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Notre Dame breaks ground on new football operations hall to replace 'The Gug'

Michael Wanbaugh, South Bend Tribune
·3 min read

SOUTH BEND — University of Notre Dame officials broke ceremonial ground Saturday morning on the Jack and Kathy Shields Family Hall, which will replace the Guglielmino Athletics Complex as the football program's operations hub.

The new state-of-the-art, 128,000 square-foot facility will be located on the east edge of campus north of Courtney Lane.

"What's amazing about the historic groundbreaking is it shows our commitment to our football program," said new Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua. "... Not only is it going to benefit our football program, but all of our student-athletes on campus. That's important."

From 2018: Notre Dame puts finishing touches on $400 million Campus Crossroads project

Bevacqua said the new hall will help complete a football facilities footprint that includes a recently renovated Notre Dame Stadium (2018) and new indoor practice facility (2020).

A price tag for the project was not disclosed, but is estimated to be in excess of $100 million. A similar facility completed a couple years ago at Clemson University cost a reported $55 million.

What will the new Shields Family Hall include?

According to a Notre Dame press release, The facility will include the following:

  • An advanced training room

  • A stand-alone sports medicine facility

  • An equipment facility with body scanning and fabrication technology

  • A new and expanded locker room

  • Meeting rooms, including a two-level, all-team auditorium and an augmented reality walkthrough room

  • Media innovation spaces, including recording studios and photo studios

  • Academic support spaces

  • Player nutrition area designed to foster community between teams and model healthy eating.

This University of Notre Dame graphic show where the new Jack and Kathy Shields Family Hall will be located. The facility, which is scheduled to be completed in 2026 will serve as the operations center for the football program. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on campus Saturday, April 20, 2024 before the annual Blue-Gold Game.
This University of Notre Dame graphic show where the new Jack and Kathy Shields Family Hall will be located. The facility, which is scheduled to be completed in 2026 will serve as the operations center for the football program. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on campus Saturday, April 20, 2024 before the annual Blue-Gold Game.

Bevacqua added that "The Gug" will later be renovated as a resource for all 26 of Notre Dame's athletic programs.

"This undertaking allows us to continue our effort to be the most advanced sports performance unit in college athletics with an addition of over 80,000 square feet dedicated to the success of our student-athletes through the renovation of the Gug," Bevacqua said. “The idea of former student-athletes investing in the future of Notre Dame football is a strong sign of the vitality of the program.”

Jack Shields is a 1983 Notre Dame graduate and former linebacker for the Irish. Additional contributors to the facility, according to the press release, includes Pat and Jana Eilers, Dave and Clare Butler and other substantial donors who wish to remain anonymous. Pat Eilers is a former Notre Dame safety. Dave Butler played linebacker for the Irish.

This University of Notre Dame graphic show where the new Jack and Kathy Shields Family Hall will be located. The facility, which is scheduled to be completed in 2026 will serve as the operations center for the football program. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on campus Saturday, April 20, 2024 before the annual Blue-Gold Game.
This University of Notre Dame graphic show where the new Jack and Kathy Shields Family Hall will be located. The facility, which is scheduled to be completed in 2026 will serve as the operations center for the football program. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on campus Saturday, April 20, 2024 before the annual Blue-Gold Game.

Also recognized for their generous leadership and support are Pat Kramer, a former Notre Dame defensive lineman, and Tom Carter, a former Irish cornerback.

Shields Family Hall will be the latest upgrade to football's campus footprint that saw a massive facelift with the 2018 completion of the $400 million-plus Campus Crossroads Project that renovated Notre Dame Stadium with the addition of Duncan, O'Neill and Corbett halls.

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The Irish Athletic Center indoor facility was debuted in 2020 just before COVID shut down spring practice.

“Shields Hall is more than just a football facility,” Jack Shields said in the press release. “Kathy and I wanted to provide a center that will provide resources for our players’ minds, bodies and spirits during their time at Notre Dame and beyond. We want to ensure our team can play like champions today and live like champions for the rest of their lives.”

Among the Notre Dame dignitaries participating in Saturday's ceremony were former Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick, University President The Rev. John I. Jenkins, current cornerback Benjamin Morrison and head coach Marcus Freeman.

Freeman addressed the dozens of high-profile recruits in attendance.

"To our recruits that are out there, I want you all to understand this is a reflection of the commitment this university has to ... our football program, our student-athletes," Freeman said. "We tell these recruits in our meetings that we are going to give them every possibility to reach their full potential, and this building reflects that."

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: University of Notre Dame breaks ground on new football operations hall