JimBob
07-12-2009, 09:17 AM
Holder committed to OSU
By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist
Published: 7/12/2009 2:21 AM
Last Modified: 7/12/2009 3:17 AM
OKLAHOMA STATE has spent a staggering $355 million on athletic facilities in the last decade, made even more dramatic after decades of neglect in the previous 30 years.
OSU football will complete its move into the west end zone of Boone Pickens Stadium, the latest and greatest project of what has been a remarkable building boom over seven years, sometime in the next week or two.
"Slowly but surely, one by one, we're eliminating the excuses," said OSU athletic director Mike Holder.
By contrast, from 1970 to 2002, OSU spent only about $10 million on athletic facilities.
"Pretty incredible," said Holder. "I think it shows the level of neglect and lack of commitment for football we've had around here for a long time."
Holder has become a lightning rod for criticism by many OSU fans because of escalating ticket prices, new donor levels and his often blunt assessment of athletics at Oklahoma State.
This much can be said of Holder. He is not shy. He is not afraid to tackle huge issues.
As a result, he has often angered many alums and fans. At the same time, he has gotten things done.
No athletic director in OSU history has done more in a shorter period of time and undertaken bigger and more grand plans for the future of Cowboys athletics.
That
doesn't always make him popular. But, it has made him very productive in transforming OSU athletics.
"There's no mystery to me why my predecessors were reluctant to take on some of these things," said Holder. "I have gained a quick appreciation of the size of this job. The quickest way to be unpopular is to raise ticket prices."
Holder said no decision, including the firing of men's basketball coach Sean Sutton, has caused more mail and calls than raising ticket prices.
Yet, he said he answers every piece of mail or call about ticket prices or donor levels. "I owe them an explanation," said Holder. "I answer the questions myself because that is my job. I want them to understand what we're doing and why we are doing it.
"The one thing I've learned is that there is no inconsequential decision. No matter what you do, it matters to someone out there. And every OSU fan is important to me. They are important to me because I'm one of them. I'm an OSU fan. I'm an OSU grad. I want OSU teams, in every sport, to be successful. And that's my job, to give our coaches and athletes the absolute best chance for success."
Nowhere was the need bigger than in football, the golden goose of any college athletic program. While O-State has enjoyed national success in virtually all other areas of its athletic department, football has lagged.
Holder believes football has long suffered from a lack of resources and support. As a result, changing that has been what he considers his most important job.
The move of the football program to its new luxurious home in the new luxurious Boone Pickens Stadium west end zone is another major step in changing the neglect of the past 50 years.
"Look, we've still got a long ways to go," said Holder. "This is a part of it. There is still a disparity in resources between us and some of our peers in our conference.
"All we're trying to do is give our football program a fair chance to compete. In the past, it hasn't been a fair fight."
Holder pointed to Pat Jones as a prime example of a coach who had to overachieve just to be competitive. Jones had terrific teams in the 1980's, including a Heisman Trophy winner and two future pro hall of famers.
He did so with a weight room that was in a cramped basement of a stadium Holder admitted "was Rustoleum Field."
"Look, it was easy to see the lack of commitment to football when Coach Jones was here," Holder said. "All you had to do was drive by the stadium. That told you everything you needed to know about our commitment. We had totally unrealistic expectations of our football program and of our football coaches. We got far more than we probably should have."
To win at the highest levels of college football takes a lot of different factors.
Holder knows a deluxe new stadium with a luxurious home for the team isn't the lone answer. But he believes that is moving the program in the right direction.
And if fans who haven't been to Stillwater in a few years drive up to OSU's football stadium, they are sure to be blown away.
"I hope our fans are proud," said Holder. "They should be proud.
"It is not the biggest stadium in the country. And the arena next door is not the biggest arena in the country. But this athletic complex right here with the stadium and arena is the nicest such facility in the country. It is an absolutely beautiful complex. We can rival anything in the country."
All of it has been completed in the last decade. Gallagher-Iba Arena renovations cost about $55 million. The west end zone renovations at Boone Pickens Stadium, the latest and greatest project, cost about $186 million.
The transition from "Rustoleum Stadium" to one of the most luxurious stadiums in college football has cost an estimated $288 million.
"The arena project was different because there was a time when our arena was considered a palace in college basketball," said Holder. "I don't think you could have ever said that about old Lewis Field.
"Our football stadium showed we didn't care."
That's no longer the case, and Holder vows football will remain at the top of the wish list in OSU athletics.
An indoor practice facility, tagged at about $50 million, will almost surely be the next project in the planned OSU athletic village north of Boone Pickens Stadium.
"People have been saying, 'Wait 'til next year for OSU football,' " said Holder. "Well, I've been waiting 43 years for next year to come.
"I tell our fans and alums that if you want next year to come, you have to do something about it. Football was a wasteland around here for a long time. Not anymore. I want next year to be here, and I'm not a patient man. Neither is Boone Pickens."
By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist
Published: 7/12/2009 2:21 AM
Last Modified: 7/12/2009 3:17 AM
OKLAHOMA STATE has spent a staggering $355 million on athletic facilities in the last decade, made even more dramatic after decades of neglect in the previous 30 years.
OSU football will complete its move into the west end zone of Boone Pickens Stadium, the latest and greatest project of what has been a remarkable building boom over seven years, sometime in the next week or two.
"Slowly but surely, one by one, we're eliminating the excuses," said OSU athletic director Mike Holder.
By contrast, from 1970 to 2002, OSU spent only about $10 million on athletic facilities.
"Pretty incredible," said Holder. "I think it shows the level of neglect and lack of commitment for football we've had around here for a long time."
Holder has become a lightning rod for criticism by many OSU fans because of escalating ticket prices, new donor levels and his often blunt assessment of athletics at Oklahoma State.
This much can be said of Holder. He is not shy. He is not afraid to tackle huge issues.
As a result, he has often angered many alums and fans. At the same time, he has gotten things done.
No athletic director in OSU history has done more in a shorter period of time and undertaken bigger and more grand plans for the future of Cowboys athletics.
That
doesn't always make him popular. But, it has made him very productive in transforming OSU athletics.
"There's no mystery to me why my predecessors were reluctant to take on some of these things," said Holder. "I have gained a quick appreciation of the size of this job. The quickest way to be unpopular is to raise ticket prices."
Holder said no decision, including the firing of men's basketball coach Sean Sutton, has caused more mail and calls than raising ticket prices.
Yet, he said he answers every piece of mail or call about ticket prices or donor levels. "I owe them an explanation," said Holder. "I answer the questions myself because that is my job. I want them to understand what we're doing and why we are doing it.
"The one thing I've learned is that there is no inconsequential decision. No matter what you do, it matters to someone out there. And every OSU fan is important to me. They are important to me because I'm one of them. I'm an OSU fan. I'm an OSU grad. I want OSU teams, in every sport, to be successful. And that's my job, to give our coaches and athletes the absolute best chance for success."
Nowhere was the need bigger than in football, the golden goose of any college athletic program. While O-State has enjoyed national success in virtually all other areas of its athletic department, football has lagged.
Holder believes football has long suffered from a lack of resources and support. As a result, changing that has been what he considers his most important job.
The move of the football program to its new luxurious home in the new luxurious Boone Pickens Stadium west end zone is another major step in changing the neglect of the past 50 years.
"Look, we've still got a long ways to go," said Holder. "This is a part of it. There is still a disparity in resources between us and some of our peers in our conference.
"All we're trying to do is give our football program a fair chance to compete. In the past, it hasn't been a fair fight."
Holder pointed to Pat Jones as a prime example of a coach who had to overachieve just to be competitive. Jones had terrific teams in the 1980's, including a Heisman Trophy winner and two future pro hall of famers.
He did so with a weight room that was in a cramped basement of a stadium Holder admitted "was Rustoleum Field."
"Look, it was easy to see the lack of commitment to football when Coach Jones was here," Holder said. "All you had to do was drive by the stadium. That told you everything you needed to know about our commitment. We had totally unrealistic expectations of our football program and of our football coaches. We got far more than we probably should have."
To win at the highest levels of college football takes a lot of different factors.
Holder knows a deluxe new stadium with a luxurious home for the team isn't the lone answer. But he believes that is moving the program in the right direction.
And if fans who haven't been to Stillwater in a few years drive up to OSU's football stadium, they are sure to be blown away.
"I hope our fans are proud," said Holder. "They should be proud.
"It is not the biggest stadium in the country. And the arena next door is not the biggest arena in the country. But this athletic complex right here with the stadium and arena is the nicest such facility in the country. It is an absolutely beautiful complex. We can rival anything in the country."
All of it has been completed in the last decade. Gallagher-Iba Arena renovations cost about $55 million. The west end zone renovations at Boone Pickens Stadium, the latest and greatest project, cost about $186 million.
The transition from "Rustoleum Stadium" to one of the most luxurious stadiums in college football has cost an estimated $288 million.
"The arena project was different because there was a time when our arena was considered a palace in college basketball," said Holder. "I don't think you could have ever said that about old Lewis Field.
"Our football stadium showed we didn't care."
That's no longer the case, and Holder vows football will remain at the top of the wish list in OSU athletics.
An indoor practice facility, tagged at about $50 million, will almost surely be the next project in the planned OSU athletic village north of Boone Pickens Stadium.
"People have been saying, 'Wait 'til next year for OSU football,' " said Holder. "Well, I've been waiting 43 years for next year to come.
"I tell our fans and alums that if you want next year to come, you have to do something about it. Football was a wasteland around here for a long time. Not anymore. I want next year to be here, and I'm not a patient man. Neither is Boone Pickens."