Taj Ma-football

When the Baylor football team needed a break from the triple-digit August heat, coach Art Briles didn’t have to call for a lengthy rest in the film room. He simply directed his players from the outdoor practice fields to the Jay and Jenny Allison Indoor Practice Facility.

Built at a cost of $11 million, the facility was completed just in time for Baylor’s preseason workouts in August.

“It’s been a godsend,” Briles said. “It saved us through some sizzling heat and kept us physically and mentally fresh. You have wants and needs, and this was a need for us.”

Baylor became the tenth Big 12 school to complete an indoor facility, but it would be hard to find a better one in college football. Built by Beck Construction of Dallas, the 74,000-square-foot facility features an eighty-yard field and two ten-yard end zones. It has synthetic turf that has the feel of natural grass. The energy-efficient building includes air conditioning and heating and has special windows that block 40 percent of the sunlight streaming in from the outside.

The goal posts are suspended from the ceiling, which is high enough to handle most field goal attempts. The lower walls are padded to deter injuries, while the upper walls are made with material that won’t dent or crack when hit by a stray football. The facility will give the Bears a major boost in recruiting, Baylor officials said.

“Baylor is committed to constructing high-quality facilities, and we certainly didn’t cut corners on this one,” Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw said. “It was critical that we build it, and it will be a huge boost for our football program and the entire athletic department. It sends a strong signal that our football program is entering a different level and that we’re serious about competing with the best in the country.”

Briles made a habit of starting his August afternoon practices on the two outdoor fields at the Highers Athletics Complex before finishing inside the indoor facility.

For a thirty-year coaching veteran, it was quite a change in approach to practice.

“The old coach in me said, ‘Don’t,’ but the intelligent man said, ‘Why not do it?’ It’s good to have both inside and outside facilities. I never claimed to be a genius, but they didn’t build it just to look at.”

Briles quickly learned that the comfort of the indoor facility gave his players an instant boost of energy each time they stepped out of the scorching heat. “It was like starting practice over,” Briles said. “It enabled our players to lock in and focus. It keeps our guys fast, fresh, and healthy.”

Beginning with the first practice on August 6, the Baylor players loved moving indoors to complete practice after starting outdoors. “It’s like heaven,” Baylor linebacker Antonio Johnson said. “The tempo picked up, and it made a difference. We were real energetic.”

The facility also includes other interesting touches like a sound system that allows the Bears to simulate a loud stadium by plugging in an iPod. The Bears can film practice from cameras located at several different angles along the walls.

Both Jay ’78, MS ’80, JD ’81, and Jenny Reid Allison ’78, MSEd ’80, have a strong connection to Baylor football. Jay was a three-year letterman who played on Grant Teaff’s 1974 Southwest Conference championship team. Jenny’s father, Dr. Bryce Reid, played on the 1949 Dixie Bowl team, the first Baylor squad to make a bowl appearance.