University of Oregon is set to build a $19.2 million sports science center called the The Marcus Mariota Sports Performance Complex. The complex is named after the school’s 2014 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.
The plans were approved in September and the University of Oregon has filed a permit with the city of Eugene. The co-founder of Nike, Phil Knight, and his wife Penny are funding the future 29,000-square-foot sports science center. The construction aims to start in January and finish around mid-September. Once done, Knight will donate the space back to the University.
This isn’t Knight’s first project for the University either. He helped fund the 145,000-square-foot Hatfield-Dowlin Complex that was estimated at $69 million.
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The complex is opened to all student-athletes at the University and aims to show its dedication to the health of its players by providing resources that are not already available. The neurocognitive center will be available to diagnose and treat concussions suffered by players. This comes at a significant time where the risky association between sports and concussions is becoming a major topic.
The objectives of the center are to focus on the importance of athlete recovery. Other technology includes a 3D motion capture equipment to measure range of motion of muscles and specific locations that are vulnerable to injury. The most mentioned feature is the boxing ring that will hopefully provide the athletes with a new modality of staying in shape. Many Australian football teams use boxing rings because they think it gives a fun way to break up the normal routine. In addition, the project plans on expanding the Casanova Center’s equipment room, which us currently overflowing with storage equipment.
The new project aims to increase the University’s athletic’s profile by supporting innovative technology that aims to optimize performance and likely make recruiting a whole lot easier on coaches. “Thanks to the incredible generosity of Phil and Penny Knight and their commitment to the University of Oregon, we’ll be able to enhance our total commitment to the student-athlete experience with another world-class facility,” UO athletic director Rob Mullens said. “Marcus is the epitome of a student-athlete, and the Marcus Mariota Sports Performance Center will be an outstanding tribute to his legacy.”