By John Werner

Tribune-Herald staff writer

Baylor University football Coach Art Briles has heard people rave about the new Highers Athletics Complex on University-Parks Drive.

He’s heard about all the bells and whistles within the 96,300-square-foot training and academic center. People have told him it’s going to be one of the best recruiting tools in the nation to attract college players.

But like a kid anticipating his favorite gift, Briles hasn’t peeked inside the doors yet.

“I’ve never been one to open Christmas gifts before Christmas Day,” Briles said. “But when they open the doors and say come on, we’ll show up. It’s going to be unbelievable.”

Briles and his coaching staff are scheduled to move into the new $34 million athletics complex after the Bears’ final game against Texas Tech on Saturday in Lubbock. After years of playing catch-up against other Big 12 schools, Baylor finally will have a training and academic center on campus that BU administrators say can compete with any in the country.

The facility features a 13,000-square-foot weight room, a 5,000-square-foot training room, a 9,000-square-foot academic center, a state-of-the-art locker room and a team meeting room with 144 theater-style seats. Behind the complex sit two grass football fields and the $12.1 million Jay and Jenny Allison Indoor Practice Facility.

Multimedia

• Slide show: A look around the complex
• Video: Take a tour of the facility

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The Highers Athletics Complex entrance will feature green and gold flags that spell out "Baylor" and a multimedia presentation aimed at recruits. (Rod Aydelotte photo)

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The new 96,300 square foot Highers Athletic Complex cost $34 million to build. (Rod Aydelotte photo)

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The Bears' locker room will feature 120 lockers, each with its own ventilation system. (Rod Aydelotte photo)

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While a great facility won’t guarantee a change in Baylor’s football fortunes, it’s a major step in the right direction.

Investment in winning

“We’re making close to a $50 million investment, but it will be dollars well spent,” Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw said. “We will get a tremendous return on our investment. It will have a great impact on the football program and the entire athletic department, and it will further our opportunities for success.”

The new facility will house the offices for the football coaches and athletics administration staff, who will move from Floyd Casey Stadium. The weight room, training room and academic center will be shared by many Baylor sports.

Most importantly, the football players can train on campus after years of driving across town to practice at Floyd Casey Stadium.

“We’ve had to take extra time to get from class and spend gas money to get to the stadium,” Baylor junior linebacker Joe Pawelek said. “But now everything is going to be right here on campus. We’re going to have the weight room, the locker rooms and training room right here. They’ve really taken care of us.”

Recruiting is the biggest reason why Baylor built the new facility, which was funded by significant contributions from the estate of Alwin O. Highers Jr., a 1939 Baylor graduate who died in 2003, and 1970 Baylor graduate Bob Simpson.

All about recruiting

During the last decade, major college football programs have been in an arms race to build bigger and better training and academic centers that will knock recruits off their feet.

Big 12 schools such as the University of Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Nebraska have been among the leaders. Every coach knows the importance of making a great first impression in recruiting.

“When you’re recruiting, you want to have something that separates you from other schools,” Texas coach Mack Brown said. “You want to show kids a wow factor and provide them a great memory. You want to show them your history and give them something they want to be a part of. You want them to have the best facilities to practice in and a great academic center.”

Texas built the Moncrief-Neuhaus Athletics Complex as part of the DKR-Memorial Stadium complex, while Texas A&M’s Bright Football Complex is connected to Kyle Field.

“You try to do your best sales job in recruiting,” Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said. “We’ve got a phenomenal complex, and we’ve certainly had nothing like this before. Everything is located right here in one area — the practice field, the weight room, the academic center and the indoor facility. Parents are always impressed with the academic center.”

When Baylor has gone on Big 12 road trips, the school’s athletics administrators have taken extra time to tour the training and practice facilities of rival schools. They’ve looked at some of the best features of other facilities and have tried to incorporate or improve upon them in Baylor’s new facility. SPARKS Sports, an architectural firm in Oklahoma City, designed the building.

‘Tremendous showcase’

McCaw said he believes recruits will be impressed the minute they step into the entrance of Baylor’s new facility. They’ll see green and gold flags that spell out “Baylor” along with a multimedia presentation that represents Baylor football’s past and present. But that will just be an appetizer for what’s to come.

“This facility is going to be a powerful recruiting tool for Coach Briles,” McCaw said. “It’s one of the finest facilities in the Big 12 and the nation. To be able to recruit to Baylor’s campus is an asset we haven’t had in the past. It will be a tremendous showcase for the athletic program and will be the face of Baylor athletics in many ways.”

The bottom floor features the weight room, training room, equipment room, locker room and the players lounge. The huge weight room will include a nutrition center and a DXA machine for body and density testing. The training room will feature two hydroworks underwater treadmills for rehabilitation.

On game days, Baylor still will use its locker room at Floyd Casey Stadium. But the locker room at the new facility will include 120 lockers, each with its own ventilation system. Briles purposely had the locker room separated from the players lounge, which will feature flat-screen TVs, a pool table and a foosball table.

“Coach Briles wanted a separate locker room to let the players know it’s all business in there,” McCaw said.

The second floor features the academic center, which includes 22 individual tutor rooms, a computer lab, a learning center and two classrooms. The team meeting room and the administrative and coaching offices also are located on the second floor. Briles’ office features a balcony overlooking the practice fields on the bank of the Brazos River.

Before Baylor broke ground on the new facility in May 2007, McCaw pushed for the location because he felt it showed the best of Baylor, he said.

“We have a unique facility in a very attractive area that’s unlike any school in the Big 12,” McCaw said. “We’re right next door to the Mayborn Museum, and we’re aligned with Baylor Ballpark, Getterman Stadium and the Baylor Tennis Center. We have an absolutely spectacular situation in presenting the best of Baylor in this location.”

Soon after Saturday’s final game, Briles and his staff will begin using the facility to attract recruits. The building will be in full use when the Bears begin spring drills, and the indoor practice facility is expected to be completed in August.

Briles can’t wait to unwrap his Christmas gift.

“From an image standpoint, this facility is unparalleled in Baylor history,” Briles said. “It’s going to put us on a level field in recruiting, and it will change the whole way people view Baylor. It will say we’re a Big 12 football program, and we’re serious about playing in this league.”

jwerner@wacotrib.com

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