CENTRE — Jacksonville State head coach Jack Crowe was the headliner at a lunch here Tuesday to tout the school's newly-redesigned stadium and generate renewed interest in the Gamecock football program. 

“You’re not going to be disappointed when you come see us play,” Crowe told a crowd of about 50 guests at Lanny’s in Centre.  

Among the crowd were Cherokee County High School football coach Tripp Curry, Rep. Richard Lindsey, and Fran and Tara Blanchard, whose son Coty will be a freshman at JSU this fall. 

Crowe was joined by Athletics Director Oval Jaynes, who previously worked with Crowe when he was an assistant coach at Auburn under Pat Dye. 

Crowe, Jaynes and other JSU officials focused their comments on recent renovations at the football stadium, which trustees on Monday voted to rename Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium in honor of former head coach Bill Burgess, who led the Gamecocks to the Division II national championship in 1992. The home side has undergone a multi-million dollar expansion that includes 33 new suites with private elevator access, high-definition TV screens and catered gourmet meals, among other amenities.  

Prices for suites begin at $20,000 each, with a five-year agreement and annual priority renewal.  

A brochure distributed during the meeting listed naming rights for the stadium at $5 million, the football field for $2 million, and media and coaches’ suites for $50,000 each. 

There is also a new Stadium Club. Designed to hold over a thousand fans on game day, the club area features extra-wide stadium seats, living room-style furniture, and private restrooms. The facility also includes a new dormitory designed to house almost 400 students. 

“We’ve changed the face of the west side of the campus,” Jaynes said. “We are trying to make a statement about who we are.”  

Before Crowe spoke, he drew a laugh from the crowd when he ran to the back of the room to hug Coty’s mother, Tara. Crowe said he expects her 18-year-old son, who led the football Warriors to the 2009 Class 4A state championship, to see action early and often for the Gamecocks this fall.

“He’ll play in the first game, in the first quarter,” Crowe said of Blanchard. “He’s been with us since June and I can tell he is a leader, someone the older players will have confidence in.” 

Crowe said the program at JSU has grown exponentially over the past few years. 

“We should be a better team that we’ve ever been before,” said Crowe, whose teams won the Ohio Valley Conference championship in 2003 and 2004. “We’re closer than you think we are to having a program that can compete with anybody.” 

The Gamecocks led Florida State 9-7 until less than a minute remained in the game last year in Tallahassee. A late touchdown and a fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff made the final score 19-9. 

The Gamecocks open the season on Saturday, Sept. 4, against the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, Miss. 

Crowe said the Gamecocks’ new stadium is “beyond” where the football program is today, but insisted the error was by design – even hinting that JSU might someday seek to change its status as a member of NCAA’s secondary Football Championship Subdivision (formerly 1-AA) in favor of the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly 1-A). 

“The trustees didn’t build that stadium to keep playing teams like Eastern Illinois,” Crowe said. “They have a vision for the future.” 

Jaynes promised that the Gamecocks’ Sept. 11 home opener in the newly-renovated stadium will include a patriotic theme and dedication ceremony, and be unlike anything JSU fans have seen before. 

“We want people to understand the kind of sports we play here at JSU,” Jaynes said. 

Tickets for the Gamecocks’ home games against Chattanooga (Sept. 11), Murray State (Oct. 2), Tennessee State (Oct. 16), Austin Peay (Oct. 23) and Southeast Missouri State (Nov. 13) may be purchased individually or as a season package. 

Season tickets for Club Level cost $500 per seat. A minimum of four tickets is required to receive a parking pass and game day locker for storage of personal items. Other season ticket packages begin at $90. 

To purchase tickets or for more information, call 1-877-JSU-TIXX or visit www.jsugameday.com.