SE: $105 million ‘Building Champions’ Capital Initiative Off and Running in Next Step of Master Plan
Sep 09, 2019 | Sports Extra, Athletics, Evans Student-Athlete Success Program, Ahearn Fund
By Corbin McGuire
A lot can happen in one year.
For instance, one year to the day after Gene Taylor unveiled a $210 million facility master plan, K-State's third-year Athletics Director revealed the department's largest capital initiative ever during Saturday's 52-0 win over Bowling Green. Its cost will total $105 million, covering the construction of four projects that will directly impact all 16 sports at K-State.
Oh, and $69 million has already been raised for the project, dubbed "Building Champions." That's roughly two-thirds of the total.
(For more information on Building Champions, click here.)
"It's been a great response by our donors," Taylor said during halftime of Saturday's game. "We have a lot of money to go, obviously, but to have that much raised in a short time really just tells you the commitment our fan base has and our donors."
Many of the project's major donors gathered last Friday night for a National Leadership Circle event in the West Stadium Center, a product of one of K-State Athletics' latest major initiatives. It was an appropriate location to reflect on this next step in K-State Athletics' facility master plan, which will include $50 million worth of upgrades to the south end zone of Bill Snyder Family Stadium, a new indoor football practice facility ($24.5 million), a new volleyball arena ($17.5 million) and an Olympic Training Facility ($13 million).
"We've had gifts in the past, but certainly the overall thoughts about how all the athletic programs would advance and how it was a long-range plan that was so comprehensive captured our attention," Carl Ice said. "Our student-athletes, all of our coaches, work so hard and they deserve the chance to have facilities where they can compete at the their very best."
"The most exciting thing for me is how many student-athletes this new campaign will touch," Steve Lacy, a 1976 and 1977 K-State graduate, added. "This covers the waterfront, in terms of the other sports that are so important. It provides workout and Olympic facilities for so many athletes, and I think that's what excites me the most about this latest phase of the development of the athletic facilities."
The south end zone project is scheduled to begin in May 2020 following approval later this month by the Kansas Board of Regents with completion expected by the start of the 2021 football season. Construction of the final three components will begin once appropriate funding has been committed and approval has been given by the Kansas Board of Regents. Taylor said his goal is to have all the projects started or finished in the next three to five years.
When finished, all of K-State's student-athletes will benefit. Wildcat fans will as well.
Whether fans are going to a football, basketball or volleyball game, they will be walking into a top-notch facility that represents another step forward in the decades-long development of K-State Athletics' facilities. Currently, K-State's $15 million baseball-soccer project is also under construction.
To Jim Johnson, a 1984 K-State graduate, this somewhat never-ending progress spoke to him about what makes K-State special.
"What really excites me about this initiative is it's really a continuation, and really we continue to implement the vision of keeping up with the current state of athletics. It's not a one-and-done mentality, which, to me, is so Kansas State," he said. "It's about perseverance, staying with it and staying with a vision that's been contributed to by many, many people.
"What really makes it work is the number of people that support it and want to get behind it."
While a dozen or so families, like Johnson, generously donated to give this project the financial footing to begin, its completion will hinge on the Ahearn Fund's grassroots base of Wildcat donors that annually give K-State's 450-plus student-athletes the best experience possible. In FY 2019, K-State fans and donors contributed $44.4 million in total giving, the second-largest figure in department history.
"I think one of the things that makes K-State special," Mary Ice said, "is K-State has a feeling of being a group that gets things done together."
"It's that feeling…this is your family," Johnson added. "They're going to support you in anything you try to do."
A lot can happen in one year.
For instance, one year to the day after Gene Taylor unveiled a $210 million facility master plan, K-State's third-year Athletics Director revealed the department's largest capital initiative ever during Saturday's 52-0 win over Bowling Green. Its cost will total $105 million, covering the construction of four projects that will directly impact all 16 sports at K-State.
Oh, and $69 million has already been raised for the project, dubbed "Building Champions." That's roughly two-thirds of the total.
(For more information on Building Champions, click here.)
"It's been a great response by our donors," Taylor said during halftime of Saturday's game. "We have a lot of money to go, obviously, but to have that much raised in a short time really just tells you the commitment our fan base has and our donors."
Many of the project's major donors gathered last Friday night for a National Leadership Circle event in the West Stadium Center, a product of one of K-State Athletics' latest major initiatives. It was an appropriate location to reflect on this next step in K-State Athletics' facility master plan, which will include $50 million worth of upgrades to the south end zone of Bill Snyder Family Stadium, a new indoor football practice facility ($24.5 million), a new volleyball arena ($17.5 million) and an Olympic Training Facility ($13 million).
"We've had gifts in the past, but certainly the overall thoughts about how all the athletic programs would advance and how it was a long-range plan that was so comprehensive captured our attention," Carl Ice said. "Our student-athletes, all of our coaches, work so hard and they deserve the chance to have facilities where they can compete at the their very best."
"The most exciting thing for me is how many student-athletes this new campaign will touch," Steve Lacy, a 1976 and 1977 K-State graduate, added. "This covers the waterfront, in terms of the other sports that are so important. It provides workout and Olympic facilities for so many athletes, and I think that's what excites me the most about this latest phase of the development of the athletic facilities."
The south end zone project is scheduled to begin in May 2020 following approval later this month by the Kansas Board of Regents with completion expected by the start of the 2021 football season. Construction of the final three components will begin once appropriate funding has been committed and approval has been given by the Kansas Board of Regents. Taylor said his goal is to have all the projects started or finished in the next three to five years.
When finished, all of K-State's student-athletes will benefit. Wildcat fans will as well.
Whether fans are going to a football, basketball or volleyball game, they will be walking into a top-notch facility that represents another step forward in the decades-long development of K-State Athletics' facilities. Currently, K-State's $15 million baseball-soccer project is also under construction.
To Jim Johnson, a 1984 K-State graduate, this somewhat never-ending progress spoke to him about what makes K-State special.
"What really excites me about this initiative is it's really a continuation, and really we continue to implement the vision of keeping up with the current state of athletics. It's not a one-and-done mentality, which, to me, is so Kansas State," he said. "It's about perseverance, staying with it and staying with a vision that's been contributed to by many, many people.
"What really makes it work is the number of people that support it and want to get behind it."
While a dozen or so families, like Johnson, generously donated to give this project the financial footing to begin, its completion will hinge on the Ahearn Fund's grassroots base of Wildcat donors that annually give K-State's 450-plus student-athletes the best experience possible. In FY 2019, K-State fans and donors contributed $44.4 million in total giving, the second-largest figure in department history.
"I think one of the things that makes K-State special," Mary Ice said, "is K-State has a feeling of being a group that gets things done together."
"It's that feeling…this is your family," Johnson added. "They're going to support you in anything you try to do."
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