AP: California unveils master plan for stadium refurbishing, training facility

JANIE McCAULEY

BERKELEY, Calif. - Soon, the California football team will have a state-of-the-art training facility that all the top teams like to brag about in the living rooms of recruits. The school unveiled pieces of a master plan Thursday that calls for refurbishing Memorial Stadium and building an adjacent high-performance center for use by all athletic programs. The 130,000 square-foot, two-story training complex - with a 23,000-square foot weight room, locker rooms, offices and sports medicine facilities - is slated for completion in time for the 2008 season, and construction won't keep the Golden Bears from practicing in the stadium. "This will be as good as anything anybody's got for training," athletic director Sandy Barbour said in a news conference. "This is the kind of thing Jeff Tedford and I have been partnering on since my arrival. ... The project is really magical." While the major stadium renovations won't begin until the second phase - probably close to the time the training center is finished in three years - Barbour said some temporary improvements will be made to the historic football stadium, which opened in 1923 as a tribute to those who lost their lives in World War I. Upgrades will be made to concession stands, restrooms and seating, then eventually easier access for handicapped fans and improved seating and suite options. Costs for the project's first phase are estimated at approximately $125 million, and about half of that money has already been raised through private donations. The school says it's too early to determine what the entire project will cost. Groundbreaking is scheduled to begin in December 2006. Barbour's goal since she came to Cal last fall has been to turn the Bears into an elite athletic department, and "this starts that journey," she said. The football team has fallen out of the Top 25 rankings after starting the season at No. 19. Project managers and Cal officials will use care to maintain the venue's facade and flavor, which make it one of the most beautiful settings to watch college football in the country - not to mention a cherished landmark in the Bay Area. The stadium provides spectacular views of San Francisco to the West and pine trees in Strawberry Canyon and the Berkeley Hills to the East. It was built for just under $1.5 million, but sits right on the Hayward Fault line, causing concern about whether the structure could withstand a major earthquake. Seismic improvements will be made throughout the life of the project. Cal is one of the premier academic institutions in the nation but has long been thought to have sub-par athletic facilities, making the challenges of recruiting that much tougher.

"This is a great day, without a doubt," said Tedford, who agreed to a five-year contract extension as football coach last December after Barbour raised all the money to keep him entirely from private donors in just 2 1/2 months on the job.

Part of the deal was a commitment by the university to improve facilities. "This has been in the works for a long time," Tedford said. "No. 1 institution in the country, we should have our sports programs match that. We're moving our way toward that with this announcement. ... This brings us to the level to where we will be able to compete with our competitors not only in the Pac-10 but throughout the country." Also Thursday, part of the same project to improve the southeast corner of campus, chancellor Robert Birgeneau announced the university's business and law schools will move into a stunning new building together - each having their own wing in the butterfly shaped structure. It will be across the street from the stadium, linked by open space and landscaping. Barbour, who last September became Cal's first female AD, directed a similar project during her five previous years at Notre Dame, two as top assistant. She and Tedford spent three days this summer visiting Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, North Carolina and North Carolina State to look at their training facilities. "It's just nice to know we have one of the best facilities on the way," reserve quarterback Nate Longshore said. "This will bring us up to the level of the other top teams in the country."