Planning for the Future

Baylor Athletics Master Plan Proposes Football Operations Center

From the sports enthusiasts watching football and basketball games on television to the thousands of fans and alumni who journey to campus each year to catch a game, Baylor Athletics is the “front porch” through which many people learn about this institution — and through which many students begin to consider Baylor for their university pursuits.

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Key to Baylor’s success are recruiting and retaining both male and female student-athletes who excel in their sports while also placing value on education and recruiting and retaining successful coaches who believe in the mission of the University. Athletics facilities must be fitted with the latest advances in training and support for student-athletes. Coaches must have access to technologies and teaching and training methods that provide the best opportunities for their student-athletes to grow and excel. 

While Baylor has made great strides in the past five years to upgrade its facilities and to remain competitive with other members of the Big 12 Conference, significant needs remain. And just as our athletes push to be better every day, our facilities must continuously improve as well. 

Several facility projects have emerged as priorities of the athletics master plan. Among them, construction of a football operations center. This industry-leading operations center would house coaches offices and provide convenient, state-of-the-art team meeting and development spaces, weight rooms, rehab and sports nutrition support and would enhance the overall complement of resources for the football program. The operations center would improve competitiveness in recruiting and feature space overlooking the outdoor football practice facility and McLane Stadium. 

 Once complete, the space where football operations now resides in Simpson Athletics and Academic Center would be used for additional academic support and student success services. 

“The football operations building will be a game-changer for the entire Athletics Department and our student-athletes,” Mack Rhoades, vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics, said. “With the addition of this facility, it will enable the current space occupied by football to be repurposed to serve both the academic and athletic needs of our 500+ student-athletes at an elite level. This facility will provide a competitive advantage for football in recruiting top prospects while also better equipping us in Preparing Champions for Life across all sports programs.”