Changes/updates you'd like to see to The Big House

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

With the major South Competition and Performance project completed this winter that including 3 new stadiums build on the South athletic campus and the Canham and new arena projects on their way to being presented to Regents this summer, it got me thinking "what's next?".

Now this doesn't have to be a major renovation, but what changes would you like to see to The Big House? 

I'd like to see them finally paint championship years on the boxes so they aren't plain Blue anymore, maybe re-start the brick program and have people buy bricks again.

Something/anything highlighting the past players on the concourse? It seems like as far as the Big 3 sports go The Big House does the least to do that. 

Carcajou

April 30th, 2018 at 9:06 PM ^

...precisely because they put plastic seats on the bleachers. Worse than economy class on budget airlines. When I went, it was really uncomfortable, especially if you have legs anywhere close to long. The seat pitch is not great enough. (I don't know what the pitch is in Michigan Stadium, but I would imagine that it is not any better- maybe 32 inches?)

The last time I was there ( I think it was for a regular season UCLA game), I remember it was pretty bad, with those seats and stuck behind the UCLA alumni band. We mentioned this to an usher, and he invited us to sit near him in empty seats in the handicapped section.
 

DGM06

April 30th, 2018 at 12:15 AM ^

The game day experience is downright uncomfortable with the super narrow bleacher seats everywhere, especially if you’re in a row with more than one obese person. Individual chairs work great in NFL stadiums and the Rose Bowl, and are becoming more standard every year in college stadiums. The capacity will take a hit, but as more fans realize the game day experience at home is ridiculously comfortable and way less expensive, the huge capacity won’t matter anymore.
Keep bleachers in the student section because they’re not sitting anyway, but everywhere else in the stadium would be so much better with chairs.

ThadMattasagoblin

April 29th, 2018 at 10:38 PM ^

We need a louder environment and everyone to wear the same colors. If the fucking Iowa Hawkeyes can do that stripe thing in their stadium, there's no reason we can't get everyone to wear either blue or maize. Get the AD to send out emails, put up billboards etc. to get everyone to wear one color.

UMxWolverines

April 29th, 2018 at 10:51 PM ^

The fact they've stopped the one color thing pisses me off. And everyone has some dumb excuse as to why they can't do it. Penn State's main color is blue, but in the mid 2000s they figured out it looked cooler if everyone wore white. It's not that hard. Give this a read: http://www.collegian.psu.edu/football/article_ec0dc24e-5b5e-11e4-912a-0… PSU was fresh off losing to the likes of Toledo and Boston College at home recently and they made changes.

brad

April 29th, 2018 at 11:02 PM ^

The oversized and tightly spaced column structure under the scoreboards at each end of the stadium is garish and detracts from the overall feel. They should find some smart engineer to recreate the necessary support in the form of a block M, or at least something more subtle than a half dozen mega-columns clad in that Soviet grey paneling.

stephenrjking

April 29th, 2018 at 11:19 PM ^

Let us visit the stadium on non-game days without shelling out a bunch of cash for a tour. Let me see the brick my Dad and I got again & show it to his grandchildren who have never met him. 

SCS100

April 29th, 2018 at 11:52 PM ^

This was the response I got:

While we'd love to have the stadium open for public use, there are many liability factors that we can't overcome - from injury of guests to utilities and security in and around the stadium. We've had previous issues of vandalism and must weigh those factors with our desire to have more individuals experience the stadium.

It isn't coming back, which sucks.

Wolverine Devotee

April 30th, 2018 at 12:02 AM ^

And yet both Ray Fisher Stadium and Alumni Field are open all year.

If that email you got was from DB, I'm not surprised. In Endzone he tried to con the Regents into closing Ferry Field to the public due to "liability". 

MGoBender

April 30th, 2018 at 11:32 AM ^

Ray Fisher and Alumni are on ground level; they are practically just fields with some very nice stands surrounding the infields.  Apples and oranges.

/a former student that snuck onto Alumni field one night and ran the bases

NRK

April 30th, 2018 at 12:24 PM ^

There are completely valid liability reasons (injury, death, etc.) that would suggest that the stadium NOT be open to the public at all times. 

Now, someone could look at those and say "it's worth the risk" to have the stadium open to the public due a number of reasons, but don't cast it off as if there aren't valid liability reasons. Anyone sitting in a risk management role will tell you this.

1VaBlue1

April 30th, 2018 at 10:55 AM ^

We used to walk over from Chrisler just to look at it - snow covered, or not, during bball games.  Seeing that huge, empty stadium, with its snow covered field and endless rows of bleachers, on a dark night with just the moon...  What an awesome memory!!!  Too bad today's kids don't get to experience that.

rwatson

April 30th, 2018 at 2:26 PM ^

Stopped in there as a kid when driving by the stadium with my friend and his mom, not sure on the saeason but somewhere between March-May. Jay Feely and the punter at the time were in the stadium kicking. We caught the field goals for Jay and threw them back on the field, then he invited us down on the field to (attempt) to catch kickoffs and Punts. one of my favorite memories from my childhood. 

GoBlueGoWings

April 29th, 2018 at 11:25 PM ^

Something on the boxes, it is plain.

A cash only line on the very slim chance that I may pay for food at the stadium.

That they never serve beer. Enough people get up and leave already. Do your drinking before and after the game or get better at sneaking it in.

 

JWG Wolverine

April 29th, 2018 at 11:42 PM ^

Ok, this is an interesting conversation:

  • I would love to see something on the boxes, as long as it looks tasteful and not tacky
  • I WANT A BRICK! Bring the program back.
  • Bring the Pom Poms back (in current maize), because we clearly can't get ourselves together when it comes to wearing the same color.
  • MORE NOISE ON DEFENSE, Classic Michigan Stadium Library Voices on Offense
  • Let the MMB have first say on when to play and when to allow for piped in music.
  • Bullwinkle!
  • Better (and more full) student section
  • No more rivals beating us at our house

Those are all the things that immediately come to mind.

DoubleAlumni

April 30th, 2018 at 1:52 AM ^

The South endzone could use extra energy since it's far from the student section and has visiting fans nearby.  A recent alumni section in the endzone would be a great way to connect with recent alumni, encourage them to return with fellow alumni, and make some extra noise.  

NFG

April 30th, 2018 at 6:33 AM ^

7NA constantly blarring. 

Strippers. Male or female. I don't care. 

A fighting cock pit near the M-den on the North end.

A booth where you can throw your empty Absopure cup at a member of the MMB.

Ghost of Fritz…

April 30th, 2018 at 7:23 AM ^

do something with the facade of the two towers that face the field.  Maybe put "The University of Michigan" and then the unversity seal, or something.  Would have to be tasteful and not over the top. 

As they are now the facades have nothing on them.   And it could look better than just a blank nothing.

USMC 1371

April 30th, 2018 at 7:30 AM ^

Start taking people’s season tickets if someone wearing red is in their seat. I’m sick of seeing 1/4 of our stadium filled with those people. It’s an embarrassment.