Spence Eccles and his family are joined by Coach Kyle Whittingham, President Pershing, and U Board of Trustees Chair Clark Ivory, at the August 15 grand opening.
An emotional salute to three-generations of the Spence and Cleone Eccles family from Chris Hill, director of athletics, kicked off the August 15, 2013, grand opening of the Spence and Cleone Eccles Football Center on Guardsman Way. The new high-tech home for Utah Football, with rehabilitation and nutrition facilities for all University of Utah athletics teams, marks a dramatic step forward in recruiting, training, and educating all U student athletes.
“Today we celebrate not only the opening of this center, but also the one-of-a-kind role Spence and Cleone Eccles and their family have played in the success of Utah Athletics for decades,” said Hill. “Through their personal and unwavering loyalty and generosity, ‘Team Eccles,’ led by our No.1 Utah Man Spence, has played a vital part in the progress of our programs and our move into the Pac-12.”
The $34 million facility, funded with more than $17 million in private contributions along with Pac-12 revenues, will ensure that players, coaches, and staff have the facilities needed to compete at the highest levels of excellence.
Lead gift support for the center came not only from the Spencer F. and Cleone P. Eccles Family Foundation and the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, but also the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, recognized through the naming of the building’s spectacular Utah Football Hall of Fame. Gifts from many other foundations, businesses, and individuals, including former U student athletes, many of whom have gone on to National Football League careers, are recognized throughout the facility.
Cleone and Spence Eccles at Rice-Eccles Stadium
The involvement of Spence and Cleone Eccles as enthusiastic Ute boosters and generous donors spans more than half a century—from their student days in the mid-1950s when Spence was an All-American on the U’s ski team, to his current co-chairmanship of Athletics’ Invest in Excellence Campaign. Their financial generosity was instrumental in creating the George S. Eccles Tennis Center in the late 1980s, the expansion of Rice-Eccles Stadium a decade later, and the fast-track construction of the Spence Eccles Field House in 2004, enabling the Utah Football team to prepare for its entry into the Pac-12.
“Each of these has been a landmark moment in the growth and positive trajectory of Utah Athletics,” said Spence. “For myself and our family, they have been shared opportunities to join with the U to make a significant and lasting impact that raises the level of excellence not only in athletics, but also campus-wide.”
Acknowledging Cleone’s recent passing in April 2013, Spence added, “Cleone would, at this moment, not only be very embarrassed, but also very much humbled. Like me, she loved the U and was proud of it. She always felt privileged to be associated with her alma mater, and thrilled to cheer for the student athletes as they strive to be the very best they can be while representing this great university.”
With dramatic interiors that are beautiful, functional, and energy-efficient, the center features a sports medicine complex where athletes from all sports will benefit from the most cutting-edge rehabilitation facilities and techniques. The center also houses a 250-seat cafeteria, additional nutrition services, an expansive football locker room, multiple team meeting rooms, equipment management spaces, and media studios. The Alex Smith Strength & Conditioning Center, attached to the new center, also was expanded as part of the project.
