100 million dollar budget for athletics would be a good start. Otherwise you are chasing the Power 5.

Can't win unless you have 100 million, ask WMU, NIU and Boise State University. Ladies and gentleman, we are at our pinnacle.

If I won that kind of jack I would certainly give some to Ohio's first and finest.

I wonder if there are any significant structures (stadiums, arenas, training facilities etc.) that were built off of lottery winnings donated?

Materialistic things wont do it! I would say an athlete only dining hall or training table. We have outstanding athletes who are smart but we could do better to provide better meal options. Ive always been interested in a community garden in which students helped take care of. What do you guys think?

I voted for "something else". The program needs money to magically appear. And, Athens needs to get bigger. Its a miracle we do as well as we do with our fiscal constraints and constraints of being in a rural area.

That has been a contention for a long time. One of the major differences between Ohio and most bigger programs is how they feed their athletes. Meal stations at venues for athletes who miss meals on the way hustiling out of class straight to practices and return from treatment long after dining halls close. I don't think you necessarily need seperate dining areas but it would help to establish nutrition as a priority for those on campus and especially for those who live off campus after their second year. Getting home from class and back to campus for practice is something that is challenging.

Having seen what they put in their bodies and how they spend their checks it is a wonder they can perform. To those of us who ran marathons and triathlons for years it positively makes toes curl to see how bball, volley and FB players nutrify their bodies at places like Ohio and the mids.

I like the garden idea but I am not sure you could make that a cultural change that athletes would buy into...lots of general students would jump on that in my experience.

All top schools have a separate training table. I have long felt that Ohio needed one, too. Nutritional needs of athletes are very different than the general population. They need far more calories, and it is more important what things they eat. I'm not saying give the athletes great nutrition, and the general population poor nutrition. I'm saying that their needs are different, so they shouldn't be eating the same things. Both should be a good diet, but what is good for one is not necessarily good for the other.

As far as separation, they don't necessarily need to be in separate places. Suppose they had a dining hall set up like a large buffet, and one section had foods that were targeted for athletes, and the rest for everyone else. Suppose further that you didn't restrict non-athletes from eating some food from the athlete section, and that the students could all sit with whomever they liked. Now there is no separation, and both people can choose what they want, but food specifically targeted for the athletes is available.

I highly recommend everyone find their way to the USOTC (Olympic Training Center)in Colorado Springs. Capacity is 500 athletes. Nutrition is but one of the areas they address with our athletes. A while back I was blessed to accompany, as a coach, one of mine who received an invitation to a competition held there. A real eye opener. The dining hall is simpler than you might imagine. There is always a good variety and the athletes know very well what their diet allows/requires and are expected to discipline themselves at meals.

Separating them would likely propagate the myth that the athletes eat steak every night. When I had the privilege of eating at the training table perhaps 20 years ago, I was surprised to learn that the core of their diet at that time was vegetables, fruit, pasta, and broiled chicken (in large quantities, of course). I'm sure it's changed some since then, and probably includes more supplements, such as protein shakes. For what it's worth, they did have hamburgers, but only the coaches were eating those.