Challenges expand for Reser.

Byline: Bob Rodman The Register-Guard

CORVALLIS - The $80 million challenge to expand Reser Stadium looms as large as it is necessary despite the ragged economic conditions in the state and the departures from the Oregon State team of former university president Paul Risser and football coach Dennis Erickson.

"This is probably the biggest fund-raising entity in the university's history, and certainly the biggest construction project ever attempted," said OSU athletic director Bob De Carolis. "You have to have a dream, a vision, and be committed to getting it done. But you also have to be a realist and know what you are up against."

With money belts being tightened in the strained economy of the state, the push for a more plush Reser could have come at a better time.

"This is not the best time, but waiting for the best time in this state would be to not do anything, and we can't do that," De Carolis said.

The departures of the highly popular Risser and Erickson don't lessen the project's degree of difficulty. Risser was OSU president for six years, a stretch that included Erickson's four-year run as OSU's coach.

"President Risser was very supportive of athletics," De Carolis said. "He had a great vision of how to use athletics to help market the rest of the university."

It was in Erickson's tenure (1999-2002) that the Beavers ended nearly three decades of losing seasons, went to a postseason game for the first time since 1965, recorded three winning seasons and appeared in three bowls.

"Were it not for Dennis," De Carolis said, "we would not be having this conversation. If it was not for him, we would not have the indoor practice facility, the new practice field and the Gill Coliseum (OSU's basketball facility) annex that is scheduled to begin construction later this fall.

"You just don't count on losing a coach and the school president at the same time. But this is not about one or two persons. It's about the alumni and friends of Oregon State. They will be here forever."

The concern, however, is now. Oregon State's need to upgrade its football facility has reached a critical point.

"This is not an arms race," De Carolis said, "but if we are going to be an NCAA Division I-A, sustainable member in the Pac-10 Conference, this is the cost of doing business."

The Beavers need revenue, the revenue comes from football ticket sales, and there has to be a seat for every ticket.

Oregon State has 23,000 season tickets to sell and they are sold, for the third straight season. Hence, the need for more seats.

The grand plan for Reser's expansion will raise the seating capacity from the stadium's current level of 35,362 - the smallest of the football venues in the Pac-10 - to 55,000, including skyboxes and all the trimmings.

The first of three phases of the project will supply an additional 8,000 seats to the current capacity. That phase, at a cost of $28 million, is scheduled for completion in time for the start of the 2005 football season.

First-phase construction is scheduled to begin next summer. Of the required $28 million to fund that phase, De Carolis said Oregon State has "$10 million in hard cash and hard pledges. Another $5 million are a work in progress, expected to be completed in the next 30 to 60 days."

It appears Oregon State does not have a Phil Knight in tow, someone similar to the co-founder of Nike who has been so generous to the University of Oregon.

"How many Phil Knights are out there?" De Carolis asked. "But bless him. We salute him. Still, we have a number of people who are and have been generous to our athletics. There is a lot of wealth out there, and a lot of people who love the athletic department and Oregon State are stepping up.

"We still need to sell 6,000 more season tickets and we can't now. Our biggest challenge is the economy to a degree, but we also are trying to get new people into our games. We want them to pay their money, but there's no place to sit."

The pressure now falls on Mike Riley, who has returned to replace Erickson, and Edward Ray, OSU's new president.

"Dr. Ray has big-time athletic experience coming from Ohio State ... ," De Carolis said. "It's a little more critical with Mike because we are in the middle of this fund raising for the stadium. There still are people on the fence, people who like Mike but want him to show them he can win.

"And that's what Mike must do. Just win, baby."

CAPTION(S):

Reser Stadium's proposed east grandstand and skyboxes are shown in an architect's digital rendering.