Colorado State wants to explore options after stadium fundraising is short of goal

Colorado State isn't currently going forward with on-campus stadium plans after the school revealed that fundraising goals were not met.

Colorado State President Tony Frank said Thursday the school had raised $50 million of the $110 million goal to build a new stadium. The overall project cost is estimated to be $254 million and the school wanted to meet the goal of $110 million by October.

The Rams currently play at Hughes Stadium, a site that is three miles away from campus.

From the Coloradoan:

Frank will not ask the Board of Governors at its meeting next week to approve a financing plan for the project. Instead, he'll ask the board to give him an additional two months to further study "at least four options" before making a final recommendation at the board's December meeting in Denver.

Frank, through a CSU spokesman, said he would have no further comment until the Board of Governors meeting. Former CSU athletic director Jack Graham, who continued to push for an on-campus stadium even after he was fired by Frank in August, did not respond to messages left on his cellphone. Football coach Jim McElwain, who was traveling with his team to Boston College for a game Saturday, was not available for comment.

Shortly after he was fired, Graham said his dismissal was all about the on-campus stadium project. When the school announced Graham's firing, Frank said in an email to boosters that the decision to terminate Graham did not have to do with the stadium project and the two had substantial differences.

Of the four options Frank wants to consider, according to the Coloradoan, two involve renovations to Huges Stadium. The stadium is 46 years old and seats 32,500. The two other options involve building a stadium on campus that would not be strictly a football stadium.

If the Board of Governors approves Frank's motion to explore the four options, he plans a written analysis of all options and says public feedback will be sought. The project has already cost $6.5 million.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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