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SOUTHERN ARIZONA ENDODONTICS I
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At the conclusion of Saturday's victory over Washington, the UA football team, its coaches, a few recruits, some support staff, a handful of administrators and well-connected boosters jammed together in a temporary locker room to sing the celebratory "Bear Down, Arizona."

It was reminiscent of a scene from the Marx Brothers' "A Night at the Opera,'' when Groucho and his brothers invited a plumber, a cleaning lady, several maids, four waiters and assorted others into a claustrophobic state-room.

The door gave way, and Groucho and his friends spilled into the hallway.

Alas, unlike the Marx Brothers, the Wildcats are not out for a few laughs.

On Monday, responding to a 2011-12 master plan that specifies renovations at 79-year-old Arizona Stadium, Mike Stoops acknowledged that "it would be a great benefit for our program and for the fans to add something to the stadium, a new design.''

What the UA needs, and what most Pac-10 teams have, are onsite headquarters; a locker room and amenities that come into line with their rivals in California, Oregon and Washington.

"We need a place we can call home,'' said Stoops.

The UA football program has been contained at McKale Center since the building was constructed 35 years ago. Athletic director Jim Livengood has been reluctant to move the football program to the stadium, believing that the camaraderie derived from housing all athletes in the same building provides a better collegiate experience.

Those idealistic days are probably gone in college football.

"We've outgrown this building,'' said Stoops. "We're very cramped. Our locker room space becomes very difficult. (A new facility) would help tremendously in our ability to recruit, in our ability to work more efficiently and to organize everything.''

Call it the Oregon Rule.

Since the Ducks built the Trump Towers of college football plants, and gained significant recruiting advantage in doing so, the rest of the Pac-10 has scrambled to catch up.

"Our locker room is pedestrian,'' says standout junior offensive tackle Eben Britton. "Sooner or later, Arizona needs to change the way people look at the football program. Are we taking it as seriously as the rest of the teams in the Pac-10? It would be very helpful to build a place that would attract recruits.''

As Stoops said, "Unfortunately, facilities are important to kids.''

Sooner or later, Livengood, or someone sitting in his chair will announce that naming rights to Arizona Stadium have been sold for $20 million or $30 million and that the old gray lady will henceforth be known as Bank of the Frontier Field or Desert Del Sol Stadium.

It is inevitable. A few years ago, the UA worked fruitlessly toward a deal that would've added "Pascua Yaqui Field'' to the title.

Now, more than ever, the UA needs money from all sources, including the possibility of corporate naming rights, to fund a makeover of the stadium. Yes, the economy stinks; fortunately, the UA football program is no longer in that state.

"I understand the economic part of it is very difficult but you've got to invest in the program,'' said Stoops. "It takes everything, everybody. You need a commitment from all sides to win.''

Arizona has received approval from the Board of Regents to proceed with a design that would erect a football command center in the north end zone, one that would rival those built recently at Oregon, Stanford and Oregon State and those planned at Cal and Washington.

It also includes a plan to add perhaps 6,000 seats, enclosing the north end zone and growing capacity to about 64,000. It's time, isn't it?

In Tucson's period of mushrooming population growth from 1939 to 1976, capacity of Arizona Stadium grew in five expansion projects from 10,000 to 14,000 to 22,000 to 32,000, to 40,000 and, finally, to 57,000.

But over the last 32 years, as Pima County more than doubled in population, capacity of the old stadium flat-lined. The only significant capital improvement project was to build skyboxes and luxury suites 19 years ago.

"I think this program wants to grow regardless of who the head coach is,'' Stoops said. "It would benefit everybody. This is the right time.''

When the "right time'' arrives is not always the same.

Oregon State waited to seek funds for its $80 million football project until the long-suffering Beavers went 11-1 in 2000. By comparison, woebegone Wazzu is in the middle of a four-phase re-do of Martin Stadium that includes expansion to 43,000 seats. It is part of an aggressive, pro-active plan that could stretch into 2011 and beyond.

The UA cannot afford to wait much longer. Stoops appears to be in the process of delivering a winner, and demand for tickets has been at near-record levels.

A stadium last remodeled in 1976 needs to be retro-fitted for 21st century football.

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