Stricklin gets more mediocre every day - taking seats away in Swamp

[FlyingGator]

The Next Big Thing for Gator Football: Less - University of Florida Advancement

As NCAA athletic directors look to improve the fan experience, UF’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium could be in for a facelift that will reduce seating capacity. Let us explain.

www.uff.ufl.edu

Interesting! If you can’t put a better product on the field to consistently fill the stands then let’s shrink them to make it look more full! . Not a fan of Stricklin and his running of our athletic department. While I am OK with stadium upgrades, taking seats away will only hurt the students. Having said that, the student section hasn’t been full other than really big games for many years. Some of that probably has to do with not allowing kids into there that aren’t practically perfect in every way. More of it likely is because he hasn’t committed to making us a playoff contender ever year. This tells me Stricklin has no plans to support football the way Alabama, UGA and OSU do and is happy to just try and be a Top 10 team at best who might luck their way into a Championship. Maybe Sasse will try and MGGA (Make Gator’s Great Again) and get an AD that is not so mediocre but I’m not holding my breath!

 

[Back Alley Gator]

He's just as bad as the cheap moron he replaced. The same cheap moron who still has an office on campus. I wish Sasse would push him on out the door.

 

[Gatormac2112]

Isn't linking to a Pat Dooley article a bannable offense?

 

[G8trwood]

on a fly fishing trip last week with some other SEC fans. And they were rating our stadium damn near last in comfort and upgrades. I tried to explain the Foley brilliance to them, but alas.

 

[78]

And this represents something different? I think you need to revisit what made us dominant in the Spurrier and Meyer years. Hint. It wasn't a Bama- or UGA-type commitment. It was catching lightning in a bottle with Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer.

 

[Back Alley Gator]

And this represents something different? I think you need to revisit what made us dominant in the Spurrier and Meyer years. Hint. It wasn't a Bama- or UGA-type commitment. It was catching lightning in a bottle with Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer.

Do you suppose a Bama or UGA type of commitment might make it a wee bit easier to land better recruits and better coaches?

 

[78]

Do you suppose a Bama or UGA type of commitment might make it a wee bit easier to land better recruits and better coaches?

Yes but that's besides the point. It would have made more of a difference before the NIL or the mammoth TV money. Not as much now. Everyone has access to money now. More important is the unlikeliness of UF to shed its skin. It isn't going to happen and I'm not sure it ever was going to. This isn't the Deep South.

 

[FlyingGator]

And this represents something different? I think you need to revisit what made us dominant in the Spurrier and Meyer years. Hint. It wasn't a Bama- or UGA-type commitment. It was catching lightning in a bottle with Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer.

I think comparing the 2 era’s are pretty hard to do. The arms race we see now is totally different to what attracted recruits back then. Saban changed the game at Alabama and his protégés at A&M and UGA took the same strategies with them. If we had committed to getting a proven winner at UF after Meyer left instead of trying to constantly hire the seemingly up and coming, can’t miss assistants and/or lower tier successfully coaches like Muschamp and BN, and gave them everything they asked for and needed, we would still be a top tier team IMO. The hoping for the next Billy D hire strategy and being cheap has put us so far behind we may never catch up. This latest move by Stricklin seems to show he’s not even going to try.

 

[CaribGator]

they should use the extra space to make the reclining seats, like 1st class on a jet, this way when Nappy's offense is on the field and puts everyone to sleep, they can stretch back for a nap

 

[78]

I think comparing the 2 era’s are pretty hard to do. The arms race we see now is totally different to what attracted recruits back then. Saban changed the game at Alabama and his protégés at A&M and UGA took the same strategies with them. If we had committed to getting a proven winner at UF after Meyer left instead of trying to constantly hire the seemingly up and coming, can’t miss assistants and/or lower tier successfully coaches like Muschamp and BN, and gave them everything they asked for and needed, we would still be a top tier team IMO. The hoping for the next Billy D hire strategy and being cheap has put us so far behind we may never catch up. This latest move by Stricklin seems to show he’s not even going to try.

It's not as simple as you'd like to portray. Our culture is different and has been dating back to the '80s. Arnsparger, a former NFL guy, didn't want to hire Spurrier. Fans a dozen years later were up in arms that Machen/Foley would consider Meyer over Spurrier. And what were Spurrier and Meyer? Proven winners? Not exactly. There were no significant trophies to show for either at the point of hire.

Again, timing and luck has played a big role. We went after a proven winner after Butters was hired. We whiffed. Other than maybe Brian Kelly, who were the proven winners available when Napier was hired?

We're about to add Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC. If it's difficult now, imagine what's in store. I can't get moved about deleting a few student seats to add a few more comfortable chairs for the people who always show up for the games. That actually makes sense.

Edit: "after Butters was fired."

 

[Detroitgator]

Not reading the article, we went over this months ago. Most of the loss of seats is due to being ADA compliant because we’ve been grandfathered in somehow if I remember correctly.

 

[Double Gator Dad]

This is probably the right thing to do given the current status of college football and gators football in particular.

Like most others, I don’t sense a true commitment to winning within the administration so I guess they figure they can slow the decline by enhancing the game day experience.

If we were coming off a successful season this news would obviously be perceived much differently. I know I would probably see it as progress. As it is I see it as survival versus schools that are truly competing.

 

[Gator By Marriage]

Again, timing and luck has played a big role. We went after a proven winner after Butters was hired. We whiffed. Other than maybe Brian Kelly, who were the proven winners available when Napier was hired?

Lincoln Riley is about the only other one I can think of.

 

[Detroitgator]

Lincoln Riley is about the only other one I can think of.

And he ran from the SEC

 

[Gator By Marriage]

And he ran from the SEC

That argument can certainly be made, but if true, it's not something anyone knew at the time.

 

[Back Alley Gator]

Again, timing and luck has played a big role. We went after a proven winner after Butters was hired. We whiffed. Other than maybe Brian Kelly, who were the proven winners available when Napier was hired?

I read on the interwebz that Bob Stoops was packed and ready to come on down. Oooh...and Lane Kiffen!

 

[78]

I'd still take Kiffin over Napier. He made FAU and Ole Miss instantly better.

 

[Thick&ThinG8r]

I'd really like to see them do away with the first 3-4 rows of the east and west stands if structurally possible. It would allow extra room on the sidelines and the new first row would be higher so they won't stand causing the rows behind to stand also.
I'm row 10 and it sucks standing most of the game.

 

[Back Alley Gator]

I'd still take Kiffin over Napier. He made FAU and Ole Miss instantly better.

How are your skills with prostitutes? I have a feeling that subject is going to come up soon.

 

[URGatorBait]

Not reading the article, we went over this months ago. Most of the loss of seats is due to being ADA compliant because we’ve been grandfathered in somehow if I remember correctly.

This thread has a very Bill from the PF feel to it