Moores Donates Additional $11.4 Million To Aztec Athletics
Nov. 12, 1999 San Diego, CA - San Diego State University Director of Athletics Rick Bay today announced that San Diego Padres owners John and Becky Moores will donate an additional $11.4 million to the Aztec athletics department. The contribution will be used to expand prior plans for a new administration building into an Aztec Athletic Center that will incorporate locker rooms, team meeting rooms, an equipment room, video facilities, and state-of-the-art sports medicine and weight training facilities. The complex will now become the new home for the Aztec football program in addition to serving San Diego State's other 17 varsity sports. Previously, the Moores had committed a total of $7.5 million toward the construction of an athletics administration building to house offices for coaches, administrative offices, a student learning center and the Aztec Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Wise Foundation. This added donation will now bring the entire athletic operation under one roof in an $18.9 million project. "What can I say? John and Becky's generosity just leaves me speechless," said Bay. "All of us at San Diego State University are extremely gratified for the latest in what has been an extraordinary series of gifts from the Moores family. John saw this as an opportunity to really improve our football facilities with this latest donation. We will now be able to incorporate all of our areas of operation in a complex that few universities can rival." This latest donation brings the total contributed by the Moores family for Aztec athletics to $28.6 million. Previously, SDSU received funding for the $4.5 million Tony Gwynn Stadium (already completed) and $5 million for a tennis complex and softball stadium. The start date for the latter two projects has yet to be determined. "John Moores is raising the philanthropic bar in this community," said SDSU President Stephen L. Weber. "This generous gift is especially meaningful for us because it allows us to move forward with the Aztec Walk Master Plan to upgrade the facilities infrastructure of our campus." Plans for the new Aztec Athletic Center are now being completed with groundbreaking scheduled for the summer of 2000 and move-in a year later. The complex will be located on the site of what is now Terry Pool, next to the current Football Operations Center. That facility was completed in 1988 through contributions of material and labor by the San Diego Associated General Contractors and Building and Trades Council. A site has been determined for a new swimming complex for which funding is now being sought. "What John and Becky have done provides a great boost to the entire athletic program," said San Diego State football coach Ted Tollner. "The timing of this is just tremendous for our football program for both the short and long term. As we continue to upgrade our competitive schedule, we need a facility like this to compete with schools around the country for prospective student-athletes." |
