|
Phase I - Projects
When Phase I of the Championship Vision Campaign was introduced in 2000, Texas
A&M's athletic facilities-particularly those designed for student-athletes,
not the fans-had fallen significantly behind those of Big 12 competitors like
Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska and national competitors like Florida State, Michigan
and Tennessee. As a result, A&M often failed to win key recruiting battles
and, consequently, fell behind in the standings in numerous sports.
The initial Champion Vision was shared and many responded. We are deeply grateful
for the more than 2,000 families who contributed to the vision and propelled
the success of the vision beyond the original goal of $35 million and beyond
the secondary goal of $50 million. The results are clear and have reshaped the
landscape of Texas A&M athletics in three vital areas:
 A)
Facilities: Championship Vision facility outcomes:
- The state-of-the-art Bright Football Complex and Academic Center
- The Carolyn and Jack Little '60 West Campus facilities, which feature locker
rooms, coaches offices and training areas for track and field, cross country,
soccer and softball
- A new indoor batting facility for the baseball and softball teams at Olsen
Field
- New visitors locker rooms and a permanent ticket booth at the George P.
Mitchell Tennis Center
- The 12th Man Foundation offices inside the Zone at Kyle Field
- The Zone Plaza
- The Lettermen's Sports Museum
- The track & field scoreboard
- The volleyball scoreboard and locker rooms
- The Burkhart football auditorium
B) Leadership: The positive impact of these new facilities has been
astonishing. The commitment of Championship Vision donors first allowed Texas
A&M to attract one of the nation's finest athletics directors in Bill Byrne
and subsequently allowed Byrne to hire proven winners in the coaching profession
like Dennis Franchione in football, Pat Henry in track and field, Bill Gillispie
in men's basketball, Gary Blair in women's basketball and Rob Childress in baseball.
C) Performance: The first phase of the capital campaign initiatives
has also produced remarkable results in performance.
" The Bright Football Complex has helped the Aggies assemble three consecutive
recruiting classes ranked in the top 15 nationally and then helped the Aggies
return to a New Year's Day bowl game at the conclusion of the 2004 season for
the first time since 1998.
- New facilities at the Mitchell Tennis Center have allowed the Aggies to
reach the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 six straight years, a feat matched only
by UCLA. Improvements also enabled A&M to host the NCAA Championships
three times (2002, 2005 and returns in 2009).
- New facilities for softball helped the Aggies win their first-ever Big 12
championship in 2005.
- New facilities for soccer propelled the Aggies to the 2004 Big 12 regular
season and tournament championships and have enabled A&M to attract the
2005 NCAA College Cup to College Station.
|
