To the tune of 600 Million dollars.


http://www.crimsontidefoundation.org/csi/BryantDenny.aspx

Enhancements to Bryant-Denny Stadium will include:
•Renovation and expansion of multiple seating areas to include three new club areas and the addition of 3,826 new premium seats
•The addition of Loge Boxes, new skyboxes on the east U1 level and west side Founders Suites, as well as a complete renovation of all existing skyboxes
•A relocated press box
•Improvements to all team areas including the locker room and tunnel
•Renovated recruiting areas
•Expanded concourses to allow for better traffic flow as all fans enter and exit the stadium
•Renovated concession areas and main concourses to provide an improved game-day experience for fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium

#RTR

Are they taking seats out to put in that Jumbotron? Looks like they'd have to.

Aside from the obvious impact Saban has had on getting stuff like this done. The AD Greg Byrne I think has done a heck of a job with all of the athletic programs since he's been there.

Do not like the jumbotron. It looks tacky.

Very much in favor of the rest.

Wish they'd push the Coleman renovation up to first on the list.

Agree on Coleman. But after going to the new dome stadium in Atlanta, BDS is looking pretty shabby. I don't care about the jumbo tron, but some better food, and more ways to get it would be nice.

If they'd kept Mike Price none of this ever would've happened, and there were a lot of folks who wanted to keep him.

That's a chunk of money but it'll pay off in the long run just like hiring and paying Saban has. Jumbotrons look tacky, though, like a 72-inch HD TV in a mobile home.

Oh, and don't forget Shula. When we fired him, all sort of folks were crying and saying "we did him wrong". Nah, he did us wrong...

Wonder how that is paid for? Loans, donations up front, bond float combinations?

He got a $10 million present for four years of holding the line. He OK.

The Coleman Renovation is going to be AWESOME, and long overdue.

Jumbo Tron = Tacky/Silly
Exterior = Ugly

They gonna turn the thing into a fuggin' spaceship. SMDH

Am I the only one, that thinks spending 600 million on athletics facilities is retarded? I love college football, but I bet a lot of the gaps in the funding from this comes directly from the absolutely, already retarded tuition costs that universities are charging. Could be wrong, especially with the current state of Alabama Football, but my god..really?.

Kind of like how some high schools are building indoor practice facilities for football and the kids can't spell or do simple math. Misplaced priorities for sure.

The article I read said that it was not coming from any state monies but in the form of donations to the University. They said Saban and Terry donated the first million dollars and since then they have raised another 145 million towards the effort.

No, I think it's insane, too, anywhere. Bama, Auburn, TAMU, Clemson, all of them.

It's not renovation to have a nice facility. It's wild expenditures to measure peckers while tapping into the "give all the kids a ribbon" mentality.

WTF needs a slide in their football complex for 18-to-22 year olds and adults? Clemson has one. Does Alabama really need a stadium that looks like three-quarters of a UFO? When Alabama's is done, TAMU will announce something else to "stay with the times."

I love football and college athletics. But this is crazy no matter where the money is coming from. It's one reason upper deck tickets are $85 or more and a family of four can't even go to the chitty game of the season without shelling out several hundred bucks.

And at some point - and it WILL happen - the college players will go on strike. Argue the "they're getting an education!" line all you want, but when a coach is making $7M or $8M or $10M a year and they're playing in stadiums better than some in the NFL with far better support staffs, the players will want a slice. That day IS coming soon.

Bet the badae in sabans office is nice..

100% agree. This is why I'm just not as interested in college sports as I once was. These kids are getting education opportunities not available to 99% of their peers and are pampered like spoiled brats. Then some of these brats want to compare it to a slave plantation.

What I heard on the news last night is that after the renovations the seating capacity of the stadium will decrease to under 99,000. They said the decrease is due to the addition of more suites and luxury seating, but I am sure the jumbotron is going to have a role in it also.

They want to be paid, period. Not "you're paid in education and opportunities" but paid with money.

Saban's not making "opportunities" to be coach. He's getting $10 million a year. Meyer, Malzahn, Fisher, Kelly ... making bank, and their agents keep jacking up the prices. Players are told what to do, when to do it, expected to make grades (real or "helped") and win, and they're not seeing money other than what the boosters are sliding to them.


Here's the other thing, and we've seen this as well just here in the state: this continued development-growth-expansion at UA, AU, TAMU, eleswhere all trickles down to the schools like Troy, Jacksonville State, UNA, others of that size. They don't have a brazillion dollars but they're eventually expanding-growing-changing under the "gotta keep up" mantra that eventually, IMO, will hurt some of them. Not just because those places are quaint and kids still run around and it's a fun afternoon of inexpensive football, but because the money and payments have to come from somewhere. At those schools that eventually means increased ticket prices, money from students, and more possible overbearing influence from the few Really Big Donors who stroke the check.

Everything changes. But it's going to be interesting to see where all this is in 20-25 years.

It's pretty clear that Bama is doing this just so that other schools will have to do the same to keep up. There's more than one way to win in athletics.


Meanwhile the Auburn player's lounge has been upgraded with some brand new 3-5 year old level coloring books...

I agree that $600 million is insane to spend.

But I just checked Ole Miss's tuition and it's about $4,000 and change. For a 4-year degree that's about $35,000 for tuition. I know college is more than tuition, but that's not as high as I thought it would be. With any sort of a decent major, you should make that back in a year or two. Certainly not with a BS major.

Alabama averages 25k per year for in state kids and 45k for out of state. That’s just tuition. I have a buddy who’s daughter scored a 31 on the ACT and got a free ride to UA. He told me he still pumps out thousands of dollars a year just on meal plans, parking, sorority dues, bike racks, etc.

They announced it at 9am and I didn’t get an email asking for money until 12:21pm

Uhhhhh....no.

Tuition at UA is $5390 per semester for full-time enrollment for Alabama residents....$10780 per year.

Now, start adding on room, board, books, etc...you're spending some real money.

https://financialaid.ua.edu/cost/

They estimate $24,982 total

Yes, that's total cost of attendance....not "just tuition".

My buddy's kid had full ride tution and books at auburn. It waa still $18,000 for dorm and food pass last year.

Average folks have to sell organs to pay for kids college cost But also there should be mutiny for uncontrolled tuition hikes. I payed $265 dollars a quarter at AUM in 1983. My daughters tuition was $6000 a semester at AUM last year.

Yes. Total. Like I said

Correct...... I misspoke. Yearly attendance average cost is correct.

Nope, just moved my daughter to Auburn. Dorm is about $7000 per year and food plan is $2000 per year. Now the newest fanciest dorm (Donahue, the Athletic dorm) runs about $10k per year so still doesn't approach $18000.

Some of the student tickets to Bama's home games are a $110.00. Tuition is about the same at both schools. Housing is more at Bama with all the new building going on.

Well Joe he was in the athlethic dorm and $17 to 18K for what my buddy said (might have included summer session also?).. Hence a year.. Heck Im still pissed we sold our dormitory.

I don’t count apartment and food, etc. Every person that’s alive has to have that stuff. That ain’t college specific.