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BCU celebrates 100 years of football with new practice field
This year marks 100 years of football at Bethune-Cookman University, and the Wildcats are ushering in a new era.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - This year marks 100 years of football at Bethune-Cookman University, and the Wildcats are ushering in a new era.
There’s a new head coach in Raymond Woodie Jr., and now a new practice field.
On Saturday, the university broke ground on the new field. It’s located right next to the existing training center on campus
It’ll be a nice change of pace for the team, as they’ve been practicing ing at Daytona’s municipal stadium for years.
That’s about eight miles from the school.
"I tell you, it means a lot. Now we have it on campus and it has turf. It’s huge. It’s definitely going to help us as far as the outlook and change the narrative," Woodie said.
This project is underway thanks in part to a very large donation from NBA great, Charles Barkley.
But BCU isn’t stopping with the on-campus practice field.
Renderings for the project show a new locker room, equipment and laundry room.
That’ll take another $6-7 million according to the school.
The university’s a long way from its end goal but is feeling rejuvenated by the newness on campus.
"What happens here is that people start seeing that our credibility is sound, and what we’re trying to build here is real," Theus said. "When they start to see the ground move, the turf going down, you’re going to be surprised at the number of people who are going to want to come out and help."