May 4, 2010
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
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ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Regardless of when the landscape of college athletics ultimately changes, UCF's long-term vision, from Dr. John Hitt to Director of Athletics Keith Tribble, is to field a nationally-prominent athletics program.
That's a major reason why fundraising has already begun on a new athletic facility development plan with seven construction projects worth $70 million. The major overhaul in the facilities for football, baseball, soccer, tennis and the Academics Support Center will be completed over the next 10 years across UCF's massive campus.
Tribble wants to expand upon the current facilities and not only show that the school is prepared for steady growth, but also hungry to fulfill its enormous potential. Tribble wants others to share his vision that UCF can ultimately have the finest facilities in the country and the best sports team to match.
``From an athletics venue perspective, it is vital for us to have our vision and planning firmly in place as we continue to grow the University of Central Florida image nationally,'' Tribble said. ``When we received approval from our board, it was a critical moment for UCF Athletics in taking the first step forward. To fulfill the projects outlined in the plan will take a great effort from our administration, alumni, supporters, coaches and community.
``Within the last four years, several of our programs have enjoyed moving into new facilities and we've seen success quickly follow,'' Tribble continued. ``It is our goal and promise to our student-athletes to continue striving for record achievement throughout our entire program.''
UCF football coach George O'Leary said on Monday that he feels that a reshuffling of the conferences could be further away than some might think. But he stressed that it's also important for UCF to continue to grow its facilities and athletics programs in order to demonstrate its massive potential.
``I think when the geography changes I think we're on the lips of a lot of people,'' O'Leary said. ``And we should be size-wise and TV-market-wise.''
The largest addition to the facilities will be a 50,000-square-foot Academics/Athletics Center, which will be constructed on the vacant site between the new Wayne Densch Sports Center and the residential tower four. The academic support center will provide computer labs, tutoring and mentoring rooms and offices for counselors and staff.
``The completion of the Academics Center is critical to fulfilling our vision of developing a premier academic support program for the student-athletes at UCF,'' said Mark Gumble, the director of UCF's Academic Services for Student-Athletes. ``The center will allow us to take the (academic advising, mentoring and tutorial) services we are conducting in four buildings on campus and bring them all under one roof, in close proximity to where our student-athletes are living and training. This building has the potential to transform our program into one where our time, energy, and resources are focused squarely on student's success.''
UCF also has plans in the works to dramatically alter the look and feel of Jay Bergman Field. Three phases of expansion will bring an additional 3,380 seats to the current 800 seats at the complex. The first phase will include the addition of 1,200 bleacher seats (600 beyond each dugout). The second phase will include an elevated press box, seven luxury suites and club level seating. The final phase will add 2,000 seats on the present concourse, along with new restrooms and concession space.
In keeping with head coach Terry Rooney's vision to turn UCF's baseball team into a national powerhouse, there will also be a major expansion of the team clubhouse, converting the bleachers into chair-back seating and adding a canopy for shading from the weather. Rooney has said that the baseball facility ranks eighth out of ninth in Conference USA, and he believes the three phases of expansion will take the facility to one of the best in the league.
``I just want people to understand what this baseball program can do here,'' Rooney said recently. ``This is a sport that can give our school nation exposure. Part of it is with the nature of baseball and part of it is with what we're doing in recruiting and with our facilities. Expanding our stadium will put us in a position to have a great, great program.''
The first project expansion to begin will be the improvements to the UCF Track and Soccer Complex. The facility will be turned into a red-brick and stucco stadium feel with 1,500 seats. A press box and restrooms will also be added to the facility. Once completed, the facility will seat more than 2,000 and will give UCF the ability to host major track and field meets and NCAA soccer games.
``A stadium and clubhouse at the UCF soccer and track complex would mean so much for all three programs,'' women's soccer coach Amanda Cromwell said. ``Once we have a stadium, we feel that is the last piece of the recruiting puzzle and we know that will enable us to bring in the best student-athletes in the country. We put a great product on the field, we play against the best competition in the country and we want to play at a venue that we can claim is one of the best in the country.''
Added women's track and field coach Caryl Smith Gilbert: ``The planned renovations and additions to our facility are extremely beneficial to our program as we continue to grow and strive to compete for championships both on the conference and national levels. UCF's commitment to these facilities and to our track and field program will aid us in recruiting elite student-athletes and also hosting high-level meets on our beautiful campus.''
The UCF Tennis Complex will include 12 championship-caliber courts - four of which could be covered -- and a 1,000-seat grandstand. It will also include a clubhouse for the Knights' men's and women's programs.
``The plan for the UCF Intercollegiate Tennis Center is an exciting development for our program,'' UCF men's tennis coach Bobby Cashman said. ``The facility will help us attract some of the top junior players in the United States. This helps show recruits that UCF is planning to give them the resources to succeed at the highest level of college tennis.''
As for O'Leary's football program, there will be a 12,000-square-foot addition onto the Wayne Densch Sports Center that will include a bigger locker room, the addition of a student-athlete lounge, more room for equipment storage and expansions to the weight room and meeting room space.
Expansion to Bright House Networks Stadium will also be considered. A first phase would include an addition to the Roth Tower to provide more suites, club seating and operational space. A second phase would be the addition of 10,000 more seats onto the East side of the facility. Such improvements would bring the capacity to 56,000 and might include more club seats along the East side.
O'Leary spoke on Monday about UCF's exploding alumni base in the Central and South Florida areas and the need to reach out even more to those groups to support the football team. O'Leary has already seen many benefits of having an on-campus football stadium, and he feels the best way to grow the fan base in the future is to make sure the current student body attends games now. If that's the case, O'Leary said, the group is more likely to return to campus through the years and continue to support the program as alumni.
``Bright House Networks Stadium is the most visible building on campus in terms of exposure so any future improvements to the stadium will only enhance the image of the entire university,'' O'Leary said. ``Making so many improvements to all sports like this shows the strong commitment that the university and Athletics have to their student-athletes.''
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John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFathletics.com several times week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.