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NEWS
Volume 127, No. 6 Thursday, July 20, 2017
DRUMS ALONG THE ROCKIES
CSU football raises the bar STADIUM
A midfield view of the student section at the brand new on-campus stadium. PHOTO BY JAVON HARRIS COLLEGIAN
Justin Michael @JustinTMichael
Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by the Collegian or its editorial board. Walking around the on-campus football stadium, it is easy to see why everyone surrounding the Colorado State football pro-
gram is eager for the 2017 season to start. After spending the better part of the century playing on the far side of town, the Rams will make their highly anticipated return to the CSU campus with the inaugural game against Oregon State on Aug. 26. In anticipation of the return to campus, fans are encouraged to attend an open house event on Aug. 5, but members of the local media were invited to tour the new “digs” on Tuesday. Guided by Athletic Director Joe Parker and Head Football Coach Mike Bobo, more than 20 members of the local media were able to tour the Rams’ new facil-
ities and get a feel for what game day will look like in Fort Collins this fall. Starting outside of the stadium, Parker, who was covered from head to toe with TV microphones, welcomed the participants and explained exactly what this project has meant to him and what it will do for the community going forward. “For 49 years we played at Hughes Stadium,” Parker said. “So for the better part of six decades we lost the opportunity to share the university with people that are attending football games. So the project is accomplishing what we hoped it would.
It is really serving as a primary engagement asset for the university.” Parker explained that while the stadium is obviously a tremendous asset to the football program, over 100 non-football related events have already been booked in the new stadium. Ten such events have already occurred, including the Fort Collins Boys and Girls Club’s annual summer bash event. “We are seeing it pull in people to campus and that is exactly what we wanted it to do,” Parker said. Located on the southwest side of campus, the stadium in-
cludes a 9,100-square foot custom weight room, 11,000-square foot sports medicine center and allows the program to run its day to day operations from inside the stadium with custom offices and team meeting rooms. “In many ways, we probably built the best stadium in America,” Parker said. When the hoards of media members piled their way through the tunnel and out onto the field, it was almost a surreal feeling. As someone that has been on campus for the last four years as a student, and grew up watching the legendary Sonny see STADIUM on page 7 >>