Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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62 AUGUST 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED S ometime later this summer, the finishing touches on the 111,400-square-foot Irish In- door Athletics Center for the foot- ball team will be applied. Some might classify it a lux- ury, but in today's never-ending arms race, especially among the 65 Power Five schools, it's a basic necessity. So often in these cases, the fan base of a school will ask "Where does this facility rank among its peers?" At Notre Dame, facilities are not about "rankings." And if it were, Fighting Irish faithful likely will be taken aback that ostenta- tious opulence was not part of the plan. To attempt to quantify it as "top 10" or "top 25" caliber would be a futile and probably even frustrating endeavor, especially when one takes the video tours of competitors. Notre Dame's new facility does not have a scenic view of Lake Michigan like a Northwestern, doesn't have TVs attached to each individual's locker, nor does it include a basketball court, miniature golf course, a Wiffle ball field, bowling lanes, arcade games, etc., like Clemson. For sheer extrava- gance, you won't match Oregon or even the $15 million dining facility at the University of Alabama. The foremost question for the Notre Dame brass revolves around efficient functionality and providing necessary amenities to allow the student-athlete to maximize his/her capabilities. In terms of sports science, sports medi- cine and having the most significant resources needed and applied to physical and mental performance, Notre Dame likely will spare no ex- pense and will match up with anyone. A little more than 30 years ago, the Loftus Sports Center with the indoor Meyo Field for football practice was Notre Dame's way of "catching up" with the rest of college football. I vividly recall in its first year when football players jogged inside to practice on a rainy day. A well- known and respected member of the Notre Dame "old guard" was by the door as the players trickled in and in a half-joking manner said (para- phrased) as they passed by, "I re- member when men were men, and they were not afraid to deal with rain or any other elements." By 2005, the start of the Charlie Weis era that lasted through 2009, the 96,000-square-foot Guglielmino Ath- letics Complex supplemented Loftus at a cost of $21 million, and housed the coaching offices — formerly at the Joyce Center — meetings rooms, locker rooms, in addition to the weight room and sports medicine area. Eventually, a training table was added in time for the Brian Kelly era in January 2010, and now providing a more organized, sophisticated and up- graded dining facility and "one-stop shopping" place for the student-ath- letes has been addressed with the new facilities. This does not even include the nearly half-billion dollar makeover of Notre Dame Stadium in the Cam- pus Crossroads project that reached its culmination around January 2018. This is going to be a never-ending, "keeping up with the Joneses" battle. Yet it's not about ornamentation, but rather necessary functionality. Notre Dame probably will take a back seat to many schools in the former, but none in the latter. In August 2017, I asked Notre Dame director of athletics Jack Swarbrick if his department could ever keep up with the Alabamas and others in terms of grandiose selling points to recruits. "You don't pick Notre Dame be- cause of bells and whistles," Swarbrick replied. "There is a self-selection that goes on here. If those are the ameni- ties that are drawing you, if you're looking for a place to be as an athlete that allows you not to engage with the campus, then you're not going to pick Notre Dame — and that's okay. "I'm not saying there is something wrong with someone who is moti- vated by that, but that's not why you come here. We're not losing a recruit to anybody who will succeed here because of what our gaming space is like, whether we have a waterfall …" Notre Dame football will not sud- denly rank Nos. 1-5 in recruiting be- cause its facilities might have more shining toys than elsewhere. Same in men's basketball attracting top-20 caliber recruits because it now has its own practice facility. The purpose is to enhance the overall experience and performance of those who select Notre Dame beyond the glitz. The old Meyo Field no longer served the best all-around purpose for the football program, hence the construction of the new facility. "This was a necessary piece for our student-athletes to manage a very hec- tic schedule that we have," Kelly said. "We had an indoor facility that was re- ally being run from 5:30 a.m. to almost midnight with intramurals and sports. It made it difficult for our football team to train in there at an acceptable time. "It was overdue, and we're thank- ful we were able to get it done." Athletic facilities will forever re- main a work in progress. ✦ A Construction Always In Process THE FIFTH QUARTER LOU SOMOGYI Senior Editor Lou Somogyi has been at Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 1985. He can be reached at lsomogyi@blueandgold.com The Irish Indoor Athletics Center is scheduled for completion later this summer, allowing for better use of time and resources for the football team as well as the men's and women's soccer programs. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA