2008 Woodie Awards
Athletic Dept. exploring Yager addition
Adam Hainsfurther
Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: Sports
In 2005, Miami University added new bleachers to Yager Stadium, finishing a three-year project to renovate the home of RedHawks football.
The project began in 2003 with the addition of a FieldTurf athletic field as well as broadcast-quality lighting and a new scoreboard.
In 2004, the Cradle of Coaches plaza near the south end of the stadium was erected, and finally in 2005 Miami added new bleachers to the student sections located at both the east sideline and behind the north end zone.
It was the largest renovations project since the stadium was built in 1983.
However, now there is major project being undertaken by Miami as a part of the For Love and Honor Campaign: Funds are being secured to build a new indoor practice facility behind the bleachers in the north end zone.
"The For Love and Honor Campaign is a fund-raising campaign that's going through our bicentennial," Athletic Director Brad Bates said. "It started about five years ago and departments throughout campus have financial goals that they're trying to reach. And the indoor practice facility is one of the (goals) for athletics."
Football Head Coach Shane Montgomery said that an indoor practice facility would help the team practice in the offseason when conditions don't allow for outdoor practices.
"Right now in the months of January, February, March-before we start ball when it's not nice outside-we can't get this team outside and get any work done, so obviously that'd be a great facility to help us through the offseason," Montgomery said. "The biggest thing has been, our last three of four winters have been pretty bad as far as a lot of snow, a lot of cold weather, and our kids don't have anywhere to go to throw the football, to run around, to do things like that."
Although it would be called a practice facility, it wouldn't only host practices. Montgomery believes that an addition like The Barn-which what the new facility is being termed-would be a selling point for high school players Miami is trying to recruit.
The project began in 2003 with the addition of a FieldTurf athletic field as well as broadcast-quality lighting and a new scoreboard.
In 2004, the Cradle of Coaches plaza near the south end of the stadium was erected, and finally in 2005 Miami added new bleachers to the student sections located at both the east sideline and behind the north end zone.
It was the largest renovations project since the stadium was built in 1983.
However, now there is major project being undertaken by Miami as a part of the For Love and Honor Campaign: Funds are being secured to build a new indoor practice facility behind the bleachers in the north end zone.
"The For Love and Honor Campaign is a fund-raising campaign that's going through our bicentennial," Athletic Director Brad Bates said. "It started about five years ago and departments throughout campus have financial goals that they're trying to reach. And the indoor practice facility is one of the (goals) for athletics."
Football Head Coach Shane Montgomery said that an indoor practice facility would help the team practice in the offseason when conditions don't allow for outdoor practices.
"Right now in the months of January, February, March-before we start ball when it's not nice outside-we can't get this team outside and get any work done, so obviously that'd be a great facility to help us through the offseason," Montgomery said. "The biggest thing has been, our last three of four winters have been pretty bad as far as a lot of snow, a lot of cold weather, and our kids don't have anywhere to go to throw the football, to run around, to do things like that."
Although it would be called a practice facility, it wouldn't only host practices. Montgomery believes that an addition like The Barn-which what the new facility is being termed-would be a selling point for high school players Miami is trying to recruit.
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