FAU has received a $16M donation -- the "largest single gift in the school's history -- to help build a new facility that will be primarily used by the football program," according to Nate Taylor of the South Florida SUN-SENTINEL. The donation comes from Richard Schmidt, who "had never donated to the athletic department," despite being "one of the school's biggest donors." The building is "expected to be an 185,000-sqare foot facility that will be located close to FAU Stadium." The complex will "feature a spacious football center, a large weight room, a wellness center, a sports medicine center and an academic center," and it will hold a "full-length indoor football practice field" as well. The cost of the facility "will be between" $45-50M. It is "unclear when construction for the complex will begin," but the school "still needs to hire an architectural firm and a construction company" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 12/3). In West Palm Beach, Jeff Ostrowski reports FAU "plans to build the training complex on vacant land next" to its $70M football stadium, but "many details -- such as a groundbreaking date or even how many indoor fields the facility will include -- remain unclear." FAU President John Kelly said that the school must raise an additional $30M or so "before it can build the complex." FAU professor Tim Lenz said that "as student fees have spiked and faculty salaries remain below average, it’s hard to ignore the on-campus grumbling about FAU’s fascination with football." But Ostrowski notes UAB, which is folding its football program, "brought in" $9M in football revenue last year. If FAU "succeeds at raising the money for an indoor practice facility, it would be the rare low-tier football program with such a complex" (PALM BEACH POST, 12/3).
