Miami Hurricanes announce plans for 7-story football operations center
The Miami Hurricanes intend to be the next Florida program to build a football operations center. The Hurricanes announced Wednesday that they plan to build what they call a “forever home” for the program: a seven-story, 172,000-square-foot palace on campus.
The expected cost and projected timeline were not included in the announcement. But many other details were. It will be connected to the existing indoor practice facility through a canal bridge. Its first floor will include a dining center for all Miami athletes and the football locker room.
The second floor will feature a recruiting corridor, including “an immersive, 360-degree digital experience showcasing the past and present of Hurricanes football.” Other expected amenities are hydrotherapy areas, a recovery spa, meditation room, a rooftop terrace, a name, image and likeness suite and a golf simulation area. The building will also house team meeting rooms, coaching offices and a team auditorium.
“Facilities serve as a tangible, transformative representation of our overall investment and commitment to success, and this new football operations center speaks to the promise of Miami building championship programs,” athletic director Dan Radakovich said in a statement. “Competing in the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics requires creative thinking and bold investments. We feel strongly that — with the support of our Hurricanes Family — we can achieve this new vision for Miami Athletics and set us up for success across all sports for years to come.”
Miami is using firms Arquitectonica and HOK to design and work on the project. The progress is notable because the promise of facilities upgrades helped lure coach Mario Cristobal away from Oregon.
Football operations centers have become common in the state and across the country. The Gators opened their $85 million Heavener Football Training Center in the fall, and Florida State broke ground on the Dunlap Football Center last month.
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