The new Indoor Practice Facility will stand to the west of the Smith Fieldhouse, and the Student-Athlete Center will be located directly north of the fieldhouse.
AT the BYU vs. Hawaii football game on Sept. 6 President Merrill J. Bateman announced that the board of trustees had approved immediate construction of a new athletic complex. This approval came after the university received generous donations from members of the BYU President’s Leadership Council (PLC) and others.
“The one condition the board set was that all the money for this facility must be raised by the end of this year,” Bateman said. “With $8 million left to be raised, I gave my promise that we would have the rest of the funding in place by Dec. 31.”
The new complex, which will be completed in the fall of 2003, will consist of two buildings: the Indoor Practice Facility (west of the Smith Fieldhouse) and the Student-Athlete Center (directly north of the fieldhouse) that will include a student-athlete academic center, a strength and conditioning center, a nutrition center, training facilities, the Hall of Fame showcase, an equipment room, locker rooms, conference rooms, and offices.
Joining President Bateman on the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium were members of the executive committee of the PLC. “The gifts of these individuals and others will set in motion the dream of our athletes, coaches, and the BYU community for a new athletic complex,” Bateman said. “We have known for a long time that in order to maintain and continue our athletic success, we must provide the very best resources and facilities for our student-athletes. BYU‘s new athletic complex will achieve that objective.”
The president specifically thanked the PLC executive committee for its leadership in helping with this fundraising initiative, noting that Alan and Karen Ashton, Arlen and Derrel Crouch, Ira and Mary Lou Fulton, Kevin B., ’83, and Debra Skinner Rollins, ’75, Jack and Mary Lois Wheatley, and others have significantly contributed to the complex.
The Smith Fieldhouse, which now houses most of BYU‘s sports programs, is more than 50 years old. When it was built, BYU‘s athletic program consisted of six sports. Today, BYU has more than 600 student-athletes competing in 21 sports.
“While BYU has updated and expanded the Smith Fieldhouse, we have simply outgrown the building,” says BYU men’s athletic director Q. Val Hale, ’81. “The new complex will benefit all BYU sports and athletes.”
Elaine Michaelis, ’60, BYU women’s athletic director, points out that “the Indoor Practice Facility will give the baseball, football, softball, soccer, and golf teams a place to practice during the winter months. In addition, the student-athlete academic center will provide a place where every student-athlete can study and receive academic assistance.”
In explaining his support for the complex, PLC executive committee member Ira Fulton says, “BYU has the best coaches and wonderful student-athletes. What we need now are the best facilities. You have to let the student-athletes know we really care. These students give us their heart and soul. That’s why I’m involved with this project.”
It was an affinity for BYU and its programs that motivated King Husein, ’71, president of Span Construction of Fresno, Calif., to join with Okland Construction of Salt Lake City to build the athletic complex. Span Construction builds between 80 to 90 Costco stores each year. Working with the company’s steel suppliers, Husein reduced the price of the two buildings significantly.
“It is this kind of vision and generosity that has allowed us to move forward,” says BYU advancement vice president K. Fred Skousen, ’65. “We invite BYU fans everywhere to participate in the building of this much-needed complex, a facility that will match the caliber of our student-athletes and coaches.”
INFO: To contribute to the athletic complex, visit byu.edu/giving or call 1-801-422-2577 or toll-free at 1-800-458-8298.