The new home of Cowboy Football spans more than 146,000
square feet and is unquestionably one of the elite football
facilities, regardless of level of play, in the country.
There is a new commitment to winning at
Oklahoma State. And tangible brick and mortar proof of that commitment
is now on display.
Oklahoma State officially entered a new era in the
summer of 2009 with the completion of the historic west end zone
project.
When the football staff and daily operations of the program made the
move into the mammoth new facility, which spans more than 146,000 square
feet on the field level alone, it put the exclamation mark on a
five-year building period that saw the transformation of Lewis Field
into the sparkling, 60,218-seat
Boone Pickens Stadium.
Cowboy Football is now housed in what is unquestionably one of
America's top facilities. And the glitter includes substance.
Every
detail that encompasses the daily life of a college football player has
been included in the meticulous planning and execution of the west end
zone project. From ventilated lockers to functional meeting rooms, to
the sports medicine center and its various options of hydro-therapy, OSU
student-athletes truly find themselves in a new world.
The new locker room and lounge area sprawls over 14,000 square feet
just steps from the turf of
Boone Pickens Stadium. It is flanked by an
even larger strength and conditioning center (20,000 square feet) on one
side, and the new sports medicine center and the innovative equipment
room on the other.
Offensive and defensive meeting rooms are just across the hall and
the impressive new theater room is located just around the bend.
Just a few levels above the locker room, the team's impressive dining
area offers views inside the stadium as well as across the OSU campus.
The Cowboy football offices and more meeting rooms ring the upper levels
of the stadium with suites sitting atop the facility.
How all-encompassing was the project? When
Bullet, carrying the OSU
Spirit Rider, streaks across the stadium turf after a Cowboy touchdown,
the horse will return to his own stall located off the northwest tunnel.
The spirit groups have their own warm-up area. An underground loading
dock can accommodate up to three semi-trucks at the same time.
The next phase in the history of Oklahoma State football is about to
be written. But with the opening of the west end zone, long-time
observers of college football can attest that history has already been
made.
The team theater is
one of several meeting rooms in the new West End Zone, and
features over 200 leather chairs.
The locker room covers
more than 14,000 square feet and is conveniently flanked by
the weight room, equipment room and sports medicine center.
Meals at the training
table offer views of both the Boone Pickens Stadium interior
and the OSU campus and surrounding community.
West End Zone Photos
The creation of the West End Zone
facility was one of the biggest construction projects in OSU
history.
Construction began in 2007 and was
completed in 2009 at a cost of approximately $185 million.
The Cowboy Football locker room is one
of the largest in the country.
All lockers radiate out from where
Coach Gundy addresses the team.
This mural reminds the Cowboys to
"Play for the man standing next to you" before the tunnel
walk.
The Cowboy locker room includes a
player lounge area in the back of the room.
The team theater room includes
oversized leather chairs that can seat over 200 people.
The team theater room hosts team
meetings, as well as post-game press conferences.
The Cowboy Football team has access to
its own 20,000-foot Strength & Conditioning Center.
Hydrotherapy pools are one of the many
features of the expansive training facility adjacent to the
locker room.
Great meals and a commanding view of
the stadium and campus can be found at the Training Table,
which can seat over 200 individuals.
Several individual position meeting
rooms can be found on the coaches level. The West End Zone
also includes meeting rooms for the offense and defense.
