Hale pointed out the football team won't be the only squad that will benefit from the Indoor Practice Facility. The baseball, golf, softball and soccer teams will also practice there. In addition, academic classes will be held there in the mornings and in the evenings when teams are not practicing.

"This facility will help the school as a whole," Stephens said. "Not just football."

The 126,300-square-foot Student Athlete Center will accommodate 600 athletes in 21 sports. It features, among other things, a student-athlete academic center, administrative and coaches' offices, a nutrition center, a restaurant with televisions, a strength and conditioning center, equipment rooms, conference rooms and locker rooms.

It will also house a Hall of Fame showcase featuring trophies and awards garnered by BYU athletes over the years. Throughout the building, photos and other reminders of the Cougars' athletic history will hang on the walls.

The locker room, patterned after the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles', is 75 yards long. Former Cougar and current Eagle tight end Chad Lewis was the one who suggested that the hallways and doorways be wide in order to accommodate big athletes. Also, there will be a separate locker room area for former players, like Lewis, who return to campus often to work out.

A set of "Legacy Lockers," marking the accomplishments of players like Steve Young and Ty Detmer, are intended to honor former stars as well as to inspire future stars. "We want the former players to feel connected with the present and the current players to feel connected with the past," Hale said.

The offices of the football coaches will be much roomier than the ones they occupy at the Smith Fieldhouse. Coach Gary Crowton's office will have a view of the outdoor practices field. "The coaches deserve bigger offices for the amount of time they spend working," Stephens said. "I would have a claustrophobic attack where they are working now."

The team meeting room is also spacious and has theater-style seating. The first few rows of seats are extra large, Hale said, for the 300-pound offensive linemen.

A lounge area will be a place to entertain recruits when they come on their visits.

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E-MAIL: jeffc@desnews.com