University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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New athletic facilities increase recruiting potential of an already first-class physical complex, directors say by PAT VIRES on a portable floor in the multi-purpose Special Events Center. The 16,200-seat facility hosted the Women ' s NCAA Final Four in March. The Erwin Center is unrivaled by any other special events facility on a college campus, said Donna Lopiano, athletic director of Women ' s Intercollegiate Athletics. Yet, the determination for Longhorn athletes to have the very best playing facilities continued. A $3.3 million 12-court tennis facility was under construction, replacing the 25-year- old Penick-Allison courts. The center, seating 1,416, would have 12 lighted courts. Recreational sports, along with both athletic departments, were funding the project, which would be used by the varsity tennis teams, tennis classes and recrea- tional sports. With the building of the new structure, there would be a possibility of hosting NCAA events in the future said Deloss Dodds, director of Men ' s Intercollegiate Athletics. The Penick-Allison tennis courts, which were torn down during the fall of 1984, made room for the new football train- ing facility. The facility, named the V. F. (Doc) Neuhaus- Darrell K. Royal Athletic Center, had a $7 million total cost. The Center was to provide modern dressing and training faci lities. Atop the building, a 70-by 53-yard practice field featured an artificial surface. The project was being funded through auxiliary and designated fund balances, seat option funds and Men ' s Intercollegiate Athletic Department gift funds. Student athletes considered facilities an important factor, Dodds said. Lopiano agreed, saying, Recruiting is the primary contribution of the facilities. Student athletes are easily impressed with our first-class facilities. Impressive facilities, such as the soon to be completed Neuhaus-Royal Athletic Center, attract prospective UT athletes. Photo by Jim Sigmon Opening 11

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mmmmmmmammmmm m mi mmm mm Facilities expand While sipping a Coke from your souvenir Texas cup and eating nachos, you sit in your steel-backed stadium seat. You are probably not aware of the first-class facilities maintained by the University of Texas athletic departments. From back in 1898, when land was first purchased for the football field, to the mid-1970s, when three of the finest athletic complexes were built, the University had been in- strumental in ensuring the Longhorns had the best facilities. Memorial Stadium was home for Texas football and track. Built in 1924, the stadium went through a number of changes over the years. In 1926, the stadium had a 40,000-seat capaci- ty and an addition in 1948 allowed 61,000 spectators to watch. The addition of Bellmont Hall in 1972, which provided an up- It ' s bulldozers away for the new 12-court Penick-Allison Tennis Center which is expected to be completed in late fall, 1985. Photo by Jim Sigmon per deck of seats and classrooms, increased the stadium capacity to 81, 000. The track which circles the field is the site of the annual Texas Relays, and hosted the 1985 NCAA Track and Field Championships. What had been called the finest collegiate ballpark in the nation, Disch-Falk Field was the home of the UT baseball team. The $2.5 million field, which seated 5,000, was built in 1975 and compared well to major league parks in lighting and dimension. The $6 million Texas Swim Center opened in 1977 and had been the site of Olympic trials and the NCAA finals. Across the street, the Longhorn basketball teams .played Seven million dollars were invested to construct the new athletic training facility, Neuhaus-Royal Athletic Center. The expected completion date was fall, 1986. Photo by Jim Sigmon tf v.- ft y . ,.:- mil II I.PJ 10 Opening

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.... ..... BflHMBBl HHH HHHH HH Hi A beginning and end Everything about the newly-restored Little Campus sug- gested a sense of permanence. From the outside, the buildings looked like something from a fairy tale, with spires of red, yellow and blue emerging from neatly-corniced square bases with lots of windows. Inside, varnished wood floors, brass chandeliers and antique furniture suggested that the two main structures had not aged in 100 years. But the bare offices of the main building gave the complex a sense of usefulness in modern times. The larger building - all office space and meeting rooms would house additional facilities for the admissions and personnel offices. The The renovation of the buildings of the Little Campus was supposed to be completed months before a Nov. 30 reception for former residents of the dor- mitories housed in the complex from 1926-1962. The delayed completion of the restoration, caused in part by an early contractor ' s bankruptcy, failed to hamper the spirit of the reunion. Color photos by Michael Sutler smaller building was arranged more like a home and would house the Arno Nowotny Visitors ' Center. The new center had, for three months in 1865, been the home of Gen. George Custer. It had also housed a school for the blind, a lunatic asylum and a school of military aeronautics before becoming a UT men ' s dormitory from 1926 to 1962. From general ' s quarters in 1865 to the Arno Nowotny Visitor ' s Center in 1985, the Custer building attracts a former resident for a return visit. The building, Gen. George Custer ' s house for only three months, was transferred permanently to the University in 1926. Staff architect Carl Happel and site work design manager Ed Croslin ex- amine the new floor plan of the restored Custer Building. A restored study room in the Custer Building lets visitors see what the former residents of the dormitory might have seen while studying. . ,:- -:- V I 12 Opening