now features customizable protection, incorporating a thin, incredibly strong carbon fiber plate that can be placed on the thigh padding where needed. The uniform system design also emphasizes improved thermoregulation, including the Nike Pro Combat Deflex padding layer, which is constructed with fabric selected for its ability to help keep the body cool and wick away sweat – making the uniform, and player, lighter and dryer. The jerseys are made of four-way stretch woven twill that sheds moisture. A Flywire collar eliminates two layers of fabric for improved breathability, providing a more stable anchor to keep the jersey in place. “We’re very excited about the new uniforms,” said Brandon Weeden, OSU’s first-team All-Big 12 quarterback. “We have a great color scheme and adding gray into our rotation is a nice touch. There are a lot of new combinations we could wear and it gives the players even more excitement to put on the Oklahoma State uniform.”

Oklahoma State All-America receiver Justin Blackmon looks forward to the uniform options. “There is a definite coolness to our new uniforms and I think the players and fans alike can appreciate them,” the junior from Ardmore said. “We’ve been an explosive team the last several years and now we have a look that goes along with that reputation.” -OSU-

About Nike NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. A division of NIKE, Inc., Jordan Brand is a premium brand of footwear, apparel and accessories inspired by the dynamic legacy, vision and direct involvement of Michael Jordan. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.nikebiz.com .

Related Links:

Dr. Saturday

John Helsley

History of Oklahoma State Uniforms from 1980