Northwestern football coach Gary Barnett doesn’t exactly relish the opportunity to show recruits his indoor practice facility, which is considered cramped by some Division I standards. It’s a 20-by-50-yard turfed area in the north end of McGaw Hall, and it’s shared with several other Wildcat teams.
“We don’t take kids there unless they really ask,” Barnett quipped. “We insist that the weather’s so nice here that we don’t even really need it.”
Northwestern President Henry Bienen was likewise struck by a recent tour of an aging Dyche Stadium, especially the restrooms. He called it “an eye-opener.”
Barnett and Bienen won’t have to avoid those subjects much longer. In a move designed to demonstrate Northwestern’s commitment to big-time athletics, school officials on Wednesday announced a $20 million capital campaign that will be highlighted by a stand-alone practice building and major renovations at Dyche Stadium.
The money is being raised from private donors, university officials said, and $7.8 million already has been committed in gifts and pledges. A similar campaign was used to renovate Welsh-Ryan Arena and football offices in the early 1980s.
But Bienen, officially installed as president last January, said that Northwestern still is striving to achieve the sort of athletic recognition it typically gets for academics.
And the new campaign clearly is intended to quiet criticism that Northwestern’s administration traditionally has lacked a commitment to intercollegiate sports. In the past, some skeptics even have suggested that Northwestern does not merit Big Ten membership.
“We are hopeful that this communicates that there is a commitment at the trustee level and at the administration level because, let’s be honest, there have been questions about that in the past,” said Patrick Ryan, vice chairman of Northwestern’s Board of Trustees and president of the Aon Corp. “I think this demonstrates once and for all that we are committed to excellence in athletics.”
The renovation of Dyche Stadium will cost between $16 million and $17 million, Bienen said. It is expected to begin next year and to be completed in phases by 1998, without disruption to football games.
Restroom and concession space will be tripled, while locker rooms will be improved for football players and three other teams. The project also is likely to include some kind of premium-seating area, perhaps even skyboxes, in addition to a refurbished press box.
An “entertainment center” will be built behind the north end zone, and may be used to host boosters and university officials. Overall capacity won’t change significantly.
“We have had what is, in my judgment, a user-unfriendly stadium,” Ryan said of Dyche, which was built in 1926. “To attract fans, you can’t just have quality on the field–you also need a quality stadium.”
The new indoor practice facility, to be built along Ashland Avenue west of McGaw Hall, will provide a turfed area that is 60 yards by 85 yards. The $3 million structure should be finished next year, officials said.
Every other Big Ten school has such a building, according to Bienen. He called it a “port of entry” for recruits, one that makes a first impression.
“These facilities say to athletes: `You now have the same opportunities as athletes at other schools,’ ” Barnett said.
The campaign also will fund improvements to McGaw, including an expansion of the wood flooring to benefit both basketball teams and volleyball. That should provide more room and allow more flexibility in practice schedules, officials said.
Overall, Bienen noted, 11 of 17 intercollegiate programs will benefit from the campaign.
