Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
- SuperHornet
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
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.
Keep it coming, guys! This is good stuff.
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
The Tub is above the Fargo Dome for me.
Being wrong about a topic is called post partisanism - kalm
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
If neither have been to Cal Poly I would highly recommend it. Just gorgeous….
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
This. I have a golfing friend who also coaches there.
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
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.
Camera didn't do the volume of the crowd justice.
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
Yep you guys got your asses whooped by the Hornets there too, and in Sac in '19. Thanks for playing.
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
In in the same boat as you. Would do a game at WaGriz before even considering the Bizen dome.UNI88 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 01, 2021 11:29 amSeeing a game at WaGriz is on my bucket list, a game at the Fargo Dome isn't.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....
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?
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
I've heard that it's been a really long time though ...
Being wrong about a topic is called post partisanism - kalm
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
Kremlin on the Charles? Why didn’t you apply? You’d fit right in.
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
That was a very fun game to be at.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.
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
Yes, similar….but it’s the SETTING that sets it apart….
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
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.
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.
"Ah fuck. You are right." KYJelly, 11/6/12
"The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam." Barack Obama, 9/25/12
"The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam." Barack Obama, 9/25/12
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Re: Missoula, The Mecca of FCS Football?!?
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
Delaware
James Madison
W&M
Chattanooga
Richmond (new)
Penn
UMass (FBS)
Towson
URI
UNH
Villanova
Richmond (old)
Georgetown