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Youngstown State installed a webcam in the loges of Stambaugh Stadium looking out towards the Construction of the $10.7 million WATTS (Watson and Tressel Training Site) Center. Jim Tressel and his wife's family, the Watson's, donated $1 million to this project back in 2006, I believe, as they saw the need for an indoor practice facility to attract highly sought after recruits in Ohio to choose YSU over the FBS schools in Ohio and Pennsylvania. The facility will be complete by November 30th; just in time for the playoffs .

Link to the webcam: http://webcam.ysu.edu/view/view.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here are some renderings of the facility:








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There is a big press conference tomorrow morning at 10:30am et to announce a seven figure donation to the WATTS Center: http://www.letsgoguins.com/columns/foot ... tts-center" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thats really cool.

Your indoor practice facility will be nicer than a lot of teams' actual fields.

Willie wrote:Your indoor practice facility will be nicer than a lot of teams' actual fields.

LMAO Thanks!

Coach Tressel was in town today, along with our new Coach Eric Wolford, for the announcement that the Cafaro Family (Mall Developers) have donated $1 million to the facility: http://www.letsgoguins.com/columns/foot ... tts-center

The new price tag on the building is at $11.4 million now.

This will benefit in recruiting drastically. We should be able to snag a number of MAC level recruits with this facility, along with our winning tradition and our opportunity to play in the Division 1 National Championship, unlike the Amana Toilet Bowl!

How is the reception in Ohio for the head coach at Ohio State giving a ton of money to another in-state D1 program?

I think it is really cool that he is doing that, but I ask the question because I cannot fathom that happening here in Iowa. Someone from the University of Iowa giving UNI 1 million dollars is pretty unrealistic, especially from the head football coach.

Congrats on the facility. Definitely one of the nicest facilites in all of FCS, I would think.

Beautiful. Congrats!

DJH wrote:How is the reception in Ohio for the head coach at Ohio State giving a ton of money to another in-state D1 program?

I think it is really cool that he is doing that, but I ask the question because I cannot fathom that happening here in Iowa. Someone from the University of Iowa giving UNI 1 million dollars is pretty unrealistic, especially from the head football coach.

Congrats on the facility. Definitely one of the nicest facilites in all of FCS, I would think.

Since he coached here, I would say 95% of Ohioans see nothing wrong with it and see it as another positive action by Tressel, who is the closet thing to a god in Youngstown and well loved by the brutal OSU fan base.

Jim Tressel wrote a letter to the editor of the Youngstown Vindicator on the WATTS Center today:
http://www.vindy.com/news/2010/jul/18/t ... me-to-ysu/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Finally... the steel is going up for the WATTS Center!


This thing should be complete by Mid-December, perfect timing for our football team to practice for the National Championship .

Odd construction time-table...but it should help with the recruits next year for sure. That should help sway some prospects from the Toledos, Buffalos, and Akrons of the world...doubt it'll make much of an impact on the Ohio States or Pitts...but with transfers it may damn well. Either way, its a damn nice facility that can only do good for the program.

Latest photos from the YSU Athletic Dept:

Although it is behind schedule, YSU's big new recruiting tool, the $11 million WATTS Center, is coming along very nicely!

Check out the new photos here:
http://www.ysusports.com/information/fa ... ry_12-8-10#" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looks like a great facility

Latest Update: This thing is going up slower than molasses. Newest deadline is June 2011! Went from December 2010 to June 2011, what a joke!

Anyways video update:
[youtube][/youtube]

In addition, YSU is going to be replacing the turf at Stambaugh Stadium immediately after the Red-White Game on April 16th. Rumor has it Pete the Penguin is going to be replaced by the Block Y on our helmets.

Now you guys need to build up your visitor side to match the home side. That's some bullshit the way it is now.

Anyone else find it funny that they're building the "Watts" Center in a ghetto like Youngstown?

Grizalltheway wrote:Anyone else find it funny that they're building the "Watts" Center in a ghetto like Youngstown?

Why did you post pictures of the upscale part of Youngstown? That doesn't give people the real idea of the true feel of the town.



Seriously though, they can't expand the visitor side because the builders of it were fucking stupid and build the stadium in the arm pit of an interstate system

1. Besides that God Awful Paramount Theatre in photo 3 that is scheduled to be demolished, the other two pictures/sights I've never once seen before.

2. Stadium: The Interstate was build in the 1970s, the Stadium was build in the earl 1980s. The East stands DO have the foundation in place to build it upwards, but no need right now.

3. I got plenty of NICE pictures of Youngstown that I would LOVE to post!

93henfan wrote:Now you guys need to build up your visitor side to match the home side. That's some bullshit the way it is now.

I don't think they want to encourage that many visitors--visitors tend to cheer for the enemy and sometimes say a lot of bad things about us.I haven't seen those houses either but I was told that a few years back we rented them out to JMU fans for the weekend.

Updated photos from the YSU Athletic Dept.


Album Photos via Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/? ... 6940420553" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's awesome man, very cool.

Field turf is just about complete!

The Block Y is going up on the WATTS Center!

Find it interesting that Tressel's name is going to be on the side of the facility.