The Red and Black

Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: News

Media Credit: JAKE DANIELS President Michael F. Adams and University of Georgia Athletic Director Damon Evans laugh during a Georgia Athletic Association meeting at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education Thursday. [Click to enlarge]

If Mark Richt had to choose a Valentine other than his wife this year, it may very well be the Athletic Association's Board of Directors.

In its winter meeting Thursday the board approved $750,000 to take the next steps in expanding football facilities at the Butts-Mehre complex, a project estimated ultimately to cost $25 million.

"We've had ongoing discussions back and forth over the past two years or so with the head football coach about priorities, and I think it's fair to say that this is the priority that he has settled on right now," University President Michael Adams said.

"It is atop the football program's list of needs."

The expansion to Butts-Mehre would include strength and conditioning expansions and renovations, the addition of new offensive and defensive team meeting rooms and a 10,080-square-foot "multi-purpose room" that would have turf for football practice needs but also be convertible for other uses.

While the multi-purpose room is not the indoor practice facility that Richt has asked for in the past, Athletic Director Damon Evans said its use would be to "host activites or do drills that the football team may need to do."

"We've been exploring that as well," Evans said of an indoor practice facility. "But this is the priority at this time and we will continue to look at (an indoor facility)."

Adams said that at least half of the cost of the expansion would need to come from fundraising.

Part of that money may come from ticket sales as the board also approved an increase in regular season football ticket prices from $32 to $40. However, both Adams and Evans stressed that would not influence the price of student tickets.

The meeting also covered student-athlete academics for 2007's fall semester. Georgia athletes combined for a GPA of 2.92, with golf and swimming leading men's and women's sports, respectively. Almost half of the University's athletes had a GPA of over 3.0 (257 of 550).

Football and men's basketball had the lowest GPAs of any sport at 2.58 and 2.57, respectively.

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