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anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy
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I personally love the RAC. Just has a great feel to it and ROCKS when its packed
The RAC is here to stay
- Thread starter LKAP13
- Start date
Um... but we did have a huge waiting list before we expanded the football stadium. I think it was up to 10K, give or take.
We're also not building a new downtown stadium, despite some posters living in fantasy land. We're building a practice facility and parking deck next to the RAC... to then move the RAC? Nonsensical.
The RAC will either be improved/expanded or replaced, not moved. There have already been a lot of improvements, and more will surely follow. But there's zero sense in adding seating right now. All it would do is create more empty seats for the majority of games, and further give up home court advantage in games against opponents with traveling fan bases.
When the RAC is back to rocking, and there is demand for more seating capacity, it will come. Until then? Don't hold your breath.
There is something fundamentally wrong where a major state university like Rutgers can't attract 8000 fans from a population base over 8 million in NJ.All the people in NJ aren't busy doing something else.The answer probably rests with non interest in college athletics and very little interest /connection with the state university as compared to other states.The lack of fan support has been a ongoing problem for all the Rutgers sports teams which then translates to lack of donor support.
Art--I rarely disagree with you but I think he would be great for Rutgers and especially great for New Brunswick to have a downtown arena. Nothing is more dreary than driving to the RAC located in a very ugly campus --it sucks the life out of you before even stepping into the arena. And a downtown arena would breathe life into New Brunswick , something sorely needed.
Sorry, disagree.
You think driving into downtown New Brunswick is not dreary?
(No offense to NB)
And separately, where are 10000 people supposed to park?
Lets sell out a game or two before we consider a new RAC. Also, we are building a practice facility on the Livingston Campus. Makes complete sense to then move the arena to downtown New Brunswick.
Also, Greg leveraged the interest other schools had in him, to push for the expansion.
The expansion grew somewhat organically, and we were (amazingly, for Rutgers) able to strike while the iron was hot.
The 2006 season led to a surge in demand for tickets, and the "permanent" installation of the endzone bleachers in front of the hill for 2007. The waiting list for season tickets started to grow, and they started taking $100 deposits to get onto the list. And to PaKnight's point, Schiano was pushing hard for it and retaining him meant showing commitment to expansion.
In January of 2008 the expansion plan was approved. I found a NYTimes article from October 2008 that said the waiting list then stood at 12K. The expanded stadium opened to 52,737 for our 2009 opener (prior capacity had been 41.5K, not including the bleachers... which was unfortunately a pasting against eventual (12-1) and regular-season-undefeated Cincinnati).
Our average attendance really took off in 2006, and passed capacity in 2007. 2011 (year after the 4-8 LeGrand season) and 2016 (year after the 4-8 arrests/firing season) have been the only two since then that have dipped below 46K (which is 4.5K more than the prior non-bleacher stadium capacity). I'm expecting next year to dip further, though, after this 2-10 season, unless we can somehow pull a rabbit out of a hat and beat Washington in the opener.
Attendance by year:
2005 - 33,184 (41.5 capacity)
2006 - 41,113
2007 - 43,663 (41.5 capacity + 2.5K bleachers)
2008 - 42,378
2009 - 49,113 (52.5K capacity)
2010 - 46,195
2011 - 43,761
2012 - 49,118
2013 - 46,539
2014 - 50,632
2015 - 47,723
2016 - 44,804
I am a current student and next year (my senior year) my top choice is Livingston. Have lived on multiple campuses and even did my time in the Quads last year, but Livi is like a mini city. Always hopping, there's events going on in the Plaza all the time, organizations set up in the foot plaza behind the student center and do events, giveaways, dance offs, etc it's a fun time.
I always liked the "Pernetti" plans for the RAC, in lieu of replacing it. I understand there are other projects taking priority but I would invest some money to spruce up the exterior of the RAC sooner than later. Just painting it white and putting a big block R on either side would be a nice improvement.
As Hobbs mentioned....the idea he has came from the TIm Pernetti drawings for fixing up the RAC by
Can easily to 10,000 and add amentities
That's enough for the next 10+ even if we get to the NCAA five straight times in years 6-10 of the Piekell era.
Can easily to 10,000 and add amentities
That's enough for the next 10+ even if we get to the NCAA five straight times in years 6-10 of the Piekell era.
the sidewalks and landscaping and lighting is in dire need of repair in front of the RAC...its deplorable that the school allows it to look like that. Beautifying that area just makes things a little more aesthecally pleasing than the drabness and desolateness you see when you walk toward the facility
Completely valid point. It's sort of shabby.
But in the earlier iteration of the TP plans I thought that current plaza was to be overtaken by the proposed large lobby to be built in front of the existing RAC.
So I can understand why they were reluctant to spend much money on the current layout pending the larger plan.
But at some point we need to move forward.
Indeed, the sidewalks leading to the RAC need a major makeover. There are numerous cracks and holes, and on icy nights, the only safe way to get to your car is to...
You cannot build an arena in downtown NB until the Trenton one or Newark one is gone. They can't fill either, despite the fact that they are different sizes and for different types of events. Are we going to fill the middle tier void and the city will then start generating money to pay for the debt? Heck, the circus is even gone and that takes up a huge amount of dates.
No matter how you sell it, a downtown arena is a bad idea even if it sounds really cool.
No matter how you sell it, a downtown arena is a bad idea even if it sounds really cool.
They paved the entire parking lot and couldn't save a little for the one dark walkway everyone from Yellow and Green use to enter the RAC.Indeed, the sidewalks leading to the RAC need a major makeover. There are numerous cracks and holes, and on icy nights, the only safe way to get to your car is to...
downtown NB...where is there space to
1) put an arena (even a mid sized one)
2) park everyone
And the infrastructure is just not there to get people in and out of downtown on that big a scale
1) put an arena (even a mid sized one)
2) park everyone
And the infrastructure is just not there to get people in and out of downtown on that big a scale
It's business. Hobbs knows what the rac is, and where the team is. They want to play for top notch teams, teams that win.
The school investing in the practice facility will be a huge improvement.
Thanks for the info.
This is great stuff. I love the RAC.
Also, I used my stub for Buffalo Wild Wings yesterday. Delicious.
This is great stuff. I love the RAC.
Also, I used my stub for Buffalo Wild Wings yesterday. Delicious.
How many free wings do you get? Just wondering because it's not stated in the promo shown on the video board.
That's a perfect mix of old and new. Meaning, there's no way it will end up happening. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
Wouldn't that be nice? Hopefully we can get something close to that. The rendering shows a seating capacity of 12,000+ I think if we blowout both ends of the court we can easily make the capacity 10,000+ which still puts us in the bottom half of the B1G, but we can turn the facility into a loud and unique place to watch a game.
Piscataway, you get a snack size, which is 10.79(can you tell I am on a budget?).
8 boneless wing.
I had two ticket stubs. 20 dollars worth of food for free.
Pretty awesome promotion. Another reason to show up.
I went to the one in Bridgewater.
We don't even have to have all of it.
Real seats, some more above where the offices are now, jazz it up a bit inside an out + (and this is biggest thing) a winning product on the floor = we start to hear again how nobody wants to play here and how loud it gets.
We can change the outside and dress it up, because I agree with you: it's pretty nasty looking.
Of course we should play that up.
We should have "yell practice" before games (with a decibel meter on the scoreboard) like they do at Texas A&M before games at Kyle Field.
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But even that would not cost too much and go a long way to show commitment to programs that use the facility.
Absolutely. And not just paint it. But dress it up with huge 'R' LOGOS and finish off the corners with colorful stanchions and banners to make the place more inviting. Inside they can make it if not state of the art, then close to it by updating it to the 21st century.
Right. And a lot of the things we have discussed on this Board and the Issues Board really just entails a few trips to Lowe's, Home Depot or even what Rutgers has already on hand in their Facility Maintenance Dept.
Obviously, it'll be more than a few trips to Lowe's--LOL! You want permanent structures in place and logos that are three dimensional that light up, etc. I'd say half to one million should do it, maybe a little more for the outside.
I ditched my tickets after the first year of the FHJ error, but what I remember was that RU fans are not into the fake, motivational crap that happens at NBA arenas and what have you. They can be a loud, influential fan base but they need something to cheer for, whether it's good play, good effort or that drum line halftime show. If Pike is able to do what I think he can, the RAC will be rocking again soon enough.
By the way, I had season tickets with the Cheesehead during our peak years so my hearing may have been permanently damaged from his bellow. It certainly was motivating though.
I am in violent agreement! paint the thing Scarlet and put a huge rotating BLOCK R on the roof that lights up with halogen that can be seen for throughout the campus in NB and Pisc!
Probably will need work on access ramps if we can sell out every game.....
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