Construction for the Next Era of Athletics Facilities Set to Begin This Spring and Summer
Improvements to football facilities in the Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center set to begin this spring.
Indoor Performance Facility construction slated to begin this summer
GALLERY
TAMPA, FEB. 24, 2021 – USF Vice President of Athletics
Michael Kelly and Head Football Coach
Jeff Scott announced plans for $25 million in Athletics facility improvements and new construction slated to begin this spring and summer that will take Athletics facilities into a new era.
The latest facility improvements are part of Phase 1 of a two-phase plan involving the Bulls' football facilities in the current Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center and construction of an Indoor Performance Facility that will be utilized by all sports and the university. Phase 2 of the plan will occur at a later date and will involve completion of the planned football operations center.
Quotable:
VP of Athletics Michael Kelly
"We remain focused on doing our very best for what we can provide for our student-athletes. After much thought and alignment over this timeframe and during this pandemic, I am pleased today to offer a revised vision and a timeline for the first time. I am very confident in our plan and our progress.
"We still have all the same visions that we have had for our facilities that have been shared with you, but we are now going to work in phases. Today, I want to share with you the details regarding Phase 1. That is going to primarily be renovations to the Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center and construction of an Indoor Performance Facility."
Head Football Coach Jeff Scott
"I really feel like this is a new day for the University of South Florida. Not just for the football program, not just for Athletics, but really overall for the entire University. In my experience here over the last year, I have been able to see a new alignment in leadership and vision that gets me really excited. That is one of the things that has me most excited right now about us moving forward and one of the reasons we are in this position today.
"I can't thank Dr. Currall enough, not just for approving a project, but being 100 percent committed to this. There has been close to 100 hours already in meetings over the last six to eight months among a lot of our leadership to have something like this be ready be built to take place. From Day 1 it has been a priority for Dr. Currall,
Michael Kelly,
Lelo Prado and his staff at the Bulls Club and Jay Stroman our new president of the foundation.
"I want to thank so many of our donors who have made huge financial commitments for something like this to take place. There's no doubt this is going to be a game changer for us. Starting off, to have some new areas here in the Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center, to completely redo our locker room and make it one of the best in the country. The Indoor Performance Facility I believe is going to be one of the best in the country and I have experienced the impact that can have on your program."
Details of Phase 1 announced on Wednesday:
Cost: $25 million
$3 million for renovations to the Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center – including the football locker room and team room and additions of a team lounge, nutrition center and experiential branding upgrades.
- The Selmon Center was constructed in 2004. The football only portions of the facility will be receiving their first major upgrades since that time.
- The Fishman Family Student-Athlete Enrichment Center (located in the building) underwent a major $750,000 improvement in 2017 to make it one of the top academic support facilities in the nation and provide state-of-the-art facilities and services for all USF student-athletes.
$22 million for full construction of an 88,000 square-foot Indoor Performance Facility.
- Will be constructed on the site of the current athletics turf field adjacent to Sycamore Drive.
- Will encapsulate a 100-yard turf football field, be climate controlled and have a branded lobby and observation deck.
- Will have use beyond football for other athletics teams, events and university and foundation events.
Timeline:
This Spring – renovations to preexisting facilities in the Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center are scheduled to begin following the completion of spring football practice and are slated to be completed prior to the start of fall football camp for the 2021 season.
This Summer – construction on the Indoor Performance Facility is set to begin this summer and is slated for completion prior to the start of fall football camp for the 2022 season.
Funding:
All funding for Phase 1 and Phase 2 projects will come from private donations.
Indoor Performance Facility Architect: HOK
Indoor Performance Facility Construction: RR Simmons Construction
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men's and women's teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls' athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 55th season in 2020-21. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 19 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, and own 120 conference titles overall. The Bulls posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for the fifth straight year in 2019-20 and have posted a program-record 12 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0. USF has had nearly 400 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
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