Jim Gazzolo column: Rising like a phoenix
At the end of this month, McNeese State will debut its fresh, new football stadium press box and luxury suites.
The three-story, $32 million plot of land above the home grandstands will open five years and three days after the old one was destroyed by Hurricane Laura in 2020.
That seems symbolic if nothing else.
It is nothing seen in the Southland Conference before and will compare with any on the Football Championship Subdivision level. Frankly, it's better than most Group of Five programs have to offer.
But this wasn't built for the present; it was built for the future. It is to showcase to all those who matter in college football not where McNeese is or even from where it has risen, but rather where it wants to go.
It signals that the administration is willing to invest in not only the school's athletic future but its enrollment.
What exactly can such a build do?
Well, it has helped secure a $5 million naming rights deal. It also gives the McNeese brand another feather in its cap as it continues to try to grow.
The 23 luxury suites sold won't hurt the bottom line either.
The first level, which is officially known as the second because we are counting the ground floor as one, is for working media. That is also where the coaches will be sitting.
There is plenty of room for the media group that will gather this year for Cowboy games. Make that more than enough.
Again, it was built in preparation for greater things.
The party starts on the third level. There is a large meeting area in the middle where suite holders can step out and talk before games and at halftime. It is a mini-LSU type of place.
And, of course, Athletic Director Heath Schroyer sold the naming rights to that area. The man doesn't pass up any chance to make a sale where he can.
The suites have inside and outside seating, making for more than just a corporate feel.
On the top floor, there is the large president's suite, which is just about the athletic director's box. A large patio is off to its side. It all makes a huge splash, especially on the FCS level.
'I wanted to build something that people would come here in 10 years and still say 'Wow,' ' Schroyer said.
It seems he has done that.
Let's also be fair. Besides the honorary first shovels he put in the ground, I don't think the AD's hands got too dirty. However, he should get credit for having the vision of what he wants.
Which brings us back to why this is all important.
What the McNeese program lacked before 2020 was a vision and direction. It was wandering aimlessly in the wilderness, hoping to survive on its past as the rest of college athletics raced into the future.
This new project, along with the $40 million basketball facility, and the other on-campus upgrades, has shown that hoping for better times just doesn't work.
Either invest or be put to rest.
One look upward on opening night, if you happen to go to the game, and you will see McNeese isn't resting.
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Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese State athletics for the American Press. Email him at jimgazzolo@yahoo.com
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