What additions would you make to Michigan Stadium?
You are now the Czar of Michigan football and can make any changes to the Big House as you want. The stadium has obviously had many changes over the years and who knows what it'll look like in another 50+ years. Would you wrap around the structures in the endzones or put in upper decks? Maybe tear down the skyboxes all together to create Yost's original vision of 150,000 capacity. How would you make the stadium acoustics better to increase crowd noise?
Maybe you want to put a giant noodle on the concourse and shoot off fireworks. Let your imagination run wild on this slow slow news day.
Finish the boxes around the end zones and make a full 2nd level concourse with more bathrooms. Add a minimum size that law will allow tunnel to the visitor locker room that has heat in the summer and AC in the winter. Only MSU is required to use it.
I'm good with a separate tunnel, soft padded walls, pastel colors, heated and air conditioned, with guards every few yards so the visitors that have a problem with an iconic tunnel don't feel threatened. Maybe even add a Safe Room in case any DoFO's need to hide.
Go full-on Hayden Fry and paint it pink.
What if you make the visitor tunnel a maze (err...maize)?
And whoever finds their way out to the field gets to play.
Home field advantage.
Add a skybox over the center of the field for Carl Grapentine.
Or a hovercraft. (I volunteer to be his pilot.)
A ribbon around the top of the stadium, in maize and blue, with the words "Hail! to the victors valiant, Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes"
/s
The ribbon could be designed to have a halo effect
If we could just get a world-renowned and provocative architecture firm to pair this celebration of the fight song with very bold graphics? And then contrast with the staid, traditional architecture?
I guarantee this will be warmly embraced by the fan base.
Worst enhancement ever!
If it were me, I would remove the top 30 or so rows off the north and south endzones and replace them with an upper deck of the same size or slightly larger size and have it overhang the bowl. This would move seats closer to the field and trap more sound and allow for the skyboxes to wrap around behind and above the new deck--if that makes any sense. it's the best of both worlds. People would probably freak out since it is messing with the bowl of the stadium, though. I wish I was photoshop savvy enough to make a mock up
No!
You CANNOT mess with my section 36 seats. We (and at least a couple dozen others within a few rows of us) have been together in that section for a couple decades or longer.
Revisiting this idea in maybe 25 or so years would probably be ok though.
What row are you in 36?
March 29th, 2023 at 10:38 PM ^
Short answer: rows 78 and 79.
TL;DR answer: I've had season tickets since 1977 but not the same section the entire time. And though I attended WMU starting in '74, I took in my first game at Michigan Stadium in 74, two more in 75, and three more in 76.
We (four Michigan Football buddies/roommates from K-Zoo/WMU) started with 4 seats in '77 in section 7 row 87 for two seasons but somehow in the spring of 79 lost our seats. We had moved and had a forwarding/change of address on file with the post office, but our order form never arrived. Got immediately on the waiting list; meanwhile a friend who was a Michigan law student found us a set of 3 student season tickets in section 29 row 41---great seats!
By 1980 we got reinstated, so we were back to 4 buddies/4 seats, in section 36 row 79. We've kept those 4 seats and since added 4 more to our order along the way.
Over the next 20 years, one buddy moved to Colorado, the other 3 of us got careers, wives, kids, divorces, another couple of marriages, etc and ticket demand gradually increased.
By 2000 we requested two additional seats; we were able to get those in the next row behind our originals (though a few seats further down the row). Seeing how this wasn't ideal, we requested getting our seats consolidated closer together, and a few years later obtained our two seats we still have in row 78, directly in front of our four row 79 seats.
Though we soon were in need of more seats, another of our original group dropped out during the RichRod/Brady Hoke era. Overall ticket demand also abated during that period, so extras were usually very easy to come by for several seasons.
Harbaugh then came to the rescue. Hope in Michigan Football saw a renewal but so did demand, including among our circle of family and friends. We requested in 2017 two more seats, got a couple less than ideal seats in the same section but a few rows away for one season (2018). Got those two seats moved a year later to row 79 but with a 4 seat gap between them and the original seats.
Finally now it looks like we're again getting consolidated, we'll have our 8 seats all together.
As for which seats I actually use for myself, though? I may for any particular game be seated in row 78 or 79, but I might also be seated in row 76...or maybe in row 77. And then again, I even might be in row 80...who knows?
This is because we have several long-standing friendships in our section that have developed over the years, and also because one of our original musketeers has lived most of his career in metro Atlanta (meaning he usually makes 3 or 4 games per season). And the RichRod defector? He's now back in the fold for 2-3 games/season. The Michigan law student who obtained for us the 3 student season tickets in '79 also has become a semi-regular with us over the last two decades, joining us on average 3-4 games/season.
As for me sitting in other adjoining rows, it mainly because another long-term section 36 "resident" (our good friend Dave---he almost never misses a game!) has over the years gradually increased his ticket allotment from 2 seats (row 77) when he graduated from U of M in the late 80s, to his present count of 6 seats plus 2 his Michigan grad son started getting a few seasons ago.
Essentially our extended group (we've all been tailgating together weekly since the late 90s!) now hold 16 seats in 4 adjoining rows. We barter with each other---and occasionally with others near us--- whenever we need a few additional tickets or have some to spare. We're more or less one big community in our section and likely will continue that way indefinitely.
This coming fall will be my 49th season of Michigan games (would have been 50th if not for 2020 and the pandemic) and 46th season overall of season tickets. And the 43rd season in section 36.
I'm hoping to be able to continue for years to come. And no, no blue hair. Instead, it's GO BLUE! always, and the folks behind us would never yell "down in front" anyway.
great idea. anything to amplify crowd noise - countless players/opponents have agreed for years that while it can get loud at times, its nowhere near other buildings. seating closer to the field which helps to trap sound improves the environment. add bathrooms if possible.
then play more night games or at least non noon kicks to better capitalize on homefield advantage
I love my quick entrance and exit out of section 7! Don't take that from me!
March 29th, 2023 at 11:02 PM ^
What row?
That was my section back in 77 and 78, we were in row 87 (at the time just 3 or 4 rows from the top).
No changes is my vote. Until we have to retain Big(gest) House status.
Definitely don’t need better wifi. WATCH THE F-ING GAME FFS! Talk to someone sitting next to you during commercials. Be present!
I appreciate the "be present" and I do think it's special, but at some point I just want to see the score of the MSU game. Literally impossible for me to do that without walking out to the concourse. The commercials are 4 minutes long multiple times per quarter. I love being friendly but it's not too much to ask to be able to send my family a picture of the game or check a score app.
I am hoping the new scoreboards will actually show more scores - We like to pretend there is only one game going on
Totally disagree on wifi. Having better wifi that actually works is a MUST. If for no other reason public safety and issuing emergency instructions. Example: the Hawaii game where there was lightning in the area and they locked the gates leaving crowds standing outside getting soaked and potentially being exposed to lightning. There was no way to download anything on your phone (like weather radar) or access the MGoBlue gameday page, and you couldn't hear the PA announcements.
One game last fall, I needed help from security after the game and they could not call between officers due to the terrible cell service/wifi. So, we had to walk from the south end zone area to the north end zone area in order to coordinate the help, which took at least ten minutes while my problem persisted.
This also limits reception of important/emergency messages not to mention phone calls. Better cell service/wifi is a must.
Better wifi would be a plus
electronic tickets need wifi load. Yes I know, you can download and screenshot....but things happen.
I'd add a really neat bright yellow halo around the stadium that says stuff like Michigan and Conquering Heroes so people know who plays there.
Edit: Damn it. Beaten to the punch.
lol - great minds. I actually liked it when it was around the stadium. I didn't think it was too brazen. Sometimes our alumni are too conservative, and sometimes they help to get rid of Brandon, so meh...
I was a student at the time, instantly hated it, thought it looked cheap and tacky.
It looked cheap.
I didn't lose my shit over it.
Found Tom Goss’s MGoBlog account.
The gray paint on everything else (including the Section # signs) made for an awful ugly juxtaposition to the Halo itself.
Someone actually gave me a miniature Michigan Stadium that has the halo. Hopefully I can find it. It is odd to say the least.
A combination Wolverine habitat/petting zoo outside the stadium would be nice. Fun for the whole family.
But PETA......
Or better yet, near the visitors seating to keep them all in line. It could even be a mobile exhibit, temporarily being placed in the tunnel when staee visits.
Thank you.
Best scoreboard ever
I would add actual, working WiFi, since there's probably no way to ever fix the issues with getting a decent cell signal.
Although I hated the idea of adding the boxes back in the 2000s, now I really like them and the look. Plus they do help with keeping crowd noise in, and going back to a bowl would be a big step back in the crowd noise factor. Also, especially today, there just isn't demand for 150,000 seats. Maybe for OSU, maaaaybe for MSU or a marquee non-conference opponent or top 10 (non-rival) B1G team. But having the stadium 1/3 empty for most games would just look horrible...
But…how awesome it would truly be for 150,000 screaming fans for The Game. If it were up to me I would add another 10 to 30 thousand seats and really own The Big House name. There’s too many stadiums nipping at our heels for capacity record. I would do more lights..louder pa…mic the band…go back to natural grass turf…300 foot holographic Ufer giving play by play via digital WiFi technology
After PreGame and aside from Halftime, I would place the entire marching band on a floating lift that would hover over various parts of the stadium where they could play during every commercial break to make every seating area feel special and catered to.
Clearly, no one could disagree with this! Without doubt, I have achieved MGoBlog unanimity!
Get rid of the insanely loud music over every freaking second of the experience not involving actual play. Get rid of the DJ.
Yes, I'm old, so there's a "get off my lawn" element. But I also just think there's this panic that people having time to sit and think and talk to their neighbors is wasted, somehow. Good God, stimulate them, stimulate them!
Fuck it. Get off my lawn indeed. If the Dallas Cowboys do it, we gotta do it too. Jeez, rein it in, trust that the fans are there because they like Michigan football.
I like it. I'm alright with some music mixed in here and there but what makes college great are the marching bands.
I'm good with Pump it up, but Mr. Brightside has to go. Worst football song of all time. Every other school in the country plays 7 nation army, so thats been beat to death. I just love the sound the echo of the drums throughout the stadium.
Disclosure: I'll be 63 by the time the season opens, and I'm very much a traditionalist. I am firmly in the camp of leave the uniforms alone, don't even think about touching the helmets, and yes, tone down the constant RAWK! music.
But having said that, I think Mr. Brightside is great. Not so much the song specifically (it's a weird choice for a football game), but the fact that thousands of people get on their feet and scream it from the top of their lungs. It's like a community sing on acid. It's just plain fun.
And one of the constant bitches about UM fans is that they're too low-key to be a home-field advantage. Too conservative, too sedate, too "Down in front!" and the rest of that. Well, here's one case where they aren't.
So scream it out, children. And maybe the next time I go to a game, I'll join you. If I can remember the damn words.
This is an underrated take. There is nothing wrong with there being quiet lulls in the game experience every now and then. For how long the commercial breaks are, no one's cheering at that point anyway, let people have an ear break and/or a chance to talk (not yell) with their neighbors. Not every moment needs to have a video or a pop punk song or a dank beat.
Better food, like having some of Ann Arbor's iconic restaurants provide the fare. Wifi that works. Coke products for life.
If only the Moveable Feast were still on W. Liberty as opposed to all the way out in Manchester. That would be a fun spread with ready-made food, although I doubt they would be willing to do it for just under 110,000 people (I think they only employ about a dozen full-time staff anyway).
If they're going to charge for a steak dinner, it would be nice to offer one instead of hamburgers, chicken tenders, and hot dogs. Even reasonable nutrition would be better than feeding obesity to everyone.
Another set of exits in the endzones. It takes 15 minutes to get out of there.
First step: Let's get some better Wi-Fi in the stadium.
Even though there's now a sweet photobucket watermark on it, I'm pretty sure Shredder covered this for everyone back in 2009 (Shredder, maybe you have the original in all its glory somewhere?). We're only 2 years away now, make it happen AD!!!!
