Miami's new facility features two fields and a massive neon "U" logo hanging on one wallUNIV. OF MIAMI
The Univ. of Miami "celebrated the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility with a dedication ceremony that drew more than 400 community and university leaders," and the project has now raised $36.3M "toward its newest goal" of $40M, according to Susan Miller Degnan of the MIAMI HERALD. UM football coach Mark Richt said, "It is without a doubt the finest indoor practice facility in America." The 90,000-square-foot facility has "two fields, one 80 yards long and the other 40 yards," and the football operations area, "still under construction, will encompass nearly 30,000 square feet." The "name of every Miami first-team All-American hangs from the rafters on orange banners, as does a long one with all five Hurricanes national championship seasons." There is also a "giant video board nearby." A "massive neon U in orange and green hangs on one wall." On the other: a "giant mural of every Hurricanes player" in the Pro Football and College Football HOFs. UM Senior Associate AD/Development Jesse Marks said that "close to 100 former UM players" had donated about $2.3M to the project, including $1M from Richt and his wife Katharyn. But "no one did their part more than Carol Soffer and her family," who donated $14M as the lead gift (MIAMI HERALD, 10/12). In Ft. Lauderdale, Christy Cabrera Chirinos notes Soffer "celebrated the fact" that the facility "bears a woman’s name." Soffer: "It’s not about my name, it’s about the fact that a woman is on a building that is a men’s football facility. That’s something really special and I hope more women get involved in sports" (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 10/12).
