South Carolina unveils gleaming indoor facility
As he stood beneath the towering, angled ceiling, South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner seemed to bounce between excitement and pride.
He spoke Thursday night in the football team’s new indoor practice facility, a $14.3 million project years in the making. The team has used it in spots since the summer, but Thursday was the first time media viewed it, and Friday it will host a grand opening invite-only event.
Tanner made a point to say what it means for the program.
“It’s very important, but I think it’s important on two fronts,” Tanner said. “It’s important from a practical standpoint for your teams to have an opportunity for us now, with two practice fields right out that door here, if there’s an inclement weather issue, they can come in.
“And certainly from a recruiting standpoint, it shows the kind of commitment and dedication you have for your football program.”
Indoor facilities are fairly common across college football, though a smattering of schools still don’t have them. Georgia has plans for one, while North Carolina approved one days ago. The project was scheduled to be completed Aug. 1, and Tanner said the timing of the events this week had to do with getting a certificate of occupancy.
The work still isn’t complete, and he noted large graphics will be added along the now-bare walls around the full-size field. The field is named for Ken Wheat and the 1969 South Carolina team he played on that won an ACC title. Wheat and his wife helped fund the project.
Tanner wouldn’t confirm a report the building will be named after former coach Steve Spurrier. He did say professional scouts that came through earlier in the year called it one of the more impressive facilities they’d seen. But he grew more animated when describing the response of those who will use it most: the players.
“I can remember back at the very beginning, when fall practice started for our football team and they got in here for the first time.” Tanner said. “Its impact. It’s not just a place to go, it has the kind of impact that talks about the commitment. You can say all those words, but then you show it.”
Around the SEC
With South Carolina and Florida’s indoor practice facilities opening this fall, Georgia is the only SEC program without one. But the Bulldogs are planning a $30 million structure. A look at the buildings:
ALABAMA
The Hank Crisp Indoor Facility’s 130-plus yard field makes it the largest collegiate indoor facility in the nation under one roof.
ARKANSAS
The Fred W. Smith Football Center includes a players’ lounge and study area, two fields and coaches’ offices.
AUBURN
Football, baseball, softball, soccer and track teams practice indoors at the 92,000 square-foot, $16 million facility.
FLORIDA
The $17 million indoor practice facility opened this fall. The Gators can escape the Gainesville rain and heat.
KENTUCKY
Nutter Field House has 108,000 square feet, including a football field surrounded by a six-lane, 290-meter track.
LSU
Built in 1991, LSU’s indoor practice facility is a climate-controlled 82,500 square foot complex.
MISSISSIPPI
The Rebels moved into the $18 million structure in 2004. It is named the Olivia and Archie Manning Performance Center.
MISSISSIPPI STATE
The Palmeiro Center has a 68,000-square foot area that contains a baseball infield within a full football field.
MISSOURI
Built in 1998 at a cost of $12 million, the Daniel J. Devine facility also hosts off season conditioning workouts.
SOUTH CAROLINA
The Gamecocks’ facility features a 100-yard turf football field, and has training rooms, film towers and rest rooms.
TENNESSEE
Built in 1989 at a cost of $11 million, Neyland-Thompson Sports Center is a 120,000-square-foot, two-level structure.
TEXAS A&M
The McFerrin Athletic Center houses a full football field, with an 80-foot ceiling above the FieldTurf surface.
VANDERBILT
The Commodores’ facility includes a 120-yard-long practice field, surrounded by a 6-lane, 300-meter indoor track.
Source: School web sites and saturdaydownsouth.com
This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 9:04 PM with the headline "South Carolina unveils gleaming indoor facility."