Utah State's Athletics Complex Nearing Completion

With the start of the 2008 football season less than two months away, construction on Utah State University’s Athletics Complex located in Romney Stadium is in the final stages after receiving funding and authorization to finish the three-story, 69,000 square-foot building in March, 2008.

In all, 413 Aggie alumni and friends have donated to the building, including 120 former student-athletes.

 

“This initiative is unique in that nearly 32 percent of the total project costs thus far have been covered through in-kind and volunteer support,” said USU Athletics Director Scott Barnes. “This speaks mightily to the wonderful support we have received from our Aggie faithful. We have had great success in selling out our game day suites, yet much work is still needed in generating new cash donations and pledges.”

 

“The first immediate impact of the new facility is that it allows us, as coaches, to teach football,” said fourth-year head coach Brent Guy. “Having a team room, position rooms and coaches’ offices not only in one location, but on one floor, is something we’ve never had before here at Utah State. With having a constraint on how much time we can spend in meetings and in film, allowing us to have more time to teach instead of shifting from different locations is invaluable.

 

“Additionally, having the athletic training room, the sports medicine research center, the equipment room, the locker rooms and the academic services all under one roof is an ideal set-up for not just the football players, but all of the student-athletes to benefit and prosper from,” Guy said.

 

Entering the second week of July, the facility is approximately 92 percent complete with full occupancy expected by early September. The second floor, which the football coaching staff will utilize, is getting the finishing touches applied to it and furniture will start being moved in during the middle of the month. The floor should be in full use by July 28.

 

The third floor, which will serve as an academic center, is on schedule for completion by the end of August as a full-time crew of 15-20 workers, along with numerous volunteers, continue to paint walls, lay carpet and attach hardware.

 

The state-of-the-art facility is home to the 11,000 square-foot Dale Mildenberger Sports Medicine Complex and the Dr. John Worley Sports Medicine Research Center, along with a 7,000 square-foot equipment room. The first floor is also home to the Steve Mothersell Hall of Fame, along with locker rooms for football, women’s track and field, softball and women¹s soccer. Coaches’ offices and conference rooms are located on the second floor, and the academic center is on the third floor with classrooms, computer labs and tutoring rooms for all 325 Utah State student-athletes.

 

“I have worked in the Big 12 and Pac 10 and can tell you that our facility will rival what several of the institutions in those conferences have,” Barnes added.

 

The Athletics Complex will serve to meet the academic and athletic needs of all 16 Utah State University intercollegiate sports.

 

A ribbon cutting ceremony and public open house are being planned for this fall.

 

More Aggie sports news is available at the Athletics Web site homepage.