At Texas, we've often said we're the Joneses but apparently we are not the Knights.
Oregon is trying to wrestle the mantle of University with most bad ass facilities away from us with the new Howard Roark-designed Len Casanova Center, which will be privately funded through the philanthropy of Phil and Penny Knight and thus not include any use of public, state or general university fund dollars. Those funds will be laundered and saved for recruiting. Or something.
Dayum!
A few of the highlights about the six story, $41 million dollar project...
At the center of the project will be a 130,000-square-foot expansion of the athletics department’s primary facility that currently houses the majority of department’s administrative and coaches offices, meeting rooms, training and medical treatment facilities, as well as locker rooms for four intercollegiate athletics programs.
But wait, there's more...
Featured in the expansion, which will wrap around the north and west sides of the Casanova Center, will be a new 25,000-square-foot weight room perched on the edge of three practice fields - an enhanced grass football practice field as well as the addition of two new synthetic turf practice fields - and a full-service dining facility available to all University athletes, students and staff.
And even more...
At the heart of the facility, which is cloaked in black metal and glass, is a centralized football operations center that will include nine dedicated football position meeting rooms, two team video theaters, offense and defense strategy rooms as well as a larger conference suite for the entire coaching staff. The centralized area will be flanked by office and locker facilities for coaches, staff and student-athletes. Additional amenities will include a players’ lounge, a recruiting center to host prospective student-athletes, dedicated areas to accommodate professional scouts and street agents, a media interview room as well as an advanced video editing and distribution center.
No mention of a dedicated sweat shop area to crank out whatever this week's uniform choice is.
For more on this, head over to Go Ducks.
(h/t: Sports By Brooks)