Crains Detroit article on new lights and future plans

[Rogobob77]

The following links to a very nice article in Crains Business Detroit pertaining to the new lights for Titan Field, and also provides insight on the University’s vision for an “Athletic Village” on campus:

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/sports/de ... ic-village

[Resurget Cineribus]

Is this true? That UDJ has played football games there??

“While the university has since done away with football, local high schools, including UD Jesuit, have used it as a gridiron.”

[Rogobob77]

Is this true? That UDJ has played football games there??

“While the university has since done away with football, local high schools, including UD Jesuit, have used it as a gridiron.”

UD Jesuit typically plays their varsity football games at Hazel Park High School, perhaps it’s their JV or freshman teams that have used Titan field.

[NC Titan]

Perhaps they were referring to use of the old UofD Stadium before it was demolished in the early '70s.

[titanmac]

getting rid of football and demolishing that stadium was one of the most imbecilic actions taken by a largely incompetent administration that the university has ever experienced. this includes a large body of actions that might well be viewed as incompetent. i truly hope the legacy of those administrators has expired.

[NC Titan]

getting rid of football and demolishing that stadium was one of the most imbecilic actions taken by a largely incompetent administration that the university has ever experienced. this includes a large body of actions that might well be viewed as incompetent. i truly hope the legacy of those administrators has expired.

I disagree, Mac. Getting rid of football was the norm for smaller urban Catholic colleges in the 1960s. In the post-WWII boom state colleges had bottomless wallets and took over big-time sports. Big 10: one private school. ACC: until very recently, two private schools. Pac10: one private school. SEC: one private school. Sure, Notre Dame flourished, but with a legendary legacy, deep pockets, and in a small rural location with no competition. Other Catholic schools have rebounded, but in 1964 it was the wave.

Tearing down the stadium was the only option for the school. It was condemned as structurally deficient and UofD, with a $15 million budget that it could barely balance, would have had to spend millions and millions to repair it for a program with no sport that used a stadium. I think the only event my junior year was the Police vs. Fire Department football game. Maybe a high school game or two, but I don't recall any.

Earlier generations of administrators and alumni can be faulted for not building up an endowment, but UofD was a blue-collar college and no Rolodex of wealthy alumni who would step forward and build the school. Being in Detroit didn't help, either, but the school stuck to its mission and stayed in Detroit. Contrast this with Duke, which was a rinky-dink little college until James Duke offered a genuine fortune to relocate little Trinity College to Durham and rename it after Duke's father. And Duke's legacy gives the school many millions of dollars each and every year via the Duke Endowment. UofD never had a benefactor like that.

[R.B.J1]

getting rid of football and demolishing that stadium was one of the most imbecilic actions taken by a largely incompetent administration that the university has ever experienced. this includes a large body of actions that might well be viewed as incompetent. i truly hope the legacy of those administrators has expired.

I disagree, Mac. Getting rid of football was the norm for smaller urban Catholic colleges in the 1960s. In the post-WWII boom state colleges had bottomless wallets and took over big-time sports. Big 10: one private school. ACC: until very recently, two private schools. Pac10: one private school. SEC: one private school. Sure, Notre Dame flourished, but with a legendary legacy, deep pockets, and in a small rural location with no competition. Other Catholic schools have rebounded, but in 1964 it was the wave.

Tearing down the stadium was the only option for the school. It was condemned as structurally deficient and UofD, with a $15 million budget that it could barely balance, would have had to spend millions and millions to repair it for a program with no sport that used a stadium. I think the only event my junior year was the Police vs. Fire Department football game. Maybe a high school game or two, but I don't recall any.

Earlier generations of administrators and alumni can be faulted for not building up an endowment, but UofD was a blue-collar college and no Rolodex of wealthy alumni who would step forward and build the school. Being in Detroit didn't help, either, but the school stuck to its mission and stayed in Detroit. Contrast this with Duke, which was a rinky-dink little college until James Duke offered a genuine fortune to relocate little Trinity College to Durham and rename it after Duke's father. And Duke's legacy gives the school many millions of dollars each and every year via the Duke Endowment. UofD never had a benefactor like that.

I agree, football can be a money pit, many small schools dropped the sport in the 1960's. I am surprised that Lawrence Tech has decided to add football albeit at a very low level. It will be very interesting to see how this turns out. I know Keri Gaither discussed adding football during her tenure but nothing ever materialized.

[Commissioner]

https://libraries.udmercy.edu/archives/special-collections/index.php?collectionSet=history&collectionCode=varsity_news_vn&record_id=33&page=1&item_id=1196

[titanmac]

poor decision makers always have plausible reasons for poor decisions. good decisions require vision risks and foresight. none of which was exhibited in the decision to cut football.