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What I would like to see happen during AD Pat Chun's tenure

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I like that Pat Chun was hired to be the new Athletic Director at FAU. We have been looking for a man who has the background of AD Chun for a long time. Hopefully he will be able to unlock some of the tight purse strings here in South Florida. If he is successful, this is what I would like to see accomplished. We also need to see AD Chun to promote the football team more with more ads on TV.

1.) Naming rights for the on campus stadium
2.) New basketball arena.
3.) Renovations to the Tom Oxley Center.
4.) Renovations to the baseball stadium to attract top recruits.
5.) A possible indoor swimming facility for our swim teams
6.) A possible indoor practice facility for our football team.

Now I know five and six are long shots until we become successful in football and basketball again, or someone who is willing to make a huge donation to the Athletic Department.  That is what I would like to see happen.
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Re: What I would like to see happen during AD Pat Chun's tenure

1.) Naming rights. This is CRITICAL and has to be the priority.
2.) Baseball needs and DESERVES a new facility or drastic improvements. Its been by far our most consistent team.
3.) Securing better home games with more well known teams. Attendance is key and we need to get some program in here that will generate interest.

I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick @$$ and I'm out of bubble gum.

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Re: What I would like to see happen during AD Pat Chun's tenure

Besides the obvious of lots of winning….

1. Naming rights for the football stadium and other facilities.  There is no reason that the basketball arena doesn't have a naming rights deal too.

2.  Upgrade of all facilities.  Basketball arena is probably years away, but baseball needs an upgrade ASAP.  A few million can build new clubhouses and bathroom facilities…and a box office like the arena has.

3.  Marketing, marketing, marketing.  FAU's been poorly marketed for years to fans, sponsors, donors, etc.  This should probably be #1 on the list.

4.  This is the easiest fix…upgrade the website and social media.  It's currently terrible and Chun was big on this at Ohio State.
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Re: What I would like to see happen during AD Pat Chun's tenure

What I would like to see happen during AD Pat Chun's tenure

1. SELF PROMOTE THE HECK OUT OF US !
2.The money is in the football team, so naming right to the stadium and future re-alignment prep.
3.Take care of the other two sports that are needed for FAU to move ahead in conference re-alignment…Baseball, basketball
4.Solid decision making that will not only help FAU today ,but in the future.

I'm sorry if the other sports are not mentioned ,but the big three have to lead the way .  FAU has far too much potential to be near or at the bottom. Mr. Chung has the know how to get it done, but we have to be patient. To the average fan, this can't happen fast enough.
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Re: What I would like to see happen during AD Pat Chun's tenure

owlfamily said

1.) Naming rights. This is CRITICAL and has to be the priority.
2.) Baseball needs and DESERVES a new facility or drastic improvements. Its been by far our most consistent team.
3.) Securing better home games with more well known teams. Attendance is key and we need to get some program in here that will generate interest.

You mean klike a home and home or 2 for 1 with The Ohio St. University and Nebraska? Sounds great to me. We have UM on board, now how about FSU and UCF (UF will NEVER do it)? At least one per year is needed to build interest and loyalty while at the same time getting those $750K to $1M paydays for the away legs!
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Re: What I would like to see happen during AD Pat Chun's tenure

Playing UCF and USF on alternating years would be a great home and home series.

The Big East wont be able to make the monster pay days the SEC/BIG12 teams can but we can make up for that with increased gate.

I would LOVE to see OSU on a 2 for 1. But I think they are under the UF plan as well and never play OOC away games unless its one of the Bigs.


I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick @$$ and I'm out of bubble gum.

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Re: What I would like to see happen during AD Pat Chun's tenure

If we are PROACTIVE, and let all the BigSix (or 4 or 5, however that works now?)teams know we are willing and available to schedule we should commit to long term SCHEDULING OUT TO 2020 NOW!

With the "new" importance of SOS (Strenght of Schedule) I would think all the FCS games will be gone as they kill the SOS for NC contenders. And even the present 8 home game schdules are going to be looked at differently like BB, an away win is actually better than a home win.

Step in, fill the void with 2 for 1 (1 for 1 is better but not likely) and build out home attendance, outr budget and our credibility (when we compete or even pull off some upsets).
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Re: What I would like to see happen during AD Pat Chun's tenure

To add to what's been said:

Marketing

  • [li]When you move into a new apartment, you often find a basket of goodies (water, candy, etc) waiting for you in the kitchen. We should do something similar here. On Move-in Day, every dorm should have an "Athletics Welcome Basket" with posters, a guide to tailgating at the Rat's Mouth, Howard's Hundreds bracelet, an Owl car decal, magnets with schedules for the non-revenue sports and a list of locations where you can buy gameday gear, stuff like that.[/li]
    [li]Large sports-specific banners should go up over the three major entrances to the Breezeway (north end, south end, west end by Einstein's) that say things like "Football Game tonight! Go Owls!" (we may already have these printed up). These need to go up early in the morning (~7 am) on gameday (and not before) and come down that night after the game. They cannot be left up for several days like they have been in the past or people will ignore them.[/li]
    [li]Street teams of students should be formed. These students would wear special shirts and get community service hours to hand out flyers the night before the game, especially in the housing areas. The community service hours are key to making this a successful venture.[/li]
    [li]I-95 billboards and bus wraps are key. However, they have to be compelling; I've driven by billboards saying "Follow the Nova Southeastern University Sharks on blah blah blah FM" and thought, "Who would do that?" That could be how FAU looks to most people, and we have to give them a reason to care. I've suggested ideas for billboards before and stand by them. I'm also fine with the usual "New stadium, new coach, new season!" tagline.[/li]
    [li]Facebook and Google ads are money. That's where the people are. If we have limited resources, I wouldn't suggest spending money on ads here, OwlAccess or FAU Rivals where you're preaching to the choir (sorry TON, I still love you). [/li]
    [li]Chalk the sidewalks on campus before a game, especially south of the Breezeway and west of SO in the Free Speech area. This is a cheap and effective marketing technique.[/li]
    [li]Setup a "Gameday Information" tent on the Free Speech lawn on August 30th/31st where students can ask questions, get free posters and maybe even continue the SGA campaign where they trade in another school's shirt to get an FAU one.[/li]
    [li]Abandon the "Get ready 'cause here we come!", "Who let the Owls out?" and "Support your hometown team!" initiatives because, well, they're lame. Simplify. Focus on our achievements to date and building the "Owl Country" brand. When someone like OSU advertises, I'm sure they just say, "We're the Buckeyes" and let that stand. We need to get behind the idea that FAU and Owl Country and being Owls means something… something that should be respected.[/li]
Fundraising
  • [li]Getting naming rights for the stadium was pretty much a caveat of getting the job so no way to really sidestep that one.[/li]
    [li]Don't set contribution goals at some insanely high number like $20-25M for football stadium naming rights. I think Angelos was trying to get everything in one shot and it was unrealistic. $10M at $1M a year is much more realistic for that.[/li]
    [li]Outside of the football stadium, I think we need to put together a Capital Campaign for Athletics with renders of the future baseball stadium, the new basketball arena, a new indoor aquatics center, stadium seating for track and soccer, Oxley expansion, an indoor football facility, sand volleyball facility, etc. It's much easier for people to imagine how glorious these things would be if they could see something concrete - people don't like throwing money into a void.[/li]
    [li]Consider integrating businesses ala Innovation Village-style into the new baseball stadium to help defray the cost. See if you can't get McDonalds or something to sponsor it in exchange for being able to have a restaurant on-site; that's a win-win since the students get a new baseball stadium and somewhere new to eat and the place gets exposure and revenue. [/li]
Alumni
  • [li]Send out a "Then and Now" style pamphlet/newsletter to alumni that basically says, look, I know you might not have even thought about FAU for a long time but we wanted to let you know about the tremendous growth of the campus, our new football stadium, the success of our basketball team, and invite you back to take in a game and revisit your alma mater.[/li]
    [li]Create an "Owlumni Weekend" package around Homecoming that offers hotel accommodations, the alumni tailgate, game tickets, an alumni reception with a guided tour of the campus, and tickets/invitations to whatever else is going around at that time (Timucua Pageant, Fall Family Fest, comedian, concert, etc). GEt them engaged with what's happening on campus so they still feel connected to it instead of just attending the game and going home, the whole time thinking of the campus as something they "grew out of." The Owlumni Weekend would give people a really, really good reason to fly in from Texas or Chicago or wherever and ensure they'll have a good time. They can stay at the hotel on Airport Road and we can pick them up using a campus shuttle.[/li]

That's all I've got for right now.
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Re: What I would like to see happen during AD Pat Chun's tenure

I am going to bet that AD Pat Chun is going to get some money loosen up by the tight penny pinchers  here in South Florida.
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Re: What I would like to see happen during AD Pat Chun's tenure

Owl2Doc…well said. The welcome basket idea with the things you mentioned is great . Many new student are lost upon arrival and the football season is on them before they know it. This would give them an idea of what is happening. I also feel that self promotion is extremely important at this point. I don't know what the budget is ,but we need to spend every penny. Very well thought out post.
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