And, if the artist renderings are any indication, said gift will be put to spectacular use.
In a press release issued by the school Tuesday, Baylor announced that its football program is on the receiving end of “the largest capital gift in university history” that will be earmarked for the construction of its new stadium along the Brazos River. The donors are Elizabeth and Drayton McLane, the latter being a 1958 BU graduate and formerly the majority owner of MLB’s Houston Astros.
The specific amount of what the school called a leadership gift was not revealed. While the gift gives the McLanes naming rights, the couple has asked that the new football facility be called Baylor Stadium, although RG3 Field at Baylor Stadium may be more appropriate given the impact the reigning Heisman Trophy winner has had on the stadium push.
Regardless, the McLanes’ gift will allow the ongoing fundraising to support stadium construction to continue with a significant amount of momentum.
“We are fortunate to be a family that includes a number of proud Baylor University alumni,” said McLane in a statement. “We believe strongly in the University’s distinct and important role as a Christian institution dedicated to academic excellence at the highest level. Our son Drayton III, a 1996 graduate of Baylor, and his wife Amy, and their sons Drayton IV, Brooks and Walker, as well as our son Denton, who graduated from Baylor in 1999, and his wife Amy, and sons Jeff and Jake, join us in joyfully making this gift to Baylor.
“As a family, we wanted to do something that would shine a light on the University we love, while enhancing student life at Baylor and impacting positively the city of Waco and Central Texas. This is an incredible time to be a Baylor Bear and all the McLane family is excited to part of the momentum that is leading Baylor to new heights.”
The on-campus stadium will sit on a 93-acre site and initially seat 45,000 fans, with the flexibility to expand to 55,000 in the future. The release states that the facility “also will feature a bridge crossing the Brazos River and connecting the stadium to the campus, canopy shading for half of all seats throughout the day, open concourses with views directly into the stadium, suites, loge boxes, indoor and outdoor club seating, designated seating for Baylor students and the Baylor band, and an event center and Stadium Club for year-round use.”
The project is expected to be completed in time for the 2014 opener, which is currently scheduled to be against in-state rival SMU. And, as we indicated up above, the artist renderings of the proposed stadium are breathtaking:
Suffice to say, Bears head coach Art Briles is ecstatic to the point of cartwheels over what the McLanes’ gift means to his football program and the university.
“We are extremely grateful, humbled and honored by the McLane family’s generous lead gift for the new on-campus Baylor football stadium,” Briles said in his statement. “Their love and passion for Baylor is truly incredible, and this gift will impact not only Baylor football, but our great University, well into the future. The vision shown by both the McLane family and our University leadership will ensure continued success for our football program. I look forward to leading the Bears out of the tunnel and onto the field of the new Baylor Stadium.