A groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday outside of the Billy J. Murphy athletic practice facility on South Campus, marking the beginning of the long-awaited expansion and renovation of the 31-year-old complex.
“This is a culmination of a dream come true for many, many people,” U of M Athletic Director R.C. Johnson said. “It’s a tribute to the future of Tiger athletics.”
Johnson said plans for the project, which calls for a 25,000 square foot addition as well as a renovation of the existing 12,000 square foot facility, have been in the works for several years.
“They have talked about doing this for years,” he said. “The problem is, the budget is tight. They agreed if I take this on, that I raise the money. A lot of people helped. It’s not just me. I’m getting more credit than I deserve.”
According to Johnson, the $5.5 million in funding for the facility has been raised through private donations and has been available for a year. The project was postponed, however, during the U of M’s presidential transition. After newly-appointed president Shirley Raines approved the proposal, plans for the groundbreaking began.
Raines said improvements on the facility will not just benefit student athletes.
“We will have athletes who train in the best facilities,” Raines said. “It will attract those athletes. That helps our bottom line in terms of finances because if we attract better athletes, we win more. We actually get more fans in the stands and that means that there is more financial outcome.”
The South Campus project is the third and final phase of a larger project which included the already-completed addition to the Athletic Office Building, the Larry O. Finch Center and the renovation of the dressing facility at Murphy Athletic Complex. FedEx Chairman and CEO Fred Smith spearheaded the campaign to raise the needed funds.
Johnson and Raines were joined in the ceremonies by football head coach Tommy West, former Shelby County mayor Bill Morris, FedEx president/CEO David Bronczek and Public Building Authority chairman Willard Sparks.
Among other things, the complex will house nine meeting rooms, an expanded training area, a hall of fame lobby, a video room and new locker rooms. The project is scheduled to take 18 months to complete.
According to Bob Winn, director of media relations, the training facility will be utilized by several U of M athletic teams, but mainly by the football team.
West thanked all of the people who contributed to the project on behalf of coaches and players, past and present.
“It allows us to put our athletes in a first-class facility,” he said.
Johnson said the updated facility will put Memphis in the thick of the recruiting race.
“Today, when we’re recruiting against the people we’re recruiting against, whether it’s Alabama, UCLA or whomever, (players) look at facilities,” Johnson said. “Now we’ve got some out here that will be second to none.”
