Pursue the Exceptional

This fall, Baylor football moves into its new home, the Fudge Football Development Center. The state-of-the-art complex is the culmination of three years of planning and preparation, providing Head Football Coach Dave Aranda with a space that consolidates practice fields, strength and conditioning, nutrition resources, healthcare spaces and coaches’ offices for Baylor football.

“The Fudge Football Development Center is an industry-leading facility that embodies the spirit of the Baylor Family and supporters of Baylor Athletics,” said Mack B. Rhoades IV, vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics. “We are extremely grateful to Jeremy and Kristy Fudge for their generous lead gift, which has paved the way for an exciting new chapter in Baylor football. Their philanthropy and contributions from individuals like Jay and Jenny Allison have allowed us to centralize our football services and practice spaces, providing an unparalleled experience for our student-athletes and coaches.”

Located next to the Simpson Athletics and Academic Center and the Beauchamp Athletic Nutrition Center, the Fudge Football Development Center features amenities such as:

Strength and Conditioning 

• 14,000-square-foot weight room with 18 Power Lift racks
• 1,300-square-foot Virtual Walk-thru Room with a 400-square-foot video wall
• Direct access to Allison Indoor Practice Facility

Athletic Human Performance Spaces

• Athletic medicine space for injury and illness evaluation and rehabilitation
• State-of-the-art hydrotherapy treatment room
• Centralized fueling station to optimize nutrition needs
• Individual consultation area to provide opportunities for confidential mental health and medical support

Team Meeting Spaces

• Team auditorium with space for 205 in tiered, theatre-style seating
• Large meeting rooms for offense, defense and position-specific meetings

Student-Athlete Spaces

• Players’ locker room featuring video technology at each locker and a quiet room
• Players’ lounge overlooking the locker room with a private terrace featuring views of McLane Stadium and the Brazos River

The project includes a 14,460-square-foot expansion of the Jay and Jenny Allison Indoor Practice Facility, which created a full-size field and a new front entry, lobby, second-level bridge access connecting the Fudge Center and Allison Indoor Practice Facility, and new offices for the football program’s coaching staff.

Construction of the Fudge Football Development Center was announced in November 2021 with a lead gift of $15 million from Jeremy, B.A. ’97, and Kristy Fudge. 

“In business and in our personal lives, our family has always lived by the motto ‘Pursue the Exceptional,’ and we are proud to support Baylor University in their pursuit of excellence,” Jeremy Fudge said at the time of their gift’s announcement. “As Christians, we are called to pursue excellence in everything we do, as an act of worship and obedience. At Baylor, our excellence can be a testimony to our Christian faith on a national stage, and we are excited to join the good work they are doing through our gift to support these programs, people and priorities as they continue Preparing Champions for Life.”

The Fudge Football Development Center is a capital project funded through the Give Light campaign. More than $285 million was raised through the campaign to support capital projects, including the Fudge Center, the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion, and the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center, as well as the Tidwell Bible Building renovation. To learn more about the campaign’s impact, visit baylor.edu/givelight.