To keep the Ball State University Football program sharp and growing, the University has invested in a new locker room and training facility. The new facility, located adjacent to the Alumni Center, has established a new first impression to the Muncie, Indiana campus. "It's the first thing you see," Ball State Head Coach Bill Lynch told Ball State Alumnus, a Ball State University Alumni Association Publication in the September 2001 issue. "First impressions are so important and facilities are important. I think most people visiting a college campus, regardless if they have any interest in football, want to see the stadium, and what they see leaves an impression of the type of university it is." 

The new facility was built to house the team locker room, weight training room, five position coaching rooms, state-of-the-art sports medicine and performance enhancement training rooms, including a rehabilitation pool, equipment room, video editing room, student locker room, coaches lockers, lobby, and a large team room. To make the building as efficient as possible, many of the rooms are used for more than one purpose. The large training room, for instance, has an adjacent warming kitchen so it can be used for hospitality and press functions on game day. 

To help maintain the university's NCAA Division I-A status, the training facility was built at the south end of the field as part of a phased expansion to the stadium. Additional seating is part of this expansion plan. To accommodate this on the tight stadium site the north side of the facility and half its roof are covered with new bleacher seating for 3,000 spectators. To allow for the proper site lines to the field, the building was located close the to south end of the field. This also allowed the architects to locate the weight training room on axis with the game day field and construct its north wall with floor-to-ceiling glass allowing the athletes to see the field as they train. 

The entrance was designed to welcome visitors, recruits, players, families, and alumni with a comfortable reception room that links visually and spatially with the Alumni Center and the future stadium expansion. 

Recruitment is an important part of any football program, and the new facility was designed to focus on this aspect. The new lobby, reception, and meeting rooms are the first rooms a recruit will see as they enter the building. The walls of these rooms contain a large-screen television and display space for trophies, photos, and memorabilia that allow the recruit to see the history and tradition of the football program. 

"The architects did a tremendous job of putting together a beautiful building using the input of those who will be using it most, from the strength training and sports medicine end, to the equipment and teaching end," Lynch says. "I think it's very functional and meets the needs we have in terms of developing our athletes."

He adds, "All that is tied together with the building's "Wow!" factor, which will help our recruiting. The training facility we have built will certainly compare with the best in the Mid-American Conference."

Manufacturers/Suppliers
DIV 04: Brick: The Belden Brick Company. 
DIV 07: Waterproofing: Grace Construction Products; Metal Wall Panels: McElroy Metal; Membrane Roofing: Firestone; Metal Roofing Panels: Copper Sales.
DIV 08: Curtainwalls, Entrances & Storefronts: Kawneer; Glass, Glazing: Pilkington North America; Sliding Windows: Traco; Special Doors: Cornell Iron Works.
DIV 09: Stucco: Bonsal American, Inc. an Oldcastle# company; Porcelain Tile: SummitvilleTile; Ceramic Tile: Crossville; VCT: Armstrong; Paint: Porter Paint, Multicolor Specialties.
DIV 10: Operable Partitions: Modernfold.