Rutgers broke ground yesterday on the RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center, its new multi-sport practice facility, which "ends decades of empty promises on a campus where investment in athletic facilities was non-existent," according to Tara Sullivan of the Bergen RECORD. The 295,000-square-foot facility "will not simply serve the two basketball teams, wrestling and gymnastics, but also be the headquarters for a world-class sports medicine program to serve all 625 Division I athletes on campus." With Rutgers AD Pat Hobbs at the wheel, Rutgers President Robert Barchi "staying out of the way and with a state government willing to help, Rutgers is moving forward in a way commensurate with its Big Ten status, taking real steps to catch up with one of the most competitive athletic conferences in the nation." Hobbs' group was able to surpass $50M in "fundraising for 'R Big Ten Build' in 15 weeks." Though Hobbs "wouldn’t supply an overall estimated cost for the structure, he did say construction is expected to begin" in spring of '17 and be completed by July '19 (Bergen RECORD, 11/2). In Newark, Steve Politi writes given all the "empty promises and bogus blueprints over the years, Hobbs earned the right to enjoy this groundbreaking." Up next for Rutgers should be a "more modest but just as important building for the soccer and lacrosse programs." People around the athletic department are "cautiously optimistic that they'll be breaking out the shovels again in six months for that," but Hobbs "isn't putting a date" on it (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 11/2).
