Florida State unveils plans for new version of standalone football facility

A project that has been discussed for more than four years and has featured input from three different Florida State football coaching staffs is coming closer to coming to fruition.

As reported by Warchant last week, the new football operations center will be located adjacent to the FSU practice fields and the existing indoor practice facility.

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The plans for a football operations center were originally advocated by former head coach Jimbo Fisher following the 2016 season, but they have seen several twists and turns since that time.

Just before the 2018 season, FSU announced intentions to build a $60 million facility and have it operational by the summer of 2021. But the struggles during Willie Taggart's coaching tenure and some differing opinions inside the university about the best approach caused the project to be shelved temporarily.

Some believed the football operations should be moved to the existing Moore Athletics Center, with major renovations, while other standalone sites were considered as well.

Under the direction of athletics director David Coburn, Seminole Boosters CEO Michael Alford and second-year head coach Mike Norvell, the current figuration was recently selected.

Here is the release from FSU:

Florida State Director of Athletics David Coburn and Seminole Boosters President and CEO Michael Alford released new renderings Wednesday for a new football operations building for Florida State football.

“The response by our supporters throughout the Unconquered Campaign shows their commitment to Florida State and our athletics program,” Coburn said. “We need these additional facilities to properly serve the needs of our football program and to enable us to expand existing shared areas in the Moore Athletic Center and improve our ability to support all our sports. I know we will find, as we did when we built the Dunlap Athletic Training Center, that these facility improvements have a huge impact across the board.”

In September 2018, FSU Athletics and Seminole Boosters joined the University in announcing a five-year Unconquered Campaign. The $100 million campaign was initiated to fund a new football facility, student-athlete scholarship endowments, a redesign of the Seminole Golf Course by the Jack Nicklaus Legacy team, infrastructure improvements and innovations at Dick Howser Stadium and the Tucker Center, along with additional projects.

“We recently reached the $100 million pledge goal of the Unconquered Campaign and will continue to raise funds to accomplish all of our goals,” said Alford.

“We are receiving a great response from our benefactors including many commitments to the new football facility project. In our discussions, they are excited about the vision and direction of the athletic department and Seminole Boosters.”

The football operations building will be the new day-to-day home of Florida State football. Located adjacent to the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Complex and the Dunlap practice fields, the new center will be one of the most significant investments in the program’s history. Inside its 150,000 square feet of dedicated space, Seminole student-athletes will enjoy first-class resources including:

· Dedicated football training facility attached to the existing Dunlap Athletic Training Center

· 13 position meeting rooms

· Indoor walk-thru meeting area adjacent to position meeting rooms

· Locker room

· Dedicated recruiting lounge/suite

· Offices for Football Coaching Staff

· Private Event Space

· Strength Training and Weight Room Centers that include:

Walk-thru recovery pools

Custom hot/cold plunge pools

Underwater treadmill pools

Dedicated recovery suite

Cryotherapy, hyperbaric chamber, high altitude room

· Team Meeting Rooms

· Player development areas

· Virtual Reality/Performance Enhancement Areas

· Nutrition/Fueling Stations

· Coaches Video/Production Offices

“This facility project is all about attracting the very best student-athletes and developing them, in all aspects,” said Alford. “We are committed to fostering an environment where every student-athlete is able to perform at a high level while receiving leadership and life-skills training that they can take with them after they graduate.

“Ultimately, this facility will accommodate programs that will help our student-athletes and teams succeed. All 20 programs will benefit from this project and we are excited to help make this possible in partnership with our supporters.”

The football facility project will continue to be privately funded through donations made to Seminole Boosters, supplemented by new revenue streams tied to recently announced seating and infrastructure concepts at Doak Campbell Stadium. Over $43 million has already been raised through the Unconquered Campaign.

“The new home for our football program will allow us to expand the spaces in the Moore Athletic Center for academic services, sports medicine, dining, and strength and conditioning that are shared by all our sports,” said Coburn. “It will be a dramatic improvement for all our support efforts, which has a direct impact on the experience of our world-class student-athletes.”

Moore Athletic Center renovation plans will more than double the current square footage that house the academic support unit, as well as expand dining areas, and primary sports medicine and strength and conditioning facilities shared by all 20 FSU sports.

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