Practice facility still set for Sept. 1

The 22 new football recruits at the University of Cincinnati should have a brand new practice facility for their first season as Bearcats.

A completion date for the Jefferson Avenue Sports Complex remains set for Sept. 1, and according to UC Director of Athletics Mike Thomas, construction on the project will begin following basketball season.

The athletics department raised more than $14 million for the facility that will cost approximately $15.5 million, Thomas said.

“Within a five-year window, the project will be completely paid in full, including any interest to cover the bridging cost,” Thomas said. “As soon as the ground thaws, probably looking at shortly after basketball season, then we’ll move forward with that project.”

Even though construction for the complex is nearing, plans to renovate Nippert Stadium are in the early planning stages — something Thomas said could take years before changes are made.

“When I was at the University of Virginia, we were drawing pictures of a basketball arena on a napkin in 2000 before I left and that thing was completed in 2006, so it doesn’t happen overnight,” Thomas said.

First, the university will have to finalize a design for stadium renovations, which would in turn help determine a cost estimate for the project.

After an estimated cost, Thomas said his staff could then come up with a funding model to determine if the project was financially feasible.

But for now, Thomas is pleased to have an end in sight for the practice facility that could help keep coaches at Cincinnati and lure recruits to UC.

Talking about the way coaches are plucked from schools prior to the end of the season, Thomas said he thinks the NCAA could change its current system.

“Does that mean you have to move signing day? Does that mean you have to move spring practice dates? I don’t know,” Thomas said. “I do think that when you put different schools in the position that we’ve been in twice already, it’s a difficult predicament for all involved.”

But flawed system or not, after three successful seasons it was no secret former head football coach Brian Kelly was being considered for head coaching positions at other schools.

“You would have had to have your head buried in the sand if you didn’t think that was coming down the pike again,” Thomas said. “You figured it was, and you could probably guess, who it was going to be. That’s one of the challenges you have when you have a
successful program.”

But for now, the rules haven’t changed, and the cycle of coaching lives will continue. After all, UC head coach Butch Jones came from Central Michigan and did not coach the Chippewas against Troy in the GMAC Bowl — a situation that left Cincinnati and Central Michigan with a strained relationship.

“I don’t think Dave Heeke, their AD, will take my phone calls anymore,” Thomas said. “I will say that Central Michigan is a classy organization, they’ve been great to work with.”