BOZEMAN -- There was a silver lining to that Montana State loss over the weekend to Sacramento State. Not only were fans surprised to hear that Kenny Chesney will be coming to Bobcat Stadium in July, but more importantly, MSU announced that it has raised the $18 million for its new athletic complex.
Construction on the new 40,000 square-foot addition will start after the 2019 football season and is expected to open before the 2021 season. The two-story facility will house the football team and include locker rooms, a training facility, meeting rooms and much more. The space vacated by the football team in Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, the team's current home, will then be turned into a 3,400 square-foot academic area for things like tutoring and academic advising for the rest of the student-athletes.
For MSU head football coach Jeff Choate, this was a long time coming.
"I'd been in (the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse) one time in 2003. When I walked back into it after I got the (Montana State) job, my very first day on the job, nothing had changed, nothing. The paint was the same, the carpet was the same, the chairs were the same," said Choate. "I'm just excited because I think this is something that is going to move our athletic department forward in a really positive way and provide the type of facilities that will allow us to attract really high quality young men and young women."
MSU Alumni Foundation President and CEO Chris Murray said that more than 500 donors contributed to this project.
