for who? It's certainly cheaper and would benefit the city but I don't think it's the best thing to grow football at Tulane do you? I would imagine that's the main reason they're thinking of going this route.
its not the way to go. greenie and i have had talks about this. the field at times that they have played on it resembled the field at the cap one bowl this year. and the stadium layout is not wonderful. it seems getting the city to adequately take care of the place to make it half way safe to play on takes an act of god. and as far as distance, its trading bad for worse. the only way tulane is gonna grow their program and get a student following to try to nurture into an alumni following is a stadium on campus.
I've felt (and said) for a long time that Gormley was the best option for Tulane. But Mobius' point about Tulane being a "northern school" is well-taken. Besides, regardless of how much tailgating is going on, you want the atmosphere that being on-campus generates. A facility the size of Gormley seems right for Tulane, and I really think they'll be happier with that than the Dome in the long run.
the thing is, while most tulane people dont feel that the dome is a good fit, they dont believe gormley is either. they need a small stadium on, or very close to, campus (walking distance for the students). rick dickson has been doing as much as he can to try to bring more of a college tradition/atmosphere back to tulane. such as the marching band. yes, it is tiny, but it had to start somewhere. i give him credit for trying things. ok, so i admit, i really like tulane's ad. i know him and have had a lot of opportunity to talk with him, and he is a good guy that really has the best interests of the school at heart. he has busted his ass to not only try to save, but somehow build that school's athletic program. after katrina, a couple of larger schools made offers to him. but he declined to leave tulane. i admire that kind of loyalty.
Gormley's not a great option. High school games are played on both Fridays and Saturdays in the fall. Also, Tad Gormley is further from Tulane than the Dome (about twice as far if I had to guess). I'm not sure where a stadium would fit on Tulane's campus though, unless they tore something down. If Tulane's looking to get their football program going again though, they should figure out a way to get a stadium nearby.
I believe they're looking to tear down the football practice facility and track. This is definitely the best option for Tulane. I don't think they'd have an issue filling it up, because they do have a fairly stable and loyal fanbase in New Orleans. Parking would be an issue, then again with it being on campus and in the middle of Uptown, people can walk to the games.
I agree that the stadium has to be on campus. When I was in Grammar school and in the Boy Scouts, Tulane Stadium was really a magical place...I was an usher, and sold cokes there. I remember the coke trays well with the wax paper covering the paper cups that had to be peeled off the rim. Saw many a Saints game there as well. An on campus stadium would be great.
If not filling the dome is embarrassing imagine how much more embarrassing it will be when they can't fill a 30,000 seat stadium. Since the end result is embarrassing Tulane, I am all for it.
