Posted by coffee  11/13/2025 2:13 pm | #1 |
According to these guidelines, Duquesne’s football “stadium” should seat at least 5K.
https://verifiedathletics.com/athlete-resources/2018/12/4/understand-the-different-college-football-divisions
Rooney Field is the smallest in all Division I Football, yet we try to be competitive in recruiting and attendance. I’ve brought friends and family to Rooney and it is not a collegiate atmosphere. We have room to build a horseshoe shaped field to get to 5K but refuse to. Or we can play at least some games at beautiful Highmark across the river.
I was on campus to hear Marshall soccer team laughing their butts off when they heard we play football there.
Take away the on street parking and build out the main grandstands and put permanent seating in the West Endzone all around to more seats on the visitors side.
Put a camera platform on the visitors side so they can see that there are people at the game.
Why would a quality athlete want to play at a stadium that holds half of what his high school field holds?
If we build it they will come.
Last edited by coffee (11/13/2025 2:15 pm)
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Posted by townsonkid 11/16/2025 2:02 pm | #2 |
Same issue pitt has, where are you building it? Where it is now? Otherwise its off campus and no students will go.
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Posted by Face 11/17/2025 3:32 am | #3 |
I understand that the Riverhounds do not want their field used for football. I don’t think it’s an option.
As for what could be done to Rooney, I agree you could build backward and remove street parking. You could also probably put stands on the Mellon side. You couldn’t do anything on the Towers side - there’s no room. Even if you put it on the roof of the field house you’d be blocking dorm room windows. I don’t think anything could happen on the away side without cutting way more into A-Walk.
There’s just nowhere to go with it. It’s obviously a problem but I don’t know that there’s an elegant solution. I suppose it depends on what Duquesne thinks the long-term vision is for football. We’re better off now than the MAAC days, though despite the autobid, the NEC occupies the low tiers of FCS just like the MAAC did.
Could try to buy Cupples from PPSD but that’d still require extensive renovation - it’s fine for HS but not for more. And that assumes they’d even want to sell. And that students would want to go to South Side for games. Perhaps they’d sell if the city league could work an agreement to still use it and then they benefit from any renovations.
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Posted by coffee 11/17/2025 3:38 pm | #4 |
There is room to add about 9 rows to the top of the main stands. The street could be moved over a lane by eliminating the row of parking along the cliff and then building out over a new sidewalk.
Highmark used to host the Pittsburgh Passion Football and Central Catholic. Even if they only play a few games there a year. A regional team like YSU may want to play there since its an easy travel for them.
There is room for a few rows in front of Mellon Hall and CERTAINLY on the Academic Walk. A horse shoe shape.
5,000 is better than 2,000.
Last edited by coffee (11/17/2025 3:43 pm)
