University of Oklahoma Athletics

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OU Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione announced that 76.8 million dollars has been pledged to the Campaign For Sooner Sports in just nine months. The fund-raising goal is 100 million dollars.

Campaign for Sooner Sports Gains Momentum; Pledge Total Stands At 76.8 Million Dollars

Fund-raising goal of $100 million in sight.

Aug. 4, 2001

NORMAN, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma's $100 million Great Expectations: The Campaign for Sooner Sports, which began just nine months ago, is continuing at a rapid pace with gifts and pledges of $76.8 million raised thus far in the fund-raising effort that ends in 2003.

"Just as in academics, the University of Oklahoma seeks to create the highest standards of excellence for our athletic program," said OU President David L. Boren. "We are deeply grateful to our alumni and friends for making this exciting progress possible and helping to ensure that our athletic facilities allow our students-athletes to compete at the championship level."

The campaign's centerpiece is an extensive renovation of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Designed to provide OU's football program with a national championship-quality facility, the $65 million stadium project will renovate all facility structures and amenities, replace current seating, and add new seating - including 2,200 club seats and 27 sky suites - to bring capacity to more than 80,000.

Brick and cast stone will be added to the stadium's exterior walls, giving the stadium a level of beauty in keeping with surrounding historic campus buildings. Renovations to the stadium are expected to start just after the 2001 football season and be complete in time for the 2003 season.

The four largest gifts in the history of OU athletics have been made during the campaign: $8.17 million from the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore for the renovation and expansion of Lloyd Noble Center, $5 million from Edward L. Gaylord and his family of Oklahoma City in support of a new Indoor Football Practice Facility, as well as the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium master plan improvements, $2 million from Aubrey and Katie McClendon of Oklahoma City, also in support of the renovation of the football stadium's north side, and $1.5 million from the Kerr-McGee Corporation to support revovation and expansion of Lloyd Noble Center and the Memorial Stadium renovation and expansion project.

Additionally, $1 million gifts have come from Cy and Lissa Wagner of Midland, Texas, for the Indoor Football Practice Facility and the Housing Dining Center in Bud Wilkinson House, $1 million from Walter H. Helmerich III of Tulsa through The Helmerich Foundation for the renovation and expansion of Memorial Stadium, $1 million from the McCasland Foundation of Duncan to renovate the OU Field House in honor and memory of the late T. Howard McCasland, a 1916 OU graduate who excelled in academics and athletics, and $1 million from Bob and Ann Coleman of San Antonio for the expansion and renovation of Lloyd Noble Center.

"We knew that the history and tradition of Sooner Athletics would draw people to this campaign," said Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione. "The involvement of our most generous donors has established a base that has provided us with great momentum as we continue to focus on reaching our goal. The University of Oklahoma has been a pacesetter in higher education, in intercollegiate athletics, and now people are noticing our fund-raising initiative in terms of our strategic investment and the impact on our total program."

In addition to the Memorial Stadium renovation and expansion, other projects include:

Lloyd Noble Center - Renovation on the Lloyd Noble Center is continuing and should be completed prior to the start of the 2001-2002 season. This project will have a positive impact on recruiting and game preparations.

Expansion of the Lester Wilkonson Football Locker Room - This recently completed expansion provides the Sooner football team with the very best locker room in the nation.

Indoor Training Center - Plans continue to move forward for construction of an indoor facility that will provide the football team with a practice area for use in inclement weather and provide a location to train in the offseason.

Mosier Indoor Track Facility and John Jacobs Track and Field Renovation - Plans continue to progress in order to provide OU's student-athletes with one of the finest track and field facilities in the Big 12 Conference.

Softball Clubhouse - Construction has begun to provide the 2000 NCAA champions with a facility that will enable them to compete for future championships.

OU Headington Family Tennis Center - Construction is underway to build 12 championship quality tennis courts that will provide a first-class facility for OU's tennis teams.

Baseball Pressbox - Construction is underway to add an elevator and improve the press box for ADA compliance and expanded uses.

Howard McCasland Field House Renovation - A renovation of the historic OU Field House is in the planning stages.

Housing and Dining Facilities - An internal review process is underway to determine the renovation needs of the housing and dining facilities.

For more information or to make a gift to the Campaign for Sooner Sports, people can contact Kirby Hocutt, OU assistant athletic director, at (405) 325-8000.