Baylor Announces Plan for New Basketball Arena and Other Facilities

Baylor announced several new athletic projects today, including a plan to build a new basketball arena.

The new projects are part of Baylor’s “Give Light” campaign. That effort is led by Mark Hurd, the CEO of Oracle and a 1979 Baylor graduate. He’s giving the largest gift in Baylor history to lead the project. Baylor will also open the “Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center” with their gift.

Baylor announced these athletic plans on their website:

Several facility projects have emerged as priorities of the athletics master plan. Baylor recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Ferrell Center with a retrospective that looked back on September 22, 1988, when then-president Ronald Reagan spoke in the brand new arena. Today, the Ferrell Center is the oldest intercollegiate athletics facility on campus. Baylor plans to develop a new fieldhouse concept that takes its lessons from other Power 5 schools who have renovated or constructed smaller venues that create a more intimate atmosphere that elevates home-court advantage and focuses on fan experience.

Construction of a football operations center that would house coaches’ offices and include meeting rooms, weight rooms, rehab, and sports nutrition support would enhance the overall complement of resources for the football program. Once complete, the vacated space in Simpson Athletics and Academic Center - where football operations now resides - would be used for additional academic support and student success services.

Rounding out the plan is a venue where Baylor’s volleyball and acrobatics and tumbling teams would practice. Currently utilizing the 80-year-old Marrs McLean Gymnasium, these nationally ranked programs have increasing demands for student-athlete support and substantial needs to engage a loyal and growing fan base.

Here are some photos: