Jeremy Foley and the University Athletic Association are invested with keeping the University of Florida on the cutting edge. Part of that investment means keeping up with the Joneses when it comes to facilities.
How invested are Foley and the UAA, approximately $100 million dollars invested in making sure that the Florida Gators have the facilities to match their pedigree on and off the field.
“A little over $100 million in projects right now with the O’Connell Center, the Student Life and the indoor practice facility, but at the end of the day our job is to support our coaches,” Foley said. “Obviously the Gator Nation wants to get this ship turned when it relates to football. It’s our job do to everything we can.”
Florida is currently working on an indoor practice facility, a new office of student life and will break ground on renovating the Stephen C. O’Connell Center following this season.
The indoor practice facility is something that fans had longed for impatiently and openly. Florida and Vanderbilt are the only teams in the SEC that don’t currently have an indoor facility for their football programs but the Gators have already begun work on the Sanders Practice Facility (adjacent to McKethan Stadium and the O’Dome) to build a full 120-yard facility that will be ready at the beginning of the 2015 season.
“The indoor practice facility is being started now as we speak. If you go out there you can see them do some work,” said Foley. “We still have some meetings with our board, our UAA board, to figure out and finalize the financing of that. But we’re committed to that. That will be ready by next September.”
The initial plans called for a smaller indoor facility but, with the input of Jim McElwain, the UAA has opted to build a full field. As the saying goes, if you’re going to so something, don’t just do it, do it right.
“[McElwain’s] fingerprints are going to be on the program,” Foley said. “Again that’s no different anytime you bring a coach in here, but he made it clear what his vision was as it related to infrastructure and it’s my job to help him achieve all those things.”
In addition to the three planned renovations, Foley also announced that the dorms that student-athletes stay in would be renovated. It’s part of a huge investment into what will bring Florida’s facilities back up to par with the rest of the top programs in the SEC and breath new life into tired facilities.
The hire of McElwain and the renovation plans have Gator fans excited. Sure, there was some excitement when new offensive coordinators were brought in but this is different. It’s palpable. Florida fans are ready for the McElwain era to get going and everyone in the building with Foley can feel that.
“I think there’s a really good vibe around our program now. Everywhere I go in town, people are excited about Mac. The finish on signing day, the phone calls and e-mails I got, they’re different e-mails than I was getting this fall, for sure,” Foley said.
“At the end of the day, we need to go win games. We all get that. It’s all that matters. But I’m very confident in Mac. Just look at his track record. He’s won a lot of games in his life. That’s going to happen here. I think it’s going to happen in a way that’s going to make the Gator Nation happy, so I like the vibe right now.”
Sorry to tell you but Vanderbilt does have an indoor football facility
Nick’s article is very insightful and in many ways troubling. After reading it I wonder if Foley is still capable of providing UF with leadership. Some examples: (1) McElwain’s job is harder because Foley tried to hang on with Muschamp rather than admit that he failed once again with his football hire, (2) UF is apparently last to build an indoor practice facility, (3) McElwain apparently had to pressure Foley to build a full-size facility, (4) The dorms for athletes are finally being renovated in an attempt to catch-up with those of the SEC leaders. Foley demonstrated poor judgment when he hired the untested Zook. Then, Foley made the same mistake again when he hired a guy with no track record of success as a head coach and who’s side line behavior suggests his future is as a DC not a head coach. Foley, I do not have faith in the guy!!
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000277135/article/vanderbilt-unveils-31-million-indoor-athletic-facility
I understand that football is the flagship sport. But Foley has done an excellent job with the other sports as well and quite honestly, I support all of the Gator athletes when possible. Unfortunately, to bring the others to a national prominence, football and facilities took a back seat. But the pendulum is swinging back because now it is time to make football king again. Be patient Gator Nation. It is coming.
After reading Nick’s article yesterday and the one in the Gainesville Sun I now understand the situation better. The Gators can hardly afford to build a full-size IPF and upgrade other facilities because of the money Foley contracted to pay Will Muschamp. Muschamp in turn recruits against the Gators and delivers Holland and Cowart to an SEC rival and otherwise defames the University of Florida. And, we in turn are suppose to believe that Foley is not replaceable because he has nurtured several non-revenue sports at UF. It makes perfect sense !!