BOZEMAN — What started as a vision in the fall of 2016 is now only a few months away from completion. By this upcoming August, Montana State Football will be able to call the Bobcat Athletic Complex their new home.
The 40,000-square, soon-to-be state of the arc facility marks the end of phase one for Montana State’s 20-year Athletics Master Plan, which features two different levels dedicated to their student-athletes.
"First floor is all student-athletes - all student-athlete services, support areas from an athletic training perspective, weight room, rehab, doctor offices, locker rooms, and equipment," Bobcat athletic director Leon Costello explained. "Then upstairs it’s all offices and team meeting spaces, so coaches offices, position meeting rooms, and then as we saw the big giant team meeting space for football.”
Another selling point on the first floor of the BAC is a fueling station right next to the weight room. There is a small shelf to the left of it that's dedicated to the Brawl of the Wild trophy that will "that will be displayed here at all times," according to Costello.
On the second floor, there is a team meeting space with a retractable wall that can split the room into two, creating separate rooms for both offense and defense personnel.
"When student-athletes are with their parents we want to be able to tell them that when you drop off your son or daughter here, we’re going to be able to take care of them," Costello said. "This facility truly allows us to do that. With our partnership with Bozeman Health and having team physicians right here on campus. We have the team doctors, physical therapy, all the general medicine services we need, then you combine that with our athletic training services and then all the support spaces, we truly are able to take care of them.”
A total of 525 donors contributed to the $18 million dollar project, which is intended to support more than just Montana State’s football program.
“They’ll use the weight room," Costello added. "They’ll use the athletic training room. They’ll use hydrotherapy. Our doctors will be stationed here, so they’ll be able to come here and really utilize the first floor. The services that we’re going to be able to provide now from this facility and opening up more spaces in the field house is going to allow all of our programs to expand.”
As the BAC nears completion, Montana State plans to give more donor tours of the facility during the Sonny Holland Classic on April 24. However, at this year's Gold Rush Game set for Sep. 11, the university plans to hold a grand opening where the general public can tour the next complex in person.
