In the world of college athletics, specifically college football, it takes more than knowing X’s and O’s to lead a program.

Football coach Butch Jones said he sees his operation – the football team – as a major cooperation or business, rather than just a team.

“I’m not only a football coach, but I’m a CEO of a major company, and that’s the way you look at it,” he said. “You’re always looking to enhance your program and always finding ways to keep it on top.”

Jones and the rest of those surrounding the football team, including Athletics Director Dave Heeke, are planning to visually enhance Kelly/Shorts Stadium for next year by painting the steps around the entire stadium maroon.

“You have to constantly be upgrading and making yourself better, and I think that’s a great visual and a great enhancement to Kelly/Shorts (Stadium),” Jones said. “Another thing that we take great pride in is that we’re the only team in our conference that has maroon as the base color.”

Heeke said there are a number of new graphics in the stadium, including in the locker rooms and wrapping around field-level.

Although a decision is not imminent, the student section behind the south endzone will likely be named in the near future.

“We have continually worked with SGA and the Spirits Committee from SGA … we think it’d be a lot of fun to begin to build an identity for our student section by branding it and having a name, but we want that to come from our student-body,” Heeke said. “We want that momentum to come from the student body.”

Jones said maroon helps shape the school’s identity and fans should take part in that.

Heeke said CMU’s game day atmosphere is the best in the conference. This, along with other visual aids, will only build on that, he said.

“Our focus is to enhance the facility and build on our game day atmosphere that’s been voted year-in and year-out the best game day atmosphere in the Mid-American Conference,” he said.

Jones said the entire football program takes pride in its recent rise to the top of the Mid-American Conference. He reiterated it is a group-wide effort.

“How can we separate ourselves? How can we be different? That’s the big thing,” he said. “Modern society today, it’s all the little things that make the big difference.”

The new look for the stadium and a possible name for the student section is a step toward giving back to what Heeke called a “great” student section, along with the rest of the community.

“We have the best student section in this conference and one of the best around the entire country,” he said. “I’ve been to a lot of places and it is just a great atmosphere in that student section.”

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E-mail the author: Andrew Stover