The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 9 BY ANTHONY BROOME T he Michigan football team returned to campus ahead of fall camp to a locker room fit for a College Football Playoff national champion. The program unveiled the first pub- lic look at its new locker room inside Schembechler Hall, the football team's headquarters, July 29. The new locker room includes an expanded locker space with a recliner for each player in addi- tion to common areas such as lounges, pool tables, a golf simulator, bowling alleys and an in-house barber shop. Videos showed several team and program slogans inside the building, including Bo Schembechler's famed "The Team, The Team, The Team" and a more recent saying from head coach Sherrone Moore: "The Pro- cess, The Pursuit, The Standard." Integrated Architecture was re- sponsible for the design work and began its work this past winter and wrapped up in late July. Approximately 14,000 square feet were renovated in- side the building to improve several fac- ets of the locker room experience. The Towsley Family Museum inside Schem- bechler Hall has also undergone a reno- vation project in the last several months. Moore said his team has taken it upon themselves to take pride in the new locker room and maintain the high standards the program has for them, and that it has created confidence in the type of group he has. "I mean, I think just No. 1, the way they walk in the building, the way they carry themselves, the way they take care of the new locker room, is beauti- ful," Moore said during a fall camp press conference. "We've got an undefeated record, and we keep track of everything. We keep track of how the locker room is. And it's been awesome keeping track of the building and everything we do." Michigan regents approved the proj- ect last fall with an estimated cost of $14 million, including a $7 million donation from the Monroe-Brown Foundation. It also included work on the men's and women's basketball locker rooms at Crisler Center. The gift will also be applied toward supporting "ongoing maintenance re- quirements and long-term infrastruc- ture needs." As a result, the football locker room has been named the Robert J. Brown and Robert M. Brown Sr. Locker Room. The Browns were the first father-son pairing to serve as captains at U-M in 1925 and 1962, respectively. "We are so grateful for the Monroe- Brown Foundation's incredible generos- ity," Michigan athletics director Warde Manuel said in a statement announc- ing the gift. "We share a firm belief in education and supporting the efforts of young adults to help them succeed in whatever career path they choose. "The foundation's support, and our proud partnership with a legendary Michigan football family, make it pos- sible for Michigan athletics to continue supporting our student-athletes in all facets of their college experience." The improvements are the latest ath- letic department projects to modernize the facilities, especially with football. Last offseason, the university wrapped up work on a $41 million project that upgraded scoreboards at Michigan Sta- dium and the production studio within Crisler Center, among other projects. Schembechler Hall was built in 1990 and last renovated in 2009. ❑ ❱ Inside Michigan ATHLETICS Fit For Kings: U-M Football Opens Fall Camp With New Locker Room U-M unveiled its new football locker room inside Schembechler Hall July 29. The renova- tion includes an expanded locker space with a recliner for each player in addition to common areas such as lounges, pool tables, a golf simula- tor, bowling alleys and an in-house barber shop. PHOTOS COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS