Right, I was just being a smart ass. With their newfound FBS/MAC affiliation, it's doubtful they will travel to Davis again until we're "at their level" :rofl: No way we go out there without a guarantee for now.

I'm fine with that.

Got answers back from campus design and construction as well as the athletic department. Basically summarized as this “thanks for reaching out, the stadium upgrades at UCDHS are still in the fundraising stage and are working on securing funds. We will send an updated timeline once the project funding has been secured”.

Perhaps someone will shock the world at the wine fundraiser but it sounds like donations are still needed.

Be lucky to see Club boxes by 2028 season...

are still in the fundraising stage and are working on securing funds. We will send an updated timeline once the project funding has been secured” — Jdur

This is what I was saying.....we 'ain't building nothin' yet. They've only just asked us to pay for it.

Sac and Davis are doing the same thing.....Sac is just pretending super hard.

And wildly increasing their expenses in the meantime...

Aggie Ascent has a website, https://aggieascent.ucdavis.edu/vision, but i personally have not seen any solicitations for donations. Maybe they’re still in the bid mode with contractors.

yeah i was gonna say reach out for Aggie ascent had been nonexistent nor advertised outside of that first post when they announced it

Whoever is going to the wine event can ask and get some answers.

I don’t understand why they don’t have a page for direct donations for the stadium.

Lack of transparency in where each dollar donated goes has always been an issue in my view. Probably holding back a lot more dollars from flowing in.

Here you go: https://swarmfunding.csus.edu/project/44018/donate

“ I don’t understand why they don’t have a page for direct donations for the stadium.”
Maybe they’re lining up bigger deals before they go for crowd funding. Cache Creek has always been hands off for development for the various schools except the chancellors office. I’ve always thought they would be a natural to support athletics, especially since campus has supported their needs on an advisory level.

I have no knowledge specific to this project, but it is common to have a quiet period where big dollars from donors, sponsors, and politicians are put together to create critical momentum before they ask you and I to buy an engraved paver. Speed of construction is often based on financial strategy because the full cost of construction typically isn’t just sitting ready in checking. Sure, performance and schedule bonuses can speed up a contractor if the owner wants to pay (like Stanford rebuilding their stadium in 9 months). But other times donors may be splitting contributions over multiple tax years and bonds or loans may be issued on a quarterly schedule. It can slow projects dramatically if the schedule of when you need to buy materials doesn’t quite match what quarter the money is available. Happens in both public and investor projects.

This is super helpful thank you!!

This isn’t that. The aspirations are plastered everywhere, including on Twitter by the athletic director. The AD really does not have any idea how to ask for support. It’s somewhat amazing that Edwards was able to get someone at the university to accept the wire for the training center. They continue to rely on the last crew of living donors from the Sochor era. Here’s how they treat the corporate partners:

https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/2018/5/29/corporate-partners-ucda-corporate-partners-html.aspx

And this is the spot for fundraising updates:

https://aggieascent.ucdavis.edu/news/19

Just total lack of competence with respect to facilities and fundraising.

Well, one thing UC Davis taught me was how to learn...and learn quickly, or be left behind, so hopefully our Administration is getting their act together and improving their game. Now's the time to step it up.

:clap:

This hits too close to home. I remember calling home with a lot of doubt.

Not going to start a new thread for this, but was reading an article in Vanity Fair about the super elite meet and greet over in Monte Rio that we aren't supposed to know or talk about - you know the place, in the redwoods with the giant owl statue: Bohemian Grove.. This article:

https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/share/895a393a-52cc-46f5-a055-404e91c291bf

Long story short, the author mentions a run in with your former football coach at Bohemian Grove!.. kind of interesting:

Only one elderly gentleman has arrived, so I plunk myself down two chairs away from him. It turns out he is the retired coach of the U.C. Davis football team. We talk football. I tell him about the crucial sack my son, a six-foot-six-inch defensive end for the Yale Bulldogs, made during the 2003 Harvard-Yale game. He says Davis plays in Division I-AA, same as the Ivy League. He couldn’t be nicer. “You sure have a good time in here,” I say as I study the program for this year’s encampment, and the old coach says with a blissed-out smile, “Yes, we sure do.

Small world for sure! Personally, I always thought they were talking about global domination and how to make light bulbs burn out faster there, but never thought they were talking FCS football!

So, I'm thinking.. who could this retired UC Davis "old coach" be at the Grove? The timeline appears to be fitting Jim Sochor.. Thankfully wikileaks gave us the list of attendees from 2008 and sure enough, it's Sochor:

https://wikileaks.org/wiki/Bohemian_Grove_Guest_List_2008 Hilarious!

Since Jim has passed (RIP) Maybe you guys should ask the Bohemian Grove members for money for the stadium expansion, I've heard most of them are super well to do.. They might ask you to sacrifice an effigy in front of a giant owl to get the money, but it's probably worth it if you can somehow screw over Sac State in some sort of Mountain West Conference FBS move.

Way-too-early-2026-because-I'm-sick-of-the-off season predictions for Aggie fans dreaming of Mountain West glory TBD:

1. New Mexico (toss up between them and UNLV. Should be 3-1 at worst heading into MWC play)
2. UNLV (could be 1-3 heading into conference but capable of running the table from there)

(it REALLY drops off from here)
3. Air Force (I think this is too high but they'll find a way)
4. Hawaii (congrats on your pre-season Hawaii Bowl invitation!)
5. SJSU (should be the #3 football program in the MWC)
6. Wyoming (who cares. NDSU could end up here anyway)
7. Nevada (*&%#! UC Davis is claiming Lake Tahoe!)
8. NDSU (would not be surprised if they finish as high as 6th)
9. N. Illinois (late coaching change, ouch)
10. UTEP

Mountain West bowl tie-ins and predicted bowl games:
LA Bowl: UNLV
Arizona Bowl (Presented by Gin & Juice): New Mexico
Hawaii Bowl: duh, Hawaii
New Mexico Bowl: "hey, Snoop, can we trade you for the Lobos?"
Snoop: "Nah, that's not it. Look for something else, ya dig?"
New Mexico Bowl: SJSU
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Wyoming (if bowl eligible)
Armed Forces Bowl / First Responder Bowl: Air Force

Nevada, NDSU, NIU, UTEP: See you for Spring Ball

Curious, what is your background in fundraising or marketing?

Wasn't Emil Mrak a member of the Bohemian Grove?

I thought this discussion brought up some fundamental and germane issues with conference re-alignment. They start with Sac State and NDSU but also move on to analogous cases at higher levels. A much more thoughtful discussion than say the Big Mountain podcast guys who just generally parrot what biased sources tell them - not dissing them for that as they just need content without needing to do much of any research, other then beer, given their budget.

One interesting highlight discussed is that Nebraska may be the only fan base that has retained its allegiance and dedication to football, due to long-established culture, after joining the big-10 and losing some former rivalries and dropping precipitously in winning percentage.

10 year goal?

I like that rendition.

From Reddit

We Are Now 6 Teams Away From The Amount It Was When D1 Split Into FBS and FCS In 1977.
Could We See Another Split?

When D1 football split into two divisions (FBS and
FCS) there were 144 teams. We are now back up to 138 teams in FBS. Could we possibly see another split within the FBS to where we could see 3 separate divisions in D1 in the next 10 years or less?

CFB/s/R9dxu7UtAF

Told ya. Huge changes are coming. Hold onto you butts!

AI: "Rutgers Athletics is facing a record $78 million operating deficit for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, bringing its total accumulated deficit to over $500 million since joining the Big Ten in 2014. Despite record revenue from the conference, expenses have soared to roughly $193.8 million, driven by high coaching salaries, support staff, and rising operational costs."

Yahoo Sports: Rutgers Athletics Budget Deficit Tops 70 Million for Third Time in Five Years

https://www.onthebanks.com/rutgers-university-news/50785/rutgers-athletics-budget-deficit-tops-70-million-for-third-time-in-five-years

Like it, where's the press box/suites with that picture?