Big-time college athletics has its own version of an arms race. Facilities and all that come with them need to be bigger and certainly better than the other school to attract top athletes, which will hopefully lead to game-day success, more donations from alumni, and more tickets sold.
In that regard, Nebraska is certainly aware of what the competition is doing. It’s also a two-way street.
A few examples, just from the Big Ten:
*Iowa recently spent $90 million, the bulk of it for an athletic performance center that includes a weight room, dining hall and indoor and outdoor practice facilities.
*Illinois is in the midst of a $132 million stadium renovation that features new locker rooms, a sports medicine area, meeting and office space, and team venues.
*Northwestern currently has nearly $400 million of facilities either in progress or recently completed. The centerpiece may just the $270 million Walter Athletics Center, Ryan Fieldhouse and Wilson Field on the lakefront of Lake Michigan.
Described as the “new nerve center” of the Wildcats athletic department, student-athletes from all 19 varsity programs will eat there, train there, meet with academic and professional development advisors there and more, said Paul Kennedy, an athletic department spokesman. The complex is set to open by next summer.
It’s projects and dollar signs like these that Nebraska is up against in athletics, even during times of cutbacks in its core mission -- education. So, how does the university justify the spending for football, basketball and all the other sports?
“If we want to compete at the highest level, and I think that we must, then we have to maintain competitive facilities,” said Bounds, a former graduate assistant football coach at Southern Mississippi. “We also have to recognize that, in many ways, athletics is the front door to our institution.”
“Athletic competitions bring back tens of thousands of alums to our campuses on a weekly basis. These visits give us the opportunity to engage and ask for support. We are so fortunate that we have such strong support from Nebraskans. I believe that they expect us to compete at a very high level in every sport, and that takes resources.”
Not only does Nebraska have to compete with the other Big Ten schools, Bounds added, it has to win.