By Danny Horne staff reporter After months of construction and renovation, several TCU athletic facilities are at or near completion, while other projects are still under construction or in the planning phase. Ross Bailey, director of operations and sports medicine, said the Lowdon Track and Field Complex is the only facility completed, but all other facilities remain on track with the projected completion dates.
The new soccer stadium will be used by both men's and women's soccer teams as a competition and practice facility. It features permanent seating for 1,500 with restrooms, storage, concessions and a press box. Bailey said minor renovations to the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum had to be done in accordance with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Officials are still waiting for an elevator, but the accommodations should be completed by Feb. 15, he said. Bailey also said the erection of the steel structuring of the John Justin Athletic Center should be completed by Feb. 5. The projected completion date of the building is set for August or September. The athletic center will house all football offices, video labs and meeting rooms, as well as the Heritage Center and Athletics Director Eric Hyman's office. "Coach (Dennis) Franchione had a vision as to what he wanted his offices to look like, and we wanted to reward him for helping to bring such success to the football program," said Bronson Davis, vice chancellor for university advancement. He said part of that reward included new practice fields located where the track complex was previously. "When we built the practice fields in place of the track, we obviously had to build a new track," Davis said. "But when we put the track in place of the soccer fields, we then had to build a new soccer facility. So, it has been a bit of a domino effect." Davis said the athletic center, track complex and soccer stadium were all built while funding was being raised. "We have been successful in getting the money for the soccer and track facilities and will have no problems with the remainder of the funding for the athletic center," he said. Although officials are $2.5 million short on funding for the athletic center, it should not delay the projected completion of the complex, Davis said. Davis said TCU administrators invested in new facilities because they wanted to do something to make the university and its athletic programs more marketable and more attractive, especially after the breakup of the Western Athletic Conference. "We upgraded our athletic facilities and made a commitment to our football program because we wanted to communicate to the nation that TCU was investing in football," Davis said. "We wanted to show that we were willing to pay the price." Hyman said this commitment is what helped get TCU into Conference USA. "When we committed to the new facilities and signed our football coach to a long-term contract, we communicated a positive image to everyone," Hyman said. The new facilities allow TCU to become much more attractive to a larger clientele of student athletes, he added. "Young people want to see the commitment that has been made before deciding to attend the school or sign a scholarship," Hyman said. The TCU baseball team is also scheduled to receive a new field before the athletic renovations are finished. Bailey said the new baseball stadium will be located between the new track complex and the new soccer stadium. However, Davis said the fund-raising process is currently on hold, pending a final cost estimate. Hyman said the process will move forward once officials have received final drawings on plans for the stadium. The Lowdon Track and Field Complex should be the first of the new facilities to host a TCU athletic event. Bailey said the soccer stadium hosted high school soccer last weekend, and the first TCU track meet is scheduled for April 22.
Danny Horne
The Horned Frogs and football head coach Dennis Franchione have done it again. They have defied all odds in postseason play and have come out on top. In 1998, the Frogs surprised the University of Southern California in the Sun Bowl. The Frogs were not expected to go to a bowl game after finishing the regular season with a 6-5 record. TCU expectations rose for the Frogs to return to another bowl game this season. As anticipated, TCU returned to postseason competition and played in the inaugural Mobile Alabama Bowl on Dec. 22 against No. 19 East Carolina, a Conference USA team. The Frogs used strong defense to defeat the Pirates 28-14. What is unique about the Mobile Alabama Bowl is that it does not have a corporate sponsor in the title and is sponsored by the city of Mobile and other various vendors. Director of public relations for the bowl William Younce said he was impressed with the bowl and the national recognition Mobile received. He said several companies have made inquiries into sponsoring the game. The Mobile Alabama Bowl has a five-year contract with Conference USA, and the Western Athletic Conference contract expired after the game. The WAC, however, has some competition for next year from the Southeastern Conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East Conference. Trey Carmichael, assistant media relations director, said the entire football staff and players were impressed with the hospitality the people of Mobile extended. Let's just hope the Frogs make this postseason thing a tradition.
Sports editor Matt Welnack is a junior news-editorial journalism major from San Antonio. He can be reached at (mgwelnack@delta.is.tcu.edu).
Why does anybody care about John Rocker? Before the Atlanta Braves' 25-year-old relief pitcher unleashed his frothing denunciation of everything and everybody who isn't like him - white, male, rich and undoubtedly, a self-proclaimed "dumbass" - he was known basically for drawing the ire of New York Mets fans for his efficiency as a closer and his boorish behavior. One documented bigoted rant in "Sports Illustrated" later, and Rocker is now a household name. Is that all it takes to get famous these days? Embarrass yourself, then watch the celebrity roll in? But the biggest question is why is everyone upset about what Rocker, of all people, said? Since when did bashing minorities, immigrants, homosexuals, AIDS victims and welfare recipients become unpopular? Perhaps if Rocker ran for a congressional seat in South Carolina he would be deemed more acceptable? Think about it, right-wing politicians regularly lambaste these groups of people (although somewhat more eloquently than using terms such as "fat monkey"), without much backlash. I don't think it would be too far off-base to say that many groups of Americans feel exactly as Rocker does, but don't have the cojones to say so while the tape records it for posterity. Besides, Rocker is an athlete. He has no college degree. He holds no office. He crafts no legislation. Since when did athletes get to give credible information on the state of society? How dare the athletic community pretend to show outrage at Rocker's comments? Athletes who beat up women, assault civilians, consume all manners of drugs and whine about coming up a million bucks short at contract time are regularly accepted back into the fold. Why not Rocker? Is what he did any less contemptible than Lawrence Phillips, who may have finally run out of chances to redeem himself for a multi-million dollar salary? Of course not. Let's lay off of him already. Perhaps he will fade into relative obscurity, never to be heard from again. Maybe we can turn our attention away from Rocker and confront our real bigots. Or at least the important ones. The ones who inhabit Capitol Hill. n Let's get this straight: TCU pushes around then No. 19 East Carolina all night in the Mobile Alabama Bowl on its way to a 28-14 victory. The Frogs' run defense plays "Back That Azz Up" with the ECU run offense, limiting the Pirates to a humorously low -16 yards. TCU's LaDainian Tomlinson, a legit 2000 Heisman candidate, grinds out 124 yards and two touchdowns. In fact, the outcome of the game was pretty much no longer in doubt after, say ... late in the first quarter. So why did TCU finish 52 votes behind ECU in the final AP poll? What harebrains are responsible for this? I understand that the Mobile Alabama Bowl didn't exactly qualify as must-see TV, but if you just looked at the final score, let alone the statistics, the Frogs' domination would have seemed evident. n A recent glance at an Internet poll revealed that Texas' Major Applewhite is considered more of a Heisman candidate than LT. Huh? Applewhite didn't exactly light up the scoreboard in the final two games of the season. In fact, there's doubt that he'll even start at UT next year after the emergence of backup Chris Simms and Applewhite's damaged knee that will take at least six months to heal. It's hard to argue with lobbyists for Virginia Tech's wunderkind QB Michael Vick and Purdue's Drew Brees, but Applewhite? People who vote for Applewhite are the kind of people who expect the Dallas Cowboys to be Super Bowl contenders every year. Yeah, I mean you too, Jerry Jones. n Everyone should get together and apologize to Peter Warrick for inexplicably not even inviting him to the Heisman Trophy presentation in New York. After his dominating performance in the Sugar Bowl, perhaps he should receive a written apology from the Downtown Athletic Club. Or at least a discount at the nearest Dillard's.
Joel Anderson is a senior news-editorial journalism major from Missouri City, Texas. He can be reached at (jdanderson@delta.is.tcu.edu). |
"Rosenthal Soccer Stadium is in the
final stages and should be completed by Feb.1," Bailey said. "The
original date for the soccer facility was in November, but a surprise donation
in October changed the project from a relocation to a complete stadium
reconstruction."| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |