SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) - Cal Poly is celebrating the opening of the long-planned John Madden Football Center.
On Saturday, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held to officially open the $45 million facility that is named in honor of arguably the university's most famous alumnus, legendary football coach and broadcaster John Madden.
In the works for about 10 years, the 29,000 square foot, two-story building will become the new home of Cal Poly football.
Located on the south end of Mustang Memorial Field, the facility is expected provide a transformational boost to the football program, as well as the entire athletic program.
"It's an absolute game changer, not only for our football program, but for our for our department," said Cal Poly Athletic Director Carter Henderson. "It'll change the way we operate. Having a centralized football operations hub, not only provides opportunities for them, but also alleviates a lot of volume pressure throughout the rest of our athletic footprint, so it'll be really valuable for all of our student athletes, but I think in addition to just the operational value, just the signal that it sends when you step inside the building, you feel the quality and it sends a really important signal."
Funding for the building was developed in partnership with the Madden Family, as well as a robust fundraising campaign and included significant financial support from donors, businesses and other sources.
The John Madden Football Center features a 5,000-square-foot weight room, student-athlete recovery and wellness areas, team meeting spaces, locker room facilities, nutrition and sports medicine resources, and football program gathering spaces designed to support the holistic development of student-athletes.
"It's a it's a big delta from where we had been to where we are," said Henderson. "There's a lot of uncertainty in the future of college football, but what we know is there's a tremendous amount of value that football brings to the institution, and so for us to commit to it in this way, I think, really prepares us for the future."
A 1959 Cal Poly graduate, Madden played both football and baseball for the Mustangs before embarking on a legendary coaching and broadcasting career that spanned several decades until the time of his death in 2021.
Through a collaboration with the Madden family, the new home of Mustangs football now bears his name.
At the entrance of the facility, the front lobby features a statue of Madden sitting on a long bench that allows visitors to take photos with the sure-to-be-popular feature.
There are also displays of memorabilia that features both Madden-related objects, such as his iconic Madden video game, as well those from Cal Poly football history, including the 1980 Division II National Championship trophy.
"The opportunity to name this facility after after someone with such a powerful legacy, I think really speaks to our perspective student- athletes and our current student-athletes and shows the what's possible," said Henderson. "As a Cal Poly student, an alumnus you can achieve next to anything. You look at John Madden and there's there's countless others that have come through these halls. I think it's a great testimonial to what's possible after you leave Cal Poly."
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