IPF Groundbreaking Marks New Era For USF Athletics
Gallery: (9-8-2021) IPF Groundbreaking
By Joey Johnston
There were green-and-gold balloons, members of the school's band setting a spirited tone and a full dais of dignitaries Wednesday when USF held a ceremonial groundbreaking for its $22-million Indoor Performance Facility on the east end of campus.
Why was it a big deal?
Rewind to Tuesday's football practice.
"Our current players and former players will tell you there are countless occasions when we're practicing when lightning strikes 10 miles away and we have to go inside,'' USF football coach Jeff Scott said at Wednesday's ceremony. "It happened again on Tuesday. We got an hour in during a big week of practice and we had to go inside. I told our players, 'We won't have to do this much longer.' ''
On a construction schedule of 10-to-12 months, the plan is to go from groundbreaking to ribbon cutting prior to next fall's sports season, when USF's football team and all other sports can enjoy climate-controlled training and protection from Florida's fickle weather elements. The IPF will have 88,000 square feet of space.
"This is a transformational facility for us,'' USF vice president of athletics Michael Kelly said. "As we continue to challenge for conference and national championships, this facility will be a very key element. A window to my office overlooks where this facility will be built. Very rarely do I look out there and not see one of our athletes or somebody on our cheer squad using that field. Now the heat and inclement weather will never be an issue.''
Kelly said $25-million was raised for the IPF, the highest total for any fundraising project in USF's 55-year athletic history. He said approximately $12-million has been raised for the next project, USF's Football Center, which will include offices, a locker room, weight room, training/rehabilitation areas and meeting rooms, about 160,000 square feet in all.
Suddenly, there's a question whether USF will pivot in its plans, perhaps building the Football Center in concert with an on-campus stadium. At the IPF groundbreaking, Will Weatherford, chairman of the USF's board of trustees, pledged that plans are under way to bring a stadium to campus. The Bulls have played at the old Tampa Stadium and Raymond James Stadium (site of three Super Bowls and a College Football Playoff championship game) since the program's inception in 1997.
"This is a very exciting time,'' Kelly said. "There's a lot going on. But our student-athletes at USF deserve these things and we're really excited to go into this new era.''
"We couldn't do something like this without our loyal supporter, donors and friends,'' said USF interim president Rhea Law, who added that more than 400 donors contributed to the building of the IPF. "We have tremendous energy, momentum and spirit and through that, by working together, we're going to accomplish great things. That's my promise to you. When we link up arms, there's truly nothing we can't do. But in the end, it's truly all about what's best for our students.''
Bulls' senior center Brad Cecil remembers seeing an artist rendering of what the IPF would look like. He's excited to now see the reality sprouting up daily — in plain sight of each day's practice.
"When Coach Scott came here, he told us, 'Best is the Standard,' and everything he has promised is coming true,'' Cecil said. "Our facility will hands-down be the best in the state of Florida and one of the best in the nation. And I promise you, it is so needed.
"We are living in the lightning capital of the world. It's pretty much a guarantee that a few practices will be rained out or stopped by lightning. You go inside and walk-through for 30 minuets. You come back and do the whole warmup again, which is the hardest part of practice, only for the lightning to strike again. When the facility is finished, we'll never have to deal with that again. It's another reason why I've never been more confident in the future of USF football.''
USF softball player Meghan Sheehan, co-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, said the benefits will be obvious for Bulls football, but all sports will share in the advantages.
"Some people will see it as a strictly football facility, but all of the other student-athletes are thrilled,'' Sheehan said. "All of the teams can use it and it's going to help in so many ways because the weather does interfere from time to time. It's just a great thing to have and we're so appreciative of everyone who donated to make this happened. We're so excited to be part of such a monumental occasion at USF.''
