February 2, 2004

Plans For Burton Family
Football Complex Announced

Preliminary designs have been completed for The Burton Family Football Complex and the Indoor Facility on the Storrs campus.

The cost of the project is approximately $40 million for the two facilities, which will total nearly 165,000 square feet. The facilities will be located on the current site of the UConn Varsity Tennis Courts and the recreational services sand volleyball courts.

Construction is expected to begin in the winter of academic year 2004-05 and the facilities are expected to open in the summer of 2006. New tennis courts and sand volleyball courts will be constructed at a different site on campus.

"This will be another tremendous milestone for the University, our athletic program, and Recreational Services," says Jeffrey Hathaway, director of athletics. "We currently have the newest football stadium in the nation, and soon, we will have the most modern, state-of-the-art on-campus football facilities in the Big East conference."

The Burton Family Football Complex will serve as the on-campus home of UConn football, and will complement the new Rentschler Field in East Hartford. The lead gift for the facility is a $2.5 million contribution by Robert G. Burton, the chief executive officer of Burton Management Group LLC of Greenwich. Burton's son, Michael, was the captain of the 1999 Husky football team. Burton has also donated more than $1 million to establish two endowed scholarships for UConn student-athletes.

"The Burton Family Football Complex and the Indoor Facility will play crucial roles as our program continues to make national strides and enters the Big East Conference," says UConn head football coach Randy Edsall. "Our entire football program is thankful to Bob Burton and his family for assisting us in our continuing journey for excellence."

Says Hathaway, "The Burton Family Football Complex will be a key part of our continuing rise to national prominence in football. All of us at UConn are very grateful to Bob and Paula Burton, along with the entire Burton family, for their generosity to our school."

The Burton Family Football Complex will house coaches' offices and will also include strength and conditioning facilities, athletic training and sports medicine facilities, locker rooms, team meeting rooms, video facilities, and academic resource areas for the Counseling Program for Inter-collegiate Athletes.

"I am very pleased and excited that plans for The Burton Family Football Complex and the Indoor Facility are moving in a positive direction," says Burton. "Coach Edsall, his coaching staff and student-athletes have all done a wonderful job in establishing UConn football as an outstanding Division I-A program. It is my hope that these facilities will serve as a catalyst for UConn to enjoy even more success for many years to come."

The Indoor Facility will include a 120-yard multi-purpose artificial turf field, and will also function as a year-round indoor athletic practice and training venue.

"The Indoor Facility will be a magnificent addition for our entire campus community," says Hathaway. "The building will serve as another exciting component for our Recreational Services program, as well as a facility to serve the needs of UConn football and many of our other intercollegiate athletic teams. It is another example of the extraordinary growth in facilities on the UConn campus."

The University has contracted with the Hartford-based firm of Jeter, Cook and Jepsen and with HOK Sport + Venue + Event, an internationally-renowned architectural firm based in Kansas City, to provide architectural and engineering services for the development and design of construction documents.

Founded in 1983, HOK created the first practice devoted to the design of sports facilities and is now recognized as a world leader in the field. Its client list includes 75 colleges and universities, 24 Major League Baseball franchises and 30 National Football League franchises. The company has been involved with more than 600 sports projects, including on-campus football complexes for the universities of Oklahoma, Maryland, and Penn State, along with professional stadiums such as Gillette Stadium (New England Patriots), Reliant Stadium (Houston Texans), and Pacific Bell Park (San Francisco Giants).