Jim & Carol Laub Athletics-Academics Complex a Boost to Aggie Athletics

While often looked at as one of the little guys in a conference often relegated to "mid-major" status, Utah State can boast one area in which they can compete with the "big boys" of college athletics. The completion of the new Jim and Carol Laub Athletics-Academics Complex, at the north end of Romney Stadium, will give Utah State student-athletes and coaches access to top-notch training equipment, locker rooms, digital technology and academic resources.

Although the facility has been in full use for less than a month, its effects have already been felt.

 

"It's such a great teaching tool in all facets because of the number of rooms we have and the ability to teach football in our classrooms," head football coach Brent Guy said. "Because every room is enhanced by a computer, it has digital capabilities, which means players can break down (film) just like coaches break it down — by down and distance, by personnel, by the type of blitz or anything they want to do. Even our snappers and kickers have a room they can go in and watch plays every day, which is something we've never had the ability to do."

 

The three-story complex has a number of features that will be a benefit to USU student-athletes of all sports. The first floor is home to locker rooms for the football, women's track and field, softball and women's soccer teams. It also hosts the Steve Mothersell Hall of Fame, named after the former Aggie tight end who made a sizeable donation to the project.

 

Spacious coaches' offices and conference rooms are on the second floor, which Guy said has been a help in preparing his team so far this season.

 

"Being right above the locker room is convenient," he said. "It gives me the ability to have a team meeting every day where I can talk and show film myself to the guys, and then break them down into individual rooms."

 

The third floor contains the academic center, which is equipped with classrooms, computer labs and tutoring areas that will help student-athletes perform well in the classroom.

 

"The added bonus is having the academic center on the third level, so athletes can go up and study and get their work done during the day," Guy said. "(In the past), if they were doing something in the training room, and they have an extra hour, they wouldn't have had the ability to do that, because we didn't have our own study hall area. We now have it all during the day, which is more convenient for not just football, but all of our athletes."

 

The facility also hosts the 11,000 square-foot Dale Mildenberger Sports Medicine Complex and the Dr. John Worley Sports Medicine Research Center, and a 7,000 square-foot equipment room.

 

For athletes like senior offensive lineman Derek Hoke, who experienced the outdated facilities at the school for most of his career, the new building has been a night-and-day difference.

 

"It's extremely nice, even just for morale," Hoke said. "It helps you to feel a little more important, that things are going the right way, that things are improving. The old facilities weren't nice at all, and it was hard with how much time we spend at football and how much work goes into it. It's been a great help, and it's made football a lot easier and a lot more fun at times."

 

On top of helping athletes to reach their full potential on the field and in the classroom, the facility is also a way to attract top student-athletes to the school. Guy said with the new facility in place, he's excited to walk students through and show them what the school has to offer.

 

"It's a great recruiting tool," he said. "We'll walk parents and recruits through and set them in the classroom they're going to be in, set them in the meeting rooms, the coaching offices and show them the academic center. It's going to be an added bonus this year."

 

Completion of the facility was boosted by donations from over 400 Aggie alumni and friends of the program. That number included 120 former student-athletes, a sign those who have donned the Aggie blue and white in the past know how important such a facility can be.

 

So as future seasons come and go, Aggie student-athletes will be able to take advantage of the state-of-the-art facilities, and hopefully take Aggie athletics to new heights.

 

Additional Aggie sports news is available at the Athletics homepage Web site.

 

Contact: Doug Hoffman (435) 797-3714
Writer: By Dave Archer, USU Athletic Media Relations