 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
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By Brian Nowicki Dr Lloyd Jacobs became the President of the University of Toledo on July 1st and he is not wasting time. Just a few days after the July 1st merger, Dr Jacobs announced that UT would not move the law school to downtown Toledo to be near several law offices and the Lucas County Courthouse. Instead, he emphasized the importance of keeping it on the campus of the University of Toledo. Now Dr Jacobs has told the UT Board of Trustees that we need to keep UT basketball on campus and not move to a proposed downtown arena. UT fans that wanted to see basketball stay on campus can rejoice. UT students that wanted to see basketball stay on campus so they could easily attend the games can rejoice. UT Athletic Director Mike O'Brien can finally get down to business. The decision means that Savage Hall will be renovated. That gives Mr. O'Brien the chance to begin funding for the project and to finalize the plans for the renovation. An indoor multi-purpose practice facility is part of the plan for a renovated Savage Hall. An indoor practice facility that will come in handy for the University of Toledo football program and Tom Amstutz. Two of the MAC's three bowl tie-ins are scheduled to play in January, and the other is scheduled for the day after Christmas. That means that if the Rockets go to a bowl game they will most likely need to use an indoor practice facility at some point in their preparation of the bowl game. Yesterday, Mr. O'Brien told the Toledo Blade that Dr Jacobs' decision to keep basketball on campus is a clear signal that athletics are part of the capital campaign for the University of Toledo. What does that mean? Well it means that some of those concerns I talked about a couple of weeks ago will be on the radar. Savage Hall is going to be renovated. An indoor multi-purpose practice facility is going to be built. This will open the door for further updates like getting new equipment in the weight room and possibly even expanding the weight room. Perhaps several 30K plus crowds over the next year or two would spark interest in expanding the Glass Bowl seating as well. That could aid in bringing in some bigger named opponents as well. Yeah I'm getting ahead of myself here, but the decision Dr Jacobs made yesterday is a step in that direction. A step in the right direction. Dr Jacobs has a reputation for getting things done and doing them the right way. This is exactly what the University of Toledo needs, especially in this exciting time of a newly merged University with a medical school and hospital. When Dr Jacobs was announced to take over as President of UT, I was encouraged. After the announcement of keeping the law school on campus I was impressed. After this latest announcement and the beautiful words from Mr. O'Brien about finalizing the plans for the renovation and getting the funding, I am very excited about Dr Lloyd Jacobs as the President of UT. He seems to have athletics as part of his vision, and I believe that will make the University of Toledo even stronger. Thank you Dr Jacobs! Have a question or comment for Brian? Email |