Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Breaks Ground for New Recreation and Athletics Center
10/24/2000 8:00:00 AM | General
LEWISBURG, Pa., (Oct. 24, 2000) -- Groundbreaking ceremonies for Bucknell's new $31.5 million recreation and athletics center were held Saturday, Oct. 28, at 10:30 a.m. near Davis Gym.
"The new facility will be one of the finest collegiate athletics facilities in the East," said Bucknell President Steffen H. Rogers. "The center will fully meet the university's needs for modern athletic, recreation and fitness programs for the foreseeable future."
Kenneth and Elaine Langone of Sands Point, N.Y., pledged $11 million in the spring of 1999 for the facility and will have the honor of naming the center. He is a 1957 graduate of Bucknell and was a member of the university Board of Trustees from 1980 to 1996.
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"We are so grateful to the Langones for their incredible gift to the campus," Rogers said. "The positive impact of their generosity will be felt through numerous generations of Bucknell students."
The project includes renovation of the existing facility and new construction. It is expected to be completed in the fall of 2002. The center will house:
- A new 54-meter-by-25-yard Olympic pool.
- A new 4,000-seat gymnasium.
- 15,000 square feet for a student fitness facility and instructional strength and conditioning area.
- The Bucknell Athletic Hall of Fame and a display of Bucknell's Medal of Honor recipients.
- Modern offices for all coaches and athletics staff.
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"Bucknell will at last have a facility that our students and athletics program deserve," said John Hardt, director of athletics and recreation. "The center will greatly enhance the recruiting of top-caliber athletes and students to campus."
The pool will accommodate both men and women's varsity swimming, diving and water polo. The pool will have two moveable bulkheads that will allow team practices and recreational swimming to occur simultaneously. Seating will be provided for 500 spectators.
The gym will replace Davis Gym as the home of the varsity men and women's basketball teams. The gym will include walk-down access to seating and unobstructed views of the playing surface for all fans. Some of the 4,000 seats will be fixed in place and others will be retractable, for an open floor area with space for three practice courts.
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The gym's seating configuration will be well suited for major basketball games and other events such as concerts and convocations that attract large crowds of students and community people. The gym will also include team locker rooms, concession areas and rooms for game officials and coaches.
Davis Gym and the Freas-Rooke pool will be renovated for competitive wrestling and volleyball and for recreation, varsity training and fitness training for all students. Davis Gym was built in 1938 and has a seating capacity of 2,200. The Freas-Rooke pool opened in 1955.
The fitness area's 15,000 square feet includes space for instructional training and for general student use. Some 5,000 to 7,000 square feet are now available for fitness and conditioning. The new center will have 175 fitness positions, compared to the present 37, with modern free-weight and exercise equipment. The area will also have a juice bar and lounge.
The Bucknell Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1979, and the new facility will afford the Hall of Fame a prominent display area in the main entrance. The bronze busts and citations of Bucknell's two Medal of Honor winners, 1st Lt. Dwite H. Schaffner, a 1915 graduate, and 2nd Lt. George H. Ramer, a 1950 graduate, will also be displayed in the facility. The Langones donated the Medal of Honor display to recognize the heroes' valor in 1996.
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About 70 percent of Bucknell's 3,500 undergraduates competed in varsity sports while in high school. Some 20 percent continue varsity competition in college, but a large majority of Bucknell students also maintain their interest in fitness and recreation sports, Hardt said.
Hardt noted that Bucknell has won the Patriot League Presidents' Cup for overall excellence in league championships seven of the 10 times the cup has been awarded and has been runner-up twice. The Patriot League offers varsity competition in 22 sports, in addition Bucknell has varsity competition in crew, golf, wrestling and water polo. Bucknell fields 14 varsity teams for women and 14 for men, ranking 20th in the nation in the number of NCAA varsity sports offered.
Bucknell's 91 percent graduation rate of student-athletes for a four-year period was the highest in the nation in the most recent NCAA report, and the university's annual rates have ranked in the top 10 nationally every year except one. Since 1970, a total of 93 Bucknell student-athletes have been named to the Academic All-America teams, the third highest total among NCAA Division I schools.
The groundbreaking ceremony will feature remarks by James W. Schubauer, chairman of the Board of Trustees, Arthur D. Kinney, chairman of The Bucknell Campaign, Rogers and Hardt. The Langones and other major donors who supported the recreation and athletics center project are expected to attend.
