UNLV announces plans to upgrade athletic facilities

Steve Carp

Thursday, Sept. 3, 1998 | 11 a.m.

Long before there was a Year 2000 problem across America, UNLV's athletic department looked at its own house and came to the conclusion that when the next millennium rolled around, it would be ready to compete -- regardless of which conference it was affiliated with.

And when it came to its athletic facilities, the school took a proactive stance.

By the time Las Vegas celebrates the turn of the century, UNLV will be ready to compete virtually across the board. Whether or not that's enough to produce the desired results on the field of competition remains to be seen. But for the most part, UNLV teams will compete in modern facilities, some of which will be state of the art.

The school today announced ambitious plans to renovate Sam Boyd Stadium, upgrade the Thomas & Mack Center and build an adjoining practice facility for men's and women's basketball and volleyball.

The $40 million project will be completed for the fall 1999 semester, which will coincide with UNLV's first season in a new eight-team conference. UNLV is leaving the Western Athletic Conference at the end of the 1998-99 season.

Meanwhile, a new track and field facility is ready. The Buchanan Natatorium pool is undergoing extensive renovation and, hopefully, will no longer leak.

But there are ambitious plans to build a $40 million physical education complex to replace the current McDermott P.E. Complex that would include a brand new pool -- something longtime swim coach Jim Reitz has been seeking for years. However, the funding from the state of Nevada has not been secured for the project.

But UNLV already has a number of first-class facilities.

Nice digs

The $8.5 million Lied Athletic Complex has been up and running for three years. The Robert J. Miller building at Peter Johann Field is one of the best soccer facilities around. The Earl E. Wilson Baseball Stadium has become a source of pride in the baseball community, and the Fertitta Tennis Complex is in the running to host the NCAA women's tennis championships in the near future. It already plays host to NCAA men's regionals.

"I think all along there has been an interest in facilities, going back to when Brad (Rothermel) was the athletic director," associate athletic director Jerry Koloskie said.

"There was a lot of planning and a lot of hard work on the part of a lot of people. It's a very functional situation. And once we complete the softball complex, we'll be well rounded."

The softball field and swimming pool are the last two hurdles UNLV needs to clear to achieve that "well-rounded" appearance. But the major hurdle was getting Sam Boyd Stadium up to speed. The Thomas & Mack, which is 15 years old, needed infrastructure improvements as well as a face lift.

"When we get done, you're basically going to have two brand-new facilities at a fraction of the cost," T&M director Pat Christenson said. "If we were to build a new stadium, arena and practice facility from scratch, we'd be looking at $180 million, minimum.

"When we get through with the stadium and the Thomas & Mack, our facilities will be in better shape than when we first opened them."

In the stadium's case, that wouldn't take a lot.

Null and Boyd

The Spartan-like football facility has had a few touch-ups since it opened in 1971. But what is about to happen is a major operation. It will mean gutting the facility and basically rebuilding it. Only the original concrete will remain. Everything else will be new.

There will be a grass field and a new scoreboard with a large video board. There will be a three-story press box with luxury boxes and club seating. Capacity will increase to 40,000 permanent seats.

New restrooms and concession stands will be built. The concourse will be widened and brightened. There will be an elevator to assist handicapped fans. The parking lots will be repaved. Increased and improved access roads will make getting to and from the stadium, located at the corner of Russell Road and East Tropicana Avenue, easier.

"The stadium is going to be brand new," Christenson said. "You won't recognize the old one. It'll be like a stadium dropped out of Oz.

"We're addressing all the fan issues, things like restrooms, movement on the concourse, concessions. Everything will be better."

And those multi-colored hodgepodge seats? Gone. Everything will be red.

"When I got here, one of the key issues was on- and off-the-field facilities," fifth-year football coach Jeff Horton said. "If your stadium's not on campus, then it has to be a showcase. You don't want the tumbleweeds to be blowing across the road.

"This is truly going to be a first-class facility and it will help our recruiting big time, especially that grass field. People use that a lot against us in recruiting and kids want to play on grass these days.

"It goes back to, 'Do you want to be a player or don't you?' This shows there's a commitment."

Bigger Mack

The Rebel basketball team already has the luxury of playing in a first-class facility. But Christenson said the Thomas & Mack, as good as it has been over the past 15 years, needs to keep up with the times.

To address that, the T&M is putting the finishing touches on a new tunnel to help make the National Finals Rodeo a better annual event. It also will upgrade the 18,500 seats by upholstering them, and will replace the current ReddVision scoreboard with a brand-new board with LED video technology. The sound system will be improved.

But the biggest changes will be noticed before getting to your seat. There will be a new, expanded entry way with two banks of escalators to get fans to the concourse. The concourses themselves will be expanded and will have interactive "fun zones," where fans can play games and watch UNLV highlights.

"We've talked about doing these things for a long time," Christenson said.

"We were at the point where we had to address the infrastructure, such as the pipes, the electrical, things like that. So not only do we address that, we're also able to do something to the outside and the concourse that will brighten the place and make us fit in more with Las Vegas' look."

Basketball coach Bill Bayno is all for it.

"I think it's great," he said. "It's a wise investment for the university."

Bayno is especially excited about the yet-to-be-named $8 million pavilion -- a three-story, 60,000 square-foot structure that would connect to the Thomas & Mack with a passageway. It also would be home to the UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame.

The pavilion would provide new locker rooms for the Rebels and it also would be a viable practice alternative to the North Gym, where the team now works out when the Mack is booked.

"It's a tremendous step for our program," Bayno said of the pavilion, which also would be used by the Lady Rebels basketball team and the UNLV volleyball team. "It's the only solution since I've been here for finding a real alternative to being in the Thomas & Mack."

The pavilion also would be ready for fall '99.

Christenson said the project would put UNLV in perfect position to enter the 21st century with the proper athletic facilities.

"It gives the coaches the tools to go out and sell their programs," he said. "I don't know how much closer you can get to being prepared."

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