March 13, 2013
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IOWA CITY, Iowa – The coaching staff of the University of Iowa football program and student-athletes who play football for the Hawkeyes won’t be roaming the hallways of the UI’s Football Operations Center until sometime late in the summer of 2014 when that multi-million dollar addition to the facilities available to Kirk Ferentz’s squad is complete. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t be somewhat familiar with their new surroundings when they do move into their new home.
The Hawkeyes, friends of the University of Iowa, and fans of the intercollegiate athletics program at the UI can now take a “virtual tour” of what will be 76,000 square feet of space that is being constructed to guarantee an exceptional experience for the UI’s talented student-athletes and ensure that the football program at the University of Iowa remains competitive for many years to come.
To take the virtual tour, click HERE.
To view the work site via a live webcam, click HERE.
To watch a new video about the progress on the construction, click HERE.
The UI expects to break ground on the Football Operations Center – Phase II of the latest additions to the facilities used by Hawkeyes – later this spring. Upon completion, the facility will offer exhibit space dedicated to the history and success of the Hawkeyes designed to inspire and entertain future and current Hawkeyes, and fans of the Hawkeyes.
It will also include a room which honors Iowa’s consensus All-Americans, a team space that will be used for hospitality and special events; a strength training area that also offers a turf surface for speed and agility workouts; team locker rooms, team meeting rooms, office space for the coaching, administrative and support staffs, athletic training facilities and an equipment room.
All will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology for training, coaching, and recruiting, and will be adjacent to the Hawkeyes’ new Indoor Practice Facility and the Ron and Margaret Kenyon Outdoor Practice Facility, two pieces of the Hawkeyes’ master plan for football facilities that were completed last summer.
The construction of the indoor practice facility – which replaced the UI’s “Bubble” – and the renovation of the Kenyon Outdoor Practice Facility were Phase I of the most recent in a series of construction and renovation projects executed in support of the UI football program that began with the $89 million renovation of historic Kinnick Stadium.
The $55 million Iowa Football Legacy project will be 100 percent funded by the UI Athletics Department which is 100 percent self-sufficient and, as such, receives no state tax dollars or institutional funds. Currently, more than $30 million of the fund-raising goal of $35 million has been committed to the project by generous friends and fans of the Hawkeyes who share the vision for the future of the UI and have deep appreciation for the history and success of the Hawkeye football program.
Fans of the Hawkeyes who want to learn more about how they can provide financial support to this game-changing project should contact Matt Henderson of the UI Foundation at (319) 335-3305 or Mark Jennings or Andy Piro of the UI Athletics Department (319) 335-8874.