Cougars Fill Void On Hawaii’S 1999 Schedule

Rick Dickson is not waiting for next year’s bowl bids to plan Washington State’s trip to Hawaii.

The WSU athletic director finalized plans Friday for a 12th game next season, against Hawaii on Nov. 27.

The game, which became available when Virginia backed out, will force the Cougars to have seven wins to become bowl-eligible.

The Cougars are still massaging the early non-conference schedule. Idaho has been moved to Sept. 4. The Utah game will remain Sept. 11. But the Cougars are trying to find a date to accommodate Southwestern Louisiana. The Cougars are scheduled to play seven games in Martin Stadium next season.

Dickson is also working on the construction of an indoor practice facility. The $14-$16 million project, which would be financed by private funds, is scheduled to begin next fall.

“If we are going to compete on this level we have got to do something,” he said. “They (the current facilities) really haven’t been adequate for anybody, let alone everybody.”

But first Dickson must come up with the funds. He has $4.5 million to $5 million pledged and has set a goal of $8 million to $9 million by July 1. Then Dickson and the university must find the right site.

Two sites are under consideration.

The first is where Hollingbery Fieldhouse is located. Under this plan, Hollingbery would be razed and the existing track reconfigured to make room for the structure.

The new fieldhouse, which will be named for someone willing to donate seven figures, will abut Martin Stadium, therefore providing suites on top of the current student section. The suites would extend between the 25-yard lines.

This would also tie in with future stadium expansion since the fieldhouse suites would provide the super structure needed if a second tier were to be added to Martin Stadium.

This is the site Dickson prefers since it allows athletics to be primarily concentrated in one area of the campus. It also makes sense, due to the $44 million commitment the university has made to the Bohler reconstruction.

The second site would be in the same area as the baseball field.

Both sites are undergoing soil testing - possibly a determining factor in site selection. The one drawback to building the fieldhouse adjacent to Martin Stadium is that the entire area used to be a small lake and the ground may not be sufficient for such a structure.