Star-Telegram.com: Cowboys Stadium

TCU hopes to reap benefits from Super Bowl spotlight

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:15 CDT

By JAN HUBBARD

The dream scenario makes Danny Morrison a little giddy. Super Bowl XLV is still more than 19 months away, but that means the TCU athletic director has plenty of time to reap the benefits from TCU hosting the AFC team the week before the Super Bowl.

TCU is the only college in the North Texas area that has an official function, and that should create a public relations bonanza.

There is little doubt what the biggest could be. What if TCU-ex LaDainian Tomlinson can somehow prolong his running back magic and the San Diego Chargers manage to represent the AFC in the North Texas Super Bowl?

That would mean the Chargers would practice at TCU for the week leading up to the Super Bowl on Feb. 6, 2011, and do you think there might be some promotional and recruiting possibilities tied into Tomlinson’s return to TCU?

"That’d be fantastic," Morrison said, laughing and smiling at the suggestion. "We would love that. That would be great. That would be special for LaDainian and any of our TCU players in the NFL. It would be wonderful having them on the Super Bowl team and using the TCU facilities."

Yes, it would be beneficial for TCU to set up that photo shoot with Tomlinson in a Chargers uniform standing in front of a photo of Tomlinson in his TCU uniform. That would make a nice little recruiting brochure to send to every top running back in the country — and also a few large offensive linemen.

Tomlinson, who is in town to run his football camp, said he would like to be in any Super Bowl. But to be with the Chargers, practice at TCU and stay at the Omni Fort Worth downtown the week before the Super Bowl and then play it in Arlington would be a great homecoming.

"It would be nice," he said. "I’d be able to show the guys, 'Hey, this is my school.’ Brag a little bit."

Former Dallas Cowboys executive Gil Brandt said that regardless of the AFC representative, TCU will benefit from being the only college connected with the event.

"I think they’ll get a lot of positive recruiting things out of it," Brandt said. "The exposure TCU is going to get will be absolutely unbelievable. The facilities they have are state of the art. Their indoor facility is fantastic, and the practice fields are fantastic.

"People won’t see them during practices because practices will be closed. But a lot of people will be coming over to grab people after practice and there is going to be a lot of talk about how great their facilities are. It can really help their program."

Morrison is excited about the possibilities of increasing TCU’s profile and desirability to high school football players, but he also said that the benefits to the Fort Worth business and entertainment communities will be significant.

"We feel like it will be a good recruiting thing for us and good exposure for TCU," Morrison said. "You’ve got national and international media all reporting from your campus and the visual images of the facilities make a difference. I think that people that have hosted Super Bowl practices in the past have seen a bounce and a benefit from it.

"The most important thing is that an AFC team will be staying in Fort Worth. We feel like there’s so much to showcase in Fort Worth and it took a concerted effort with us, the hotels and the community to get it done."

The key component in TCU’s presentation to the NFL was the Sam Baugh Indoor Practice Facility, which opened two years ago. SMU was also interested in hosting one of the Super Bowl teams and it also has good facilities, too. But it does not have an indoor facility, and that is crucial in early February.

TCU also opened the Meyer-Martin Athletic Complex last year, and it has 40,000 square feet of meeting space and a players lounge that will provide ample room for an NFL team and all the functions necessary to prepare for the Super Bowl.

"Their indoor practice facility is just something that is unmatched — even outside of Texas," said Bill McConnell, the NFL’s director of event operations. "What they have done not only on the field but off the field is visionary. They’ve got something special going on there, and we’re happy to be a part of it."

The big event is still more than a year away, but TCU is hoping the benefits will be evident much sooner.

Fans impressed as tours of Cowboys Stadium begin

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:56 CDT

By JEFF CAPLAN

ARLINGTON — Cowboys Stadium attracted thousands of American Idol hopefuls on Friday — and a couple of hundred of the team’s faithful for the first tours.

OK, so the approximately 10,000 who came out for the American Idol auditions greatly outnumbered the Cowboys fans. But a strong contingent still arrived at 9 a.m. to be the first to be guided through the massive stadium’s 2.6 million square feet.

"Very impressed. Amazing," Cowboys fan Jason Bass of North Richland Hills said.

Bass brought his wife, Traci, 7-year-old daughter Maddison and his mother, Pat Fausnight. Tickets (normally $15 for adults, $12 for children) were discounted $3 because some aspects of the stadium, such as the field, are not completed.

"This is awesome," Fausnight said. "I just hope I can afford to go to a game."

The tour begins inside the team’s Pro Shop and heads upstairs to the Club Level, which offered a terrific view of the gigantic video board hanging above the auditions below, where the synthetic football field will soon be installed.

Jeff Felkins drove eight hours with his wife and two daughters from Flippin, Ark. Felkins tried to spot 16-year-old daughter Jacey and wife, Charla, in the stands as Jacey nervously waited for her audition number to be called.

While they waited, Felkins and his 14-year-old daughter, Shaley, marveled at the new stadium.

"We’re Cowboys fans, definitely," said Jeff Felkins, a produce manager at the Flippin Wal-Mart. "My grandmother got me hooked on them probably when I was 9.

"This is beyond description," he said. "I told my wife if we can drive here eight hours for American Idol, we can drive here for a ballgame."

The tour ventured further up to the master control room, something like a network news production room, full of high-definition TVs, computers, panels, switches and buttons that control images seen on the huge video boards as well as the 3,000 HD TVs throughout the stadium.

A stop at the largest sliding glass doors in the world offered an impressive view of Rangers Ballpark before everyone headed downstairs for a stop in the unfinished Cowboys locker room.

The final attraction was at field level, inside the Suite Owners Club, where those fortunate fans will cheer on the Cowboys as they make their way from the locker room and onto the field.

Tours run every day, every half-hour and last about an hour. For the next few months, though, expect to see ladders, equipment and workers in hard hats along the way as workers continue to put on the finishing touches.

Dallas Blythe didn’t mind. Originally from Iowa, he was celebrating 28 years of living in North Texas.

He became a Cowboys fan on Day One and spent many Sunday afternoons at old Texas Stadium.

"You drive by Texas Stadium now and it’s pretty sad looking compared to this," Blythe said. "It’s a work of art."

If you go

Tours run every 30 minutes, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and (11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays, excluding game days and other scheduled events.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for children.

10,000 audition for 'American Idol' at Cowboys Stadium

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:51 CDT

By TOM MAURSTAD

ARLINGTON — It’s a marriage made in heaven: The new Cowboys Stadium looks like a giant aquarium, and American Idol is the biggest whale in pop culture.

The power of that synergy was on display in the pre-dawn darkness Friday as about 10,000 Idol hopefuls waited outside the stadium for their chance to audition for the show. The auditions concluded at 6 p.m.

"It’s way bigger than we expected, and I think that has a lot to do with being here and the excitement over the new stadium," said Patrick Lynn, Idol’s supervising producer.

There’s a long history devoted to the pursuit of the American dream, but judging from the scene at the stadium, that history is being rewritten now as the American Idol dream.

Millions watch the TV show, are entertained and inspired by it, but this day was all about the people who believe in it so much that they were willing to drive hundreds of miles and wait in line for hours, just for a chance to make it come true.

At the very front were two young women who had arrived at 3:30 a.m.: Brittany Moore of Irving and Korteney Garrett of Houston. Both are 19, and both have been singing, as Garrett put it, "since I was in diapers."

Moore was trying to keep her dream reasonable. "I would just like to make it to Simon," she said, referring to Simon Cowell, one of the show’s four celebrity judges who weren’t here for this preliminary round. They will fly in for later auditions for those who make Friday’s cut.

But Garrett didn’t come this far to practice restraint. "I want to get to Hollywood, have the whole American Idol experience, get famous, be a star."

Singers get about 30 seconds to make an impression, Lynn said. "It’s not long, but it’s long enough to know if someone’s got what we’re looking for."

Sometimes these first-round judges don’t even need that long.

"They let me sing for maybe 10 or 15 seconds," said Amanda Cake, 24, of Fort Worth, who barely got to the chorus of LeAnn Rimes’ How Do I Live. "They just told my group [auditions were conducted in groups of four] that 'the voice wasn’t there’ and we were done."

Beyond voice, Lynn said, "We’re also trying to put together a really good show. So we want passion. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, but that’s what we’re looking for."

Such wide-eyed hope and make-a-dream ambitions had a particular resonance on the day after the death of Michael Jackson.

"Michael Jackson is a huge influence on the show and all the people who try out," Lynn said. "I’d say 1 out of 3 people in auditions sings a Michael Jackson song."

Back at the end of the line, 19-year-old Tiavnea Butts from Carrollton was hoping for her Michael Jackson moment, even though she planned to sing a Stevie Wonder song, My Cherie Amour.

"I was talking to Michael as I drove here, asking him to pass on some inspiration," she said.

Cowboys Stadium tours draw "awesome" reviews

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:39 CDT

JEFF CAPLAN

Cowboys Stadium attracts thousands of American Idol hopefuls, and a couple hundred of the team’s faithful for the first tours.

OK, so about 10,000 came for American Idol auditions, but a strong contingent of a couple hundred Cowboys faithful arrived at 9 a.m., to be the first to be guided through the massive stadium’s 2.6 million square feet.

“Very impressed. Amazing,” Cowboys fan Jason Bass of North Richland Hills said.

Bass brought his wife Traci, 7-year-old daughter Maddison and his mother Pat Fausnight. Tickets (normally $15 for adults, $12 for children) were discounted $3 because some aspects of the stadium, such as the field, are not completed.

“This is awesome,” Fausnight said. “I just hope I can afford to go to a game.”

The tour begins inside the team’s Pro Shop and heads upstairs to the Club Level which offered a terrific view of the gigantic video board hanging above the auditions below where the synthetic football field will soon be installed.

Jeff Felkins drove eight hours with his wife and two daughters from Flippin, Ark. Felkins tried to spot 16-year-old daughter Jacey and wife Charla in the stands as Jacey nervously waited for her audition number to be called.

While they waited, Felkins and his 14-year-old daughter Shaley marveled at the pomp of the new stadium. “We’re Cowboys fans, definitely,” said Jeff Felkins, a produce manager at the Flippin Wal-Mart. “My grandmother got me hooked on them probably when I was 9.

“This is beyond description,” he continued. “I told my wife if we can drive here eight hours for American Idol, we can drive here for a ballgame.”

A stop at the largest sliding glass doors in the world offered a breathtaking view of Rangers Ballpark before everyone headed downstairs for a stop in the unfinished Cowboys locker room.

The final attraction was at field level inside the Suite Owners Club, where those fortunate fans will cheer on the Cowboys as they make their way from the locker room and onto the field.

Tours run seven days a week from 9 a.m., to 6 p.m., every half-hour and last about an hour. The only exception is on Sundays when the tours will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. excluding game days and other scheduled events such as concerts. For the next few months, though, along the way expect to see ladders, equipment and workers in hard hats putting on the finishing touches.

Dallas Blythe didn’t mind. Originally from Iowa, he celebrates 28 years living in North Texas today. He became a Cowboys fan on Day One and spent many Sunday afternoons at old Texas Stadium.

“You drive by Texas Stadium now and it’s pretty sad looking compared to this,” Blythe said. “It’s a work of art.”

Jeff Caplan, 817-390-7760

Arlington philanthropist donating $100,000 to help pay for sculpture near Cowboys Stadium

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:03 CDT

By SUSAN SCHROCK

ARLINGTON — The once-controversial Caelum Moor sculpture will be erected near Cowboys Stadium next week, but it isn’t the only public artwork coming to the entertainment district.

Professor and local philanthropist Allan Saxe said Thursday that he plans to donate $100,000 to the city over several years to help pay for another sculpture that would also be erected near Rangers Ballpark and the new stadium.

Saxe, 70, said his love of sports and art spurred him to fund a significant portion of an illuminated metal sculpture the city plans to install north of the ponds by the ballpark.

"Most of the money I’ve given away over my lifetime has gone to hospitals, colleges and the Humane Society," Saxe said. "I’m sort of serving my ego by doing something like this, by trying to connect myself to the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers. Hopefully it will be good for the public as well."

The 50-foot conelike sculpture would be erected in the Road to Six Flags roundabout in front of the Siemens building, northwest of the ballpark. The sculpture is expected to cost $250,000, which the city hopes to pay for by using private donations.

'Big ice cream cone’

Saxe, an associate professor of political science at the University of Texas at Arlington, said his contribution will come from his retirement account.

"What I really wanted was my name on the Cowboys Stadium," Saxe said. "In my estimation, this is a close second."

A sculpture was not Saxe’s original idea when he approached the city about making a contribution a couple of months ago. He had envisioned a public garden near Cowboys Stadium with a large plaque welcoming fans to the "best sports stadium in the world."

The plaque, like most of his gifts, would feature his name.

"I want to see my 'memorials’ while I am still alive and well," Saxe said in his letter to the mayor and council.

But the city was working on a plan to bring more public art to the entertainment district and persuaded Saxe to support the metal sculpture. Saxe looked at drawings of the sculpture, described as an icon and a "big ice cream cone," and signed on.

"I’m just so excited about this project. It is going to be really classy," Saxe said. "It could be really beautiful at nighttime."

The tapered sculpture, designed by the PBS&J engineering, planning and architecture firm, will be perforated and filled with LEDs in different colors, Deputy City Manager Trey Yelverton said.

"Based on how you drive around it, it gives this twinkling effect. It makes it seem like the light is alive and shimmering," Yelverton said.

In August, the Arlington City Council will discuss fundraising and sponsorships for the artwork, information kiosks and other gateway markers that will help unify the look of the entertainment district, Yelverton said. The council will also discuss ways to give donors such as Saxe appropriate recognition.

Though this is Saxe’s first contribution to outdoor public art, his "self-serving" philanthropy has placed his name on items ranging from an art gallery and softball field at UT-Arlington to a dental clinic for disadvantaged families.

"I’m not a very wealthy person. If I would have kept all the money instead of giving it away or buying art, I could have had a nice life," Saxe said.

'Caelum Moor’

The metal sculpture is not completely funded, but the city is spending about $900,000 to re-create Caelum Moor, a 540-ton granite sculpture, off Randol Mill Road between the sports venues. Sculptor Norm Hines will oversee the re-creation of his constellation-inspired sculpture, which will begin Tuesday morning, Parks Director Pete Jamieson said.

Rangers seek lot including RV parking near Cowboys Stadium

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:15 CDT

By SUSAN SCHROCK

ARLINGTON — Cowboy fans who want to get to the game early — but still have some of the creature comforts — would be allowed to park their RVs near the new stadium under a plan being proposed by the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers will go before the Arlington City Council on Tuesday to request turning the former Stonegate Pines mobile home park into a grassy parking lot for RVs and other vehicles.

The Rangers bought the mobile home park in 2007 to turn it into parking for the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and Cowboys Stadium. The football and baseball teams have a shared parking agreement.

The 18-acre site sits near Johnson Creek southeast of the football stadium and would have access either off Stadium Drive or Sanford Drive, said Bruce Payne, the city’s community development and planning assistant director.

The team has not submitted plans to the city yet that show how many spaces could be added.

The plans are to reinforce the ground with a meshlike material that would support the weight of the vehicles while allowing the grass to grow and water to be absorbed. The Cowboys have similar pervious parking areas designed to reduce storm-water runoff.

If approved, overnight parking could be allowed at that lot, and tailgating would be allowed on the perimeters of other lots, city officials said.

Other parking issues

Businesses surrounding the Cowboys Stadium who want to cash in on entertainment venue parking will have to pay the city first.

The council is also expected to vote Tuesday on a new ordinance that would require lot operators to obtain an annual permit before being allowed to charge people to park on private property.

The ordinance also outlines requirements, such as prominently posting prices, having liability insurance and providing a parking plan to the city for approval, which entrepreneurial parking lot operators will have to follow.

Businesses near Rangers Ballpark have been operating cash parking lots for years.

But with the opening of the $1.15 billion Cowboys Stadium, city officials have concerns about fans being taken advantage of by price gouging or having their vehicles towed from unauthorized locations.

Annual permits

During the stadium’s inaugural event June 6, city officials said they saw multiple cash lots, where fans could have been towed for parking illegally, such as on the grass or even on city property.

Under the new ordinance, commercial parking would be allowed only at active businesses and institutions, such as churches, and would not be allowed in residential areas or at vacant commercial properties.

Lots must be paved, striped and lit, and the city would allow temporary lighting equipment to meet the requirements. The annual permit fees would cost between $150 and $400.

Arlington landowners lose appeal in Texas Supreme Court over land fight with Cowboys

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:10 CDT

Landowners lose

ARLINGTON — The Texas Supreme Court declined last week to hear an appeal by Arlington landowners who sued the city after their property was taken through eminent domain for the new Cowboys Stadium.

The owners previously lost their argument before the 2nd Court of Appeals in Fort Worth that the city’s lease with the NFL team is illegal because it is too broad and the city has no control over the stadium.

The city argued before the appeals court last year that it legally obtained the owners’ 17 parcels and other property. Arlington officials also said Texas’ local government code allows the city to make leases with private entities.

The city spent more than $80 million to buy about 150 parcels covering about 200 acres for the $1.15 billion stadium, which opened this month. — Staff report

Cowboys Stadium makes adjustments for young crowd expected at Jonas Brothers concert

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:52 CDT

By ANDREA AHLES

Cowboys Stadium management is making tweaks for the teens expected Saturday for the Jonas Brothers concert.

After listening to complaints about food service at the inaugural concert June 6, and to accommodate a younger crowd, the staff has been stocking storerooms and updating traffic patterns.

Also, a parking lot south of the stadium has been set aside for adults to drop off kids and then return to pick them up.

"These changes were a direct response to feedback that we got from venues that have hosted similar events," said Cowboys spokesman Brett Daniels. "We have a lot of parents bringing groups of kids for this event."

Parking lots will open at 4 p.m. and the stadium entrances at 5:30 p.m.

The concert is expected to start at 7 p.m. and end about 10:30 p.m. Tickets were still available at Ticketmaster on Thursday.

Waiting areas

Adults may drop off concertgoers at Lot 11 at North Collins Street and Cowboys Way. Drivers will not be allowed to park. Starting at 8 p.m., drivers can return and park to wait to pick up kids.

Additional staff and police will patrol Lot 11 and a waiting area for children whose parents have yet to arrive.

A hospitality tent for parents will be set up in the west end-zone plaza, which is closest to Collins Street. Admission is free, and concessions such as hot dogs, hamburgers and sodas will be available for purchase, Daniels said.

Concertgoers should also check the Web site, dallascowboysmaps.com, to find the best route to a prepaid parking lot or a cash lot, Daniels said.

Parking, which was $40 for the George Strait concert, will cost $30 on Saturday.

Food service issues

People at the opening concert gave the stadium high marks for traffic plans and interior design, but there were complaints about concessions, Daniels said.

Some customers had to wait more than an hour for frozen margaritas, and some concession stands had no forks or straws. Daniels said he expects concessions to be fully stocked for the Jonas Brothers concert.

"We’ve had two additional weeks to stock the stands, run them and train folks," Daniels said. "We’re continuing to work through the whole food service process."

Texting and talking

At the Strait concert, almost 1 million cellphone calls and text messages were sent from the stadium.

But there were still some complaints about spotty cellphone coverage and problems making phone calls during the event.

Daniels said cellphone companies have kept temporary towers up in the parking lots and have boosted the capacity of their existing cell towers in the entertainment district.

Cowboys Stadium designed for an integrated future

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:06 CDT

By JEFF CAPLAN

ARLINGTON — With one eye fixated on the kickoff of the 2009 football season and the other focused five years down the technological road, the Dallas Cowboys and Cisco Systems have collaborated to take Cowboys Stadium beyond state-of-the-art.

"Our fans are going to have a sensory experience when they come to events here," Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. "It will be a sensory experience from everything to even buying a hot dog."

Cisco’s Connected Sports Solutions, deployed through a project with AT&T, provides Cowboys Stadium operators the ability to customize digital signage from event-to-event, much the way one might program a playlist into an MP3 player.

With the push of a button, event-specific advertising and targeted promotions, whether directed at the pre-teen demographic for Saturday night’s Jonas Brothers concert or frenzied football fans for the Cowboys’ Sept. 20 home opener, will instantly appear on high-definition monitors throughout the stadium as well as ribbon boards and other electronic video boards.

From the fans’ perspective, the Cisco network includes 3,000 high-definition televisions perched throughout the concourses, designed so fans will never miss any of the action on the field when they leave their seats.

If a hot dog is on the agenda, nine side-by-side flat-screen TVs above the concession windows will take on different tasks. Some will show the menu items, some will show the game, while others display advertising or promotions.

The best, however, is likely yet to come. Interactivity is a high priority. Starting this season, eight cameras will follow the action on the field and beam it to the world’s largest video board 90 feet above the field.

The Cowboys foresee a time, for example, when fans can connect to the feed from their seats on a hand-held device and watch instant replays or view game statistics.

"We are able to deliver a destination experience that extends beyond a football game and really changes the way fans interact in the stadium," said Pete Walsh, head of technology for the Cowboys. "Our investment in technology goes beyond what we can do today for our fans and partners. We are positioned to be able to adapt to their ever-changing needs for years to come."

Larry King Live! makes stop at Cowboys Stadium

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:13 CDT

JEFF CAPLAN

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones took center stage Wednesday at Cowboys Stadium, proudly showing off the state-of-the art partnership with Cisco Systems, from the 3,000 high-definition televisions perched throughout the concourses to the fully digitalized and computerized signage system.

However, it didn’t take long for Jones to play second fiddle.

Down on the stadium’s floor, crews busily worked on the stage for Saturday night’s Jonas Brothers concert. Adjacent to the main stage was a temporary television set, lights on and ready to roll.

To figure out what was going on, all one had to do was look overhead at the world’s largest video board which read: Larry King Live!

At about 2:30 p.m., CNN’s legendary host, trailed by a cast of network associates, made his way through the new stadium. Wearing blue corduroys, a red button-down and tie, and his trademark suspenders, the 75-year-old King shook Jones’ hand, followed him for a brief tour before making his way to the floor to prepare for the day’s big interview.

No, not with Jones, but those adorable Jonas Brothers.