Del Conte said that he wants to turn the parking lot adjacent to the LBJ Library into a place for concertsGETTY IMAGES
Texas AD Chris Del Conte in a meeting with school boosters "outlined what sounded like a totally new game-day experience at Royal-Memorial Stadium and how the Horns need a 10,000-seat basketball arena to replace the Erwin Center," according to Brian Davis of the AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN. Del Conte: "We have six or seven home football games. We bring 100,000 people to Austin to celebrate the University of Texas. That's what a game is. It's the front porch to celebrate our great university." Davis notes UT wants to spend $140M to "totally reimagine the appearance of the south end zone." That likely "includes an overhaul of the UT football building." Del Conte's comments on wanting a 10,000-seat basketball arena will "draw scrutiny from all quarters." It "sounds small," but school officials are "grappling with a tough decision which is best -- a small arena that looks and feels packed every game or a larger arena that might not sell out that often?" Del Conte said, "We're going to create all these activities around the game that draws students from west campus and draws fans to come back and say this is the University of Texas. ... Inside the stadium we really need to look at our concessions and our prices. How much have we out-priced the family?" Del Conte said that he wants to "turn the parking lot adjacent to the LBJ Library into a place for concerts." Del Conte also said that the athletic department will "address the music played inside the stadium." Del Conte: "I listened to the Mamas & the Papas. My daughter likes Migos, which I thought was a breakfast meal, and Taylor Swift. So we all have to compromise" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 5/9).
