Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by SuperHornet »

Nice input, 88. Grambling's stadium is a bit too new for my taste, but the rivalry with Southern combined with the battle of the bands would make that a good trip, indeed. Not thrilled with Southern's stadium, either, but again, the rivalry with Grambling and the battle of the bands would make the trip well worth it. Lafayette's field seems OK, but a bit cramped on the sidelines, and Lehigh's has the feel of a HS stadium, but the grass areas in the end zones would be nice for kids to play on; again, the sidelines seem cramped. That said, the rivalry would make the trip well worth it. Washington Grizzly Stadium is also too new for me, but the way they've beefed up the seating seems like it would provide for a nice atmosphere, particularly when the Kitties are in town; the sidelines are similarly tight. Incidentally, I just looked up Bobcat Stadium; again, a bit new (from the era of "cookie-cutter" stadia like Shea), though it may not itself fit that description. If you're looking for the Brawl of the Wild, that would also be a good location, though I think I'd prefer to see THAT matchup at WaGriz.

Keep it coming, guys! This is good stuff.
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by UNI88 »

89Hen wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 11:41 am
UNI88 wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 11:29 am NDZU has a great homefield advantage but a game there isn't something I would consider an FCS must-do. Is a trip to the Fargo Dome a bigger deal to others on the Board then it is for me?
I'd say top 5 for me. WaGriz, FargoDome, UNIDome, and maybe Princeton and Dykehouse (most similar looking to UD prior to renovation). Past that it's slim pickings. Back in the day: Cowboy (McNeese) and Stambaugh (YSU) would have been cool.
:thumb:

The Tub is above the Fargo Dome for me.
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by AZGrizFan »

UNI88 wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 12:25 pm
89Hen wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 11:41 am

I'd say top 5 for me. WaGriz, FargoDome, UNIDome, and maybe Princeton and Dykehouse (most similar looking to UD prior to renovation). Past that it's slim pickings. Back in the day: Cowboy (McNeese) and Stambaugh (YSU) would have been cool.
:thumb:

The Tub is above the Fargo Dome for me.
If neither have been to Cal Poly I would highly recommend it. Just gorgeous…. :nod: :nod:
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by kalm »

AZGrizFan wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 3:34 pm
UNI88 wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 12:25 pm

:thumb:

The Tub is above the Fargo Dome for me.
If neither have been to Cal Poly I would highly recommend it. Just gorgeous…. :nod: :nod:
This. I have a golfing friend who also coaches there.
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by SeattleGriz »

Taken from my brother's seats at the App State game years ago. Stadium is only missing the new Champions Center by the scoreboard/smokestack. This is back when ESPN used to bring the lights for the game as they weren't installed at the stadium at that point.

Camera didn't do the volume of the crowd justice.

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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by SDHornet »

AZGrizFan wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 7:37 pm
SDHornet wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 10:52 pm Missoula is the Mecca and yet the road to the BSC Championship has gone through Sacramento since 2019. :coffee:
Actually it went through Missoula this year. :coffee:
Yep you guys got your asses whooped by the Hornets there too, and in Sac in '19. Thanks for playing. :thumb:
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by SDHornet »

UNI88 wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 11:29 am
SuperHornet wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 10:38 am I think we should examine the definition of "Mecca." Per dictionary.com, definition #2 (lowercase) says "any place that many people visit or hope to visit." That's pretty vague. Should it be, as Herder says, "Missoula is FCS at its peak (no pun intended), home to the Montana Grizzlies, a big-time stadium, a beautiful setting, great facilities, a downtown near campus that embraces the university with logos and memorabilia everywhere, and a fan base that cares and supports its team deeply"? Or should it be a place like EWU where there's a clear unique draw (namely the field, aptly nicknamed by one FCS wag on this board "the used maxipad?" Or maybe a place like Delaware or Harvard/Princeton with a super-old stadium with lots of character (like going to Soldier Field in Chicago or Lambeau Field in Green Bay)? And, oddly, the older FCS stadia like Delaware and the Ivies seem to have the most capacity. (Delaware at c. 20K, Harvard at c. 30K, and Yale at currently 61K, though it was as high as 70K in the past.)

SH's non-homer list (and I disqualify Hornet Stadium for many structural reasons as have been discussed ad nauseam on Hornet Sports):

For current team success: Montana and NDSU (Although I think that by playing in a dome, NDSU loses a LOT of home field advantage as determined by the elements. Of course, I've never been there, and NDSU fans and those who have gone there as road fans may beg to differ; I will, of course, cede to them.)

For stadium uniqueness: EWU (the "maxipad" effect")

For character: Harvard Stadium

Please feel free to chime in with your views. You may even have other categories. I'd love to hear those. And for those I've named, I'd love to visit one of these days. Travel costs are SO hard, though....
Seeing a game at WaGriz is on my bucket list, a game at the Fargo Dome isn't.

FCS games/venues that I would like to see more than a game in the Fargo Dome:
- WaGriz
- Lehigh/Lafayette
- Harvard/Yale
- Grambling/Southern (or any big HBCU game for the halftime show and pageantry)

NDZU has a great homefield advantage but a game there isn't something I would consider an FCS must-do. Is a trip to the Fargo Dome a bigger deal to others on the Board then it is for me?
In in the same boat as you. Would do a game at WaGriz before even considering the Bizen dome.
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by 89Hen »

UNI88 wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 12:25 pm
89Hen wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 11:41 am

I'd say top 5 for me. WaGriz, FargoDome, UNIDome, and maybe Princeton and Dykehouse (most similar looking to UD prior to renovation). Past that it's slim pickings. Back in the day: Cowboy (McNeese) and Stambaugh (YSU) would have been cool.
:thumb:

The Tub is above the Fargo Dome for me.
Me too, but I've already been there. ;)
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by 89Hen »

AZGrizFan wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 3:34 pm
UNI88 wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 12:25 pm

:thumb:

The Tub is above the Fargo Dome for me.
If neither have been to Cal Poly I would highly recommend it. Just gorgeous…. :nod: :nod:
Kind of reminds me of W&M without the track.

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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by UNI88 »

89Hen wrote: Thu Dec 02, 2021 8:47 am
UNI88 wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 12:25 pm
:thumb:

The Tub is above the Fargo Dome for me.
Me too, but I've already been there. ;)
I've heard that it's been a really long time though ... :D
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by Ivytalk »

kalm wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 7:07 am
Ivytalk wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 4:41 am

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:

If it offers a degree in motel management, it can market itself as the Cornell of the Big Sky.
Dude goes to the Kremlin on the Charles to only end up losing countless political arguments on a football message board to a directional school rec management major.

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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by Vidav »

SeattleGriz wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 4:35 pm Taken from my brother's seats at the App State game years ago. Stadium is only missing the new Champions Center by the scoreboard/smokestack. This is back when ESPN used to bring the lights for the game as they weren't installed at the stadium at that point.

Camera didn't do the volume of the crowd justice.

That was a very fun game to be at.
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by AZGrizFan »

89Hen wrote: Thu Dec 02, 2021 8:49 am
AZGrizFan wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 3:34 pm

If neither have been to Cal Poly I would highly recommend it. Just gorgeous…. :nod: :nod:
Kind of reminds me of W&M without the track.

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Yes, similar….but it’s the SETTING that sets it apart….
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by AZGrizFan »

These are the stadiums I’ve been to:

Wa/Griz
Kibble Dome
Weber (driven by)
NAU
UNC
SHSU
Cal Poly
Davis (driven by)
UIW (driven by)
Texas State (Now FBS)
Chattanooga

Outside of Wa/Griz, it’s Cal Poly and Weber by miles (mostly because of the scenery/location…then Chatty, then NAU (OUTSIDE the stadium, scenery), and then the others. Then when you think you’ve reached the end of the list, keep going for about a week….then you’ll get to where UNC is ranked.
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?

Post by 89Hen »

Ranking the few I've been to...

Delaware
James Madison
W&M
Chattanooga
Richmond (new)
Penn
UMass (FBS)
Towson
URI
UNH
Villanova
Richmond (old)
Georgetown
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