Amon G. Carter Stadium News Conference Quotes
8/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 16, 2010
FORT WORTH, Texas -- TCU announced Monday a renovation of Amon G. Carter Stadium will take place immediately after the conclusion of the 2010 season.
Included below are excepts from a news conference held in the Four Sevens Team Room inside the Meyer-Martin Athletic Complex.
TCU Chancellor Dr. Victor J. Boschini Jr.
On the stadium renovation announcement ...
"We're here to announce a stadium renovation and we're all excited about that. It's a great time to be a Horned Frog and this is another great example of that."
On TCU's commitment to facilities for its students ...
"We're committed, at Texas Christian University, to providing excellent facilities both inside and outside the classroom. Thanks to a great group of donors at TCU, we're going to be able to do that in one of the biggest buildings on campus."
On the support of the donors ...
"On behalf of Texas Christian University, I want to thank the donors that made this possible. Their support helps us to provide a vibrant learning experience for our students and a vibrant living experience for our students. The renovation of Amon G. Carter Stadium would not have happened without this donor support. We're extremely grateful to the kickoff gift from the Amon G. Carter Foundation. Their gift enabled this to happen."
Chairman of the TCU Board of Trustees Luther King
On the ability to renovate the stadium ...
"It's a great time at TCU, and it's a great time to be a Horned Frog. The stadium renovation is an example of the current momentum that exists, not only at TCU, but throughout Fort Worth. A big part of that momentum has been driven by athletics and, in particular, Gary Patterson and the football team."
On the importance of the renovation...
"The renovation will not only benefit TCU, but it will benefit TCU, Fort Worth and Tarrant County. It's really a big deal, not only to our school, but also to our city. The stadium renovation will lift the historic stadium we have to the level of athletics that currently exists at TCU."
TCU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Chris Del Conte
On the process leading up to the stadium renovation announcement ...
"You have a football program that said `we can.' You have a chancellor and a board of trustees that said `this is about students first and foremost.' We've invested so many things on this campus to enhance the life of our student experience here at TCU. It was a natural progression."
On the decision to go forward with announcing the stadium ...
"We wanted to make sure that this was not driven by institutional funds. A lot of people talked about bonded debt and all these crazy things that people look at when they announce a stadium. Many people from around the country have announced stadiums. TCU does not announce stadiums; TCU does stadiums. TCU does buildings. TCU does invest in its project. That's what we're all about. Thirty-four donors sat there and said `we can make this happen.' Eight months later, there's $105 million for a project."
On head football coach Gary Patterson ...
"Think about a coach who is out recruiting every day to make sure we remain a football program at the highest level. It's one thing to be the hunter, it's another thing to be the hunted. We've been chasing and now they're chasing us. It's not me that's barking; it's coach. You put a pyramid for your team, but you also put a pyramid for us. You put us in a place where we did not want to disappoint you."
TCU Football Coach Gary Patterson
On the building on his goals as a football coach ...
"Ten years ago, I said at my first press conference that one of my goals was to tie all four parts of Fort Worth together. I believe this stadium project is one of those situations where we get the opportunity to do that."
On the importance of the stadium ...
"It's a landmark for Fort Worth. It's an opportunity for people to be in comfort, but also to watch great football at the same time."
On if the success of the program led to the renovation ...
"I'm sure it played a part. Everybody that runs a good business doesn't just take the money out, they put the money back and they make it stronger. One of the things we've done on this campus, not just in athletics but across the board, is build things so that we have gotten better. In football, obviously, being successful has helped because you brought people to the plate. I think it's made a difference, but I don't think it's made a big difference, because I believe the people sitting in this room do things for the right reasons."
On how the stadium will help recruiting ...
"It makes an unbelievable statement. I'm not going to recruit any different type of kid. I think we're recruiting at a high level right now. Across the nation, in my business, it makes a very strong statement in what TCU is trying to get accomplished as a university."
On how the stadium will help with a home-field advantage ...
"No. 1, I think it's going to be louder. The north end zone is going to be bowled in and it will have a second level. With the south end zone being bowled in, it has really made the stadium louder because the noise has not been able to leave. Hopefully, it will keep more people in there yelling."
