Commentary: TSU AD has stamp of a winner

TSU AD McClelland boosts wins, graduations

Texas Southern's success on the football field reflects a larger feel-good story, and that story includes someone who hasn't made a tackle or called a play this season. Charles McClelland is the school's 38-year-old athletic director, hired by TSU president Dr. John Rudley 21/2 years ago to clean up a program smothered in scandal and red ink.

As TSU tries to win its first Southwestern Athletic Conference football championship in 42 years on Saturday, there are plenty of other reasons for optimism.

"Dr. Rudley laid out a vision and a philosophy," McClelland said. "He wants to use our athletic program to help build the reputation of our entire university."

Soccer stadium/TSU football stadium, a done deal for Dynamo and Tigers

Texas Southern University, which will play its football games at the new stadium, is expected to contribute $1.5 million toward construction.

The Dynamo have agreed to pay $76 million to build a professional soccer stadium in downtown Houston and then lease it from the city and county for $65,000 a year.

The board of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, a joint city-county agency that acts as a pro sports stadium landlord, unanimously approved the deal Thursday morning. While the Dynamo will pay most of the cost of construction, the city and county will own the stadium.

Thursday's (Dec. 2, 2010) approval sets the stage for construction to begin as early as next month just across U.S. 59 from the George R. Brown Convention Center.

"It's an absolute win situation for not only Harris County but for the residents of Houston that for no expense to them — basically, no cost - we're getting a stadium," board member Tom Sprague said before the vote.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Note: TSU currently pays $40,000 per game for use of the University of Houston's Robertson Stadium for home games.  The Tigers also rent Reliant Stadium at a cost $115,000 (2010 rate)  for the Labor Day Classic with Prairie View A&M University. TSU on-campus Delmar stadium seats only 4,500, too small for most SWAC football contests.

The Tigers are expected to sign a 20-year lease as consideration for the $1.5M (prepaid rent) towards stadium construction, and receive in return:  --  a private TSU locker room, 100% income from all TSU merchandise sales, 50% income from concession sales on all  its games and no per game rent for the entire lease period. 

From our view, this is a great deal for a $91 million-state-of-art stadium with luxury boxes in the 10th largest television market in the United States. Texas Southern football should become in short order, one of the premier brands and a hot destination point for the Labor Day Classic within five years. Mr. McClelland and TSU president Dr. John Rudley are clearly on an upward path with an economic engine (Dynamo Stadium) that will generate dollars comparable to other highly successful mid-major Division I FBC programs.

The question is, who's laughing now? Congratulation's TSU....Go Tigers!!
(beepbeep)

New Dynamo, Texas Southern Football Stadium to Open June 2012

Texas Southern University president Dr. John M. Rudley and athletic director Charles McClelland are the key drivers behind the shared new Houston Dynamo Soccer/TSU football stadium. The Tigers total lifetime investment -- $2.5 million. Sweet deal!!

HOUSTON, TX - Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group, co-owners of Major League Soccer Houston Dynamo, told FOX 26 Sports Wednesday the team's new downtown soccer-specific stadium will open in June of 2012. This is the first time Dynamo ownership has been able to nail down when the stadium will officially open.

"We're going to move in by June of 2012," said Leiweke. "So the paperwork is being wrapped up. Every agreement is being signed. We're out (Wednesday night) starting to sell the naming rights. Our bids are in. Our design is done. We hired a construction team. We hired a project manager.

"This is a $110 million dollar project. We've have a cost-certainty on budget. Now we get on with the task of making sure that we protect the best interests of the Dynamo and Texas Southern University."



The project will be financed with an estimated $75 million from Dynamo ownership. The city of Houston and Harris County are providing $10 million each, that will be funded by taxes generated by the stadium complex. The city (Houston) is providing the land which cost around $15 million.

TSU athletic director Charles McClelland said the school has entered the project as a co-tenant and will make a one-time payment of $2.5 million for the full use of the new stadium.

“We’re gonna have our own locker rooms. We’re gonna share the sales for concessions, on ticket sales so it’s gonna be the home of the Texas Southern University Fighting Tigers,” said McClelland.

Other than the Labor Day Classic with SWAC champions Prairie View A&M University Panthers, TSU has been a transient program for over 30 years. The Tigers currently play their home football games at a high school stadium.

The Labor Day Classic is played at the NFL's Houston Texans Reliant Stadium which has a seating capacity of 71,500.

Upon completion of the "unnamed" Dynamo/TSU stadium, the Tigers will become the envy of the Southwestern Athletic Conference as co-tenant of this 22,000 seat state-of-art facility with luxury suites. A rail line will literally run right next to the stadium that will have fan friendly in terms of concessions and restrooms, and parking and access.

The stadium will be located deep within downtown Houston, in the East End on prime real estate as the Dynamo and the TSU Tigers continue their quest to cement their programs in the hearts of Houston sports fans.

There is certainly a brighter day ahead for TSU with Coach Johnnie Cole's timely resurrection of the Tigers football program.

TSU resides in the 10th largest television market in the U.S., and has the 8th largest population. This is a good, fertile market for high school athletes and musicians to fuel the Tigers showcase Ocean of Soul Marching Band and athletic programs. One could accurately say--the sky is the limit on how good the Tigers can become with their new digs.



READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Things looking up at Texas Southern University

Texas Southern University athletic director Charles McClelland has released a statement that Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M will play the 2010 Labor Day Classic at 4 p.m. Sept. 5 at Reliant Stadium. The game had been originally set for Sept. 4.

If the 2009-10 sports season is an indication, the turnaround of Texas Southern's athletic program is gaining steam. TSU's campaign officially ended last week when the baseball team fell in the semifinals of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament. The Tigers set a school record for total wins (30) and conference wins (18) en route to capturing the SWAC's Western Division title.

The baseball team's season capped a year full of notable accomplishments for TSU. The football squad finished 6-5 for its first winning season since 2000. The men's basketball program improved to 17-16 from 7-25 the year before, advancing to the SWAC tournament final and falling one win short of its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003. The softball team went 21-20 for its first winning season since 2002 and first Western Division title since 2000.

The Tigers faltered in some areas, notably women's soccer and the track and field programs, but Charles McClelland sees encouraging signs heading into his third year as athletic director. “The ironic theme is that approximately 90 percent of our student-athletes will be returning for next year's competition, so we're a young athletic program and a program that has made tremendous strides,” McClelland said. “We're extremely happy and positive about the direction that (we're heading in) after only two years.”

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

READ RELATED ARTICLES:

Lower costs entice college students to summer school ‎ A Great Week Gets Better ‎

Kempner High School Names Athletes Of The Year

‎

Texas Southern Extends McClelland's Contract

Texas Southern University athletic director, Charles McClelland (L) and President, John Rudley, Ph.D.

The Board of Regents at Texas Southern University approved a contract extension on Friday for Tigers athletics director Charles McClelland. McClelland told FOX 26 Sports TSU has given him a two-year extension that ties him to the school until Dec. 31, 2014. "I am ecstatic about the confidence that (TSU) President (John) Rudley has in my abilities to continue to lead this Texas Southern University athletics program to achieving our goals," McClelland said.

"President Rudley and the Board of Regents have shown this commitment to me personally and I want to show my commitment to Texas Southern and its alumni that I am here for the long haul." TSU hired McClleland in 2008 when he signed his original five-year contract. He has three years to go on that deal before his extension kicks in. On McClelland's watch TSU has flourished on the field of play and in the all-important arena of raising money. "Over the past two years we have generated over $825,000 in corporate sponsorships and in-kind gifts," McClelland said. "We proposed a new student fee that was approved by the students that generates approximately $2.2 million a year which goes into the TSU athletics budget."

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.