Clemson University TigerPrints All Dissertations Dissertations 8-2018 Dreams and Plans: A Case Study of the Football Facilities of the University Of Georgia Misty B. Soles Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations Recommended Citation Soles, Misty B., "Dreams and Plans: A Case Study of the Football Facilities of the University Of Georgia" (2018). All Dissertations. 2182. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/2182 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DREAMS AND PLANS: A CASE STUDY OF THE FOOTBALL FACILITIES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Educational Leadership by Misty B. Soles August 2018 Accepted by: Robert C. Knoeppel, Committee Chair D. Matthew Boyer Michael Godfrey Mindy Spearman ABSTRACT Intercollegiate athletics are an integral part of colleges and universities in the United States and have been for decades. Large athletic facilities expenditures began in the interwar period, the period between the two World Wars, with widespread construction of on-campus stadiums. Currently, athletic facilities expenditures are experiencing a second nationwide spending spree that began around the turn of the century. This study considers the types of athletic facilities, motivations for those facilities, and financial models used to pay for those facilities at the University of Georgia. The study concentrates on facilities constructed solely or primarily for football during two chronological periods: the interwar period and the 2000-2017 period. This study proceeded as a case study examining the University of Georgia’s football facilities, with two embedded cases, the chronological periods. During the interwar period, the University of Georgia constructed Sanford Stadium, an on-campus football stadium that held seating for 30,000 people, a significant total at the time, particularly for the South. During the modern period, the University of Georgia has engaged several football facilities projects. Sanford Stadium has undergone five significant renovations and expansions. Additionally, several student athlete facilities have been constructed, renovated, or expanded, including Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall, the William Porter Payne and Porter Otis Payne Indoor Athletic Facility, and the Rankin M. Smith, Sr. Student-Athlete Academic Center. The motivations for the construction of Sanford Stadium included the need for increased seating, the national increase in on-campus stadium construction, the desire to ii provide fans and athletes with modern amenities, and the goal of increasing the stature of the University of Georgia. Steadman Sanford was the individual most responsible for the planning and construction of Sanford Stadium. In comparison, the motivations for modern intercollegiate athletic facilities construction at the University of Georgia center around recruiting/the arms race, revenue production, improving the athlete and fan experiences, increased functionality, and the need for more seating in Sanford Stadium. Sanford Stadium was constructed through the loans that were guaranteed by alumni. Modern athletic facilities projects have been funded through a variety of means, including bonded debt, athletic department reserves, and large gifts. The conclusions arrived upon as to the types of facilities, motivations for facilities, and funding models for facilities at the University of Georgia for the two periods is primarily consistent with what we already knew about those three questions. However, Georgia also appears to be a unique case in several ways. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I gratefully acknowledge the help and guidance of my committee, Mike Godfrey, Matthew Boyer, and Mindy Spearman, as well the chair of my committee, Rob Knoeppel. Thank you all for your assistance with this project. Rob, thank you for being a wonderful friend, mentor, and collaborator throughout our time together. I also wish to acknowledge the assistance of the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia, as well as the assistance of Loran Smith. Finally, I thank my partner in all things, Anthony Harvey, who listened to endless thoughts, ideas, and questions relating to this project and gave unwavering support throughout. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE .................................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................. iv LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 Background and Organizational Overview .............................................. 1 Other Considerations ............................................................................. 14 II. METHODS .................................................................................................. 16 Approach and Design ............................................................................. 16 Data Collection ...................................................................................... 22 Data Analysis and Work Plan ................................................................ 27 Other Considerations ............................................................................. 34 Implications............................................................................................ 37 III. HISTORICAL FINDINGS .......................................................................... 38 Historiography and Literature ................................................................ 38 Findings.................................................................................................. 53 IV. CONTEMPORARY FINDINGS ................................................................. 74 Literature Review................................................................................... 74 Literature for the Contemporary Period ................................................. 77 Findings................................................................................................ 104 Analysis and Conclusions .................................................................... 115 V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH 128 v Table of Contents (Continued) Page Conclusions from this Study ................................................................ 128 Implications and Extension of Knowledge .......................................... 133 Recommendations for Further Research .............................................. 137 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................. 137 A: Appendix A: Glossary of Terms ................................................................ 140 B: Appendix B: Power Five Original Stadiums with Opening Dates ............ 144 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 146 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1.1: Motivations for Intercollegiate Athletic Stadium Construction in the Interwar Period ............................................................................................................................... 7 Figure 1.2: Motivations for Intercollegiate Athletic Venue Construction in the 21st Century ............................................................................................................................. 8 Figure 1.3: Motivations for Intercollegiate Athletic Student Athlete Facilities Construction in the 21st Century ...................................................................................... 9 Figure 1.4: Theoretical Model of Intercollegiate Athletic Facilities Funding Decisions10 Figure 2.1: Bounded Cases in this Study ....................................................................... 17 Figure 2.2: Motivations for Intercollegiate Athletic Stadium Construction in the Interwar Period ............................................................................................................................. 30 Figure 2.3: Motivations for Intercollegiate Athletic Venue Construction in the 21st Century ........................................................................................................................... 31 Figure 2.4: Motivations for Intercollegiate Athletic Student Athlete Facilities Construction in the 21st Century .................................................................................... 32 Figure 2.5: Theoretical Model of Intercollegiate Athletic Facilities Funding Decisions33 Figure 3.1: Motivations for Intercollegiate Athletic Stadium Construction in the Interwar Period ............................................................................................................................. 53 Figure 3.2: Motivations for Intercollegiate Athletic