The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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this is the home of Michigan football. This is where the greatest football pro- gram in America lives. That's what we're trying to create with that design, and I think we have." Rademacher noted the present dis- We'll have the ability to expand for a certain number of years." In addition to the redesigned dis- play area — featuring everything from Heisman Trophies to leather helmets to tributes involving Michigan's great- est players and coaches — will change significantly. That space, he noted, will essentially be gutted, to allow for ad- ditional displays and a redesign. "We'll add more space and create new display space, so when current student-athletes, prospective student- athletes, the public, staff and guests walk in, they're going to be wowed," he said. They'll certainly focus a double plays on the first floor, the upgrade will allow for a pro scout lounge, with several television monitors and sta- tions for scouts to work when they're in town. The space will double as a press conference area and media workroom. "We have weekly press conferences in there," Rademacher said. "Right now, we have no place for the media to sit afterwards and write their stories. That space will fill the need there." A new marquee, costing $2.8 mil- The redone Crisler Center is expected to be ready by the start of the basketball season, and will feature a grand entrance with an escalator and waterfall, an expanded and richly finished concourse, and new concessions and display areas. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL take or two on the new "Win Wall," a curved, free-standing display that will start on the first floor and rise up into the rear of the new recruiting lounge in the upstairs area. That wall will consist of glass-encased footballs, one for each of Michigan's football victories over the years. At the bottom, the first row will take lion, will go up outside Gate 2 on the southeast corner of Michigan Sta- dium, near Crisler Arena. It will stand 27 feet high and 48 feet wide, with the bottom of the marquee some 21 feet off the ground. U-M plans to use the board for promotion of upcom- ing events, along with athletic depart- ment announcements. Meanwhile, the newest varsity note of Michigan's 1-0 triumph over Racine on May 30, 1879. Some 894 such tributes will follow, with space allowed for many more. "We have 895 wins," Rademacher pointed out. "Every time we win a game, we'll add a football to this wall. sports at Michigan, men's and wom- en's lacrosse, need a home to call their own. This past season, the men's team played its games in Oosterbaan Field House and Michigan Stadium. "They definitely need a facility," crosse. When women's lacrosse comes on board, we'll probably put them in Crisler Arena. That's not what we're all about. "We're developing a plan that will Rademacher said. "Right now, we have some office trailers they're work- ing out of. We have locker rooms in the baseball stadium for men's la- Michigan's Money Position In A Nutshell Michigan director of athletics David Brandon reports, annually, regarding the financial state of the department to the school's Board of Regents. Here is his Executive Summary to that body: allowance for deferred maintenance. • Michigan Stadium premium seats are sold out with waiting lists. • Projects in process: Crisler Center and Yost Ice Arena renovation projects. Sustained Operating Margins Have Allowed For Significant Investment In Facilities • Budgeted operating surplus of $5.8 million for fiscal year '13, after $4.5 million Sound Financial Position • Athletics expects to end fiscal year 2012 with approximately $333 million in net assets. • Endowment balances are approximately $63 million as of March 2012. • Total debt increases to approximately $240 million from final phase of the Crisler renovation project. tant future projects planned. • Aggressive fundraising plans are being developed and will be executed to support capital projects. • Operating forecasts, combined with significant upside fundraising potential for capital, allows Athletics to address several significant physical plant priorities. Sufficient Funds Will Be Available To Continue Investment In Physical Plant • Facilities planning process continues for Athletics campus with several impor- 64 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2012 take care of both team's needs and pro- vide the facilities those student-ath- letes and coaches deserve. For the near future, they'll still compete at Ooster- baan for home games, and Michigan Stadium for outdoor games." There is no timeline at this point, he noted. Brandon, though, has identified this as a top goal. "It's a high priority," Rademacher concurred. "Right now we have stu- dent-athletes who are coming to Mich- igan, and we have the responsibility to create a home for them. We plan to do that." Michigan's field hockey team is also looking for a significant upgrade to its present situation. The program has a place to perform, but everything sur- rounding it needs work, according to Rademacher. "We currently have a building that's not really functional," he said. "We have high school bleachers, with no press box. We pull in a trailer for a press box. Our hope is that we can up- grade both those facilities to where we have appropriate team locker rooms, appropriate meeting rooms, appropri- ate coaches' offices out there. "One of our philosophies going for- ward is, anything we build, we'll move the coaches' offices out to their facili- ties, so the student-athletes will have a one-stop shop. They can practice, they