Notre Dame dedicates the Guglielmino Athletics Complex this weekend.

Guglielmino Athletics Complex Dedication Set For Friday, Oct. 14

Oct. 12, 2005

The Guglielmino Athletics Complex, new home to the University of Notre Dame football program, will be dedicated Friday, Oct. 14, 2005. The dedication program includes a Friday afternoon blessing of the building, an afternoon Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and a Friday evening dedication dinner in the rotunda of the Main Building.

A special, 18-by-24-inch, commemorative poster (printed by Mossberg & Company in South Bend and designed by the Notre Dame Media Group) created for the dedication will be available free of charge Friday night as fans leave the pep rally at Notre Dame Stadium. The posters will be available at Gates C, D and E, and they come rolled and wrapped in plastic. Any remaining posters will be distributed Saturday at the football game.

Opened in August and located on the east side of campus, the 96,000-square-foot building commonly referred to as “The Gug” is a spacious, state-of-the-art facility that houses the football program’s locker rooms, offices and meeting rooms, in addition to giving the 800 student-athletes in Notre Dame’s 26 varsity sports enhanced space for all training, strength and conditioning, and medical needs.

The Guglielmino Athletics Complex has been made possible through the generous gift of the late Don F. Guglielmino and his wife Flora. A longtime supporter of Notre Dame, Guglielmino attended the University in the 1939-40 academic year. After the death of his father, he left school to enlist in the Army Air Corps. He served in the Pacific theater during World War II.

After the war, Guglielmino returned to his hometown of Glendale, Calif., where he became a successful businessman. He founded Newhall Hardware Company in 1947 and helped found the Santa Clarita National Bank in the late 1960s. He served as the bank’s chairman of the board until it was sold, first to Security Pacific National Bank in 1990 and later to Bank of America.

Though he spent just one year at Notre Dame as a student, Guglielmino had a lifelong love for the University. In addition to his commitment to Irish football–which included a long and close association with former coach Lou Holtz–he and Flora supported the scholarship fund of the Notre Dame Club of Los Angeles and were benefactors to the University’s Institute for Church Life.

In recognition of his generosity and unwavering support of the University and what it stands for, Guglielmino was recognized as an honorary alumnus of the University in 1996 and was inducted into the Notre Dame National Monogram Club after his death on May 31, 2001.

In Notre Dame’s quest to continue its high level of success on an annual basis, this facility provides the football program and all Irish varsity teams with one of the finest and most comprehensive athletic facilities in all of college athletics.

The first floor of “The Gug” features a strength and conditioning facility with state-of-the-art equipment that all student-athletes will use on a daily basis, a centralized athletic training center for all athletes, and an equipment room. Locker rooms for football players and coaches also are located on the first floor, as well as a players’ lounge, meeting rooms, and a 150-seat auditorium for team gatherings and presentations. More than 4,000-square feet is designated for football meeting rooms, which are grouped by positions and linked to each other by a state-of-the-art computerized video system with overhead digital projection capabilities. The players’ lounge features a 52-inch plasma television, a Gatorade station, and a kitchen.

The second floor houses all of the football offices, with head coach Charlie Weis’ office overlooking the Cartier Field practice center. Offices for the offensive and defensive staffs are located in separate hallways divided by a common video production and screening area. A recruiting lounge, reception area, and conference room also are located on the second floor.

The designer and builder for “The Gug” is McShane Construction of Chicago.

The Guglielmino Athletics Complex Profile

Morse Recruiting Lounge
As one of the signature features of the Guglielmino Athletics Complex, the Morse Recruiting Lounge is the cornerstone of every football recruit’s campus visit. Located on the second floor above “The Gug’s” main entrance, the recruiting lounge offers a wide-ranging view of campus, including the Golden Dome, the Basilica and Hesburgh Library. The lounge also gives the recruit a first-hand look at Notre Dame’s football excellence – from the 11 national championship banners to a view of the expansive strength and conditioning center and houses the bust of legendary football coach Knute Rockne. The lounge was donated by 1956 Notre Dame football team captain Jim Morse and his wife, Leah Rae, of Muskegon, Mich.

Isban Auditorium
A 3,800-square-foot multi-purpose auditorium on the first floor of the Guglielmino Athletics Complex, the Isban Auditorium features 150 theatre-style, football player-sized, chair back seats and theatre-quality audio-visual equipment including a 30- foot screen. The auditorium is used for daily meetings by the football team and is utilized by all Irish athletic teams. The auditorium is a gift from Leonard and JoAnn Isban of Plymouth, Ind., the grandparents of Notre Dame junior golfer, Cole Isban.

Loftus Sports Medicine Facility
The state-of-the-art 8,300-square-foot facility houses Notre Dame’s medical and training staff and is used by all Irish athletic teams. The medical and training facility features office space for the athletic training staff, an on-site x-ray room, two new swim exercise pools (one with a treadmill on the bottom) and increased rehabilitation space. The sports medicine facility is a gift of longtime benefactor, former Irish basketball player John Loftus and his wife, Julie, of St. Charles, Ill.

Francis W. and Rita C. Smith Coaches Offices
The Smith Offices comprise a 7,800-square-foot football office suite that houses Notre Dame’s assistant coaches, support staff and head coach Charlie Weis. This includes a large reception area, a private shower facility and two offices – one for official meetings and another private area for film work. The coaches’ offices surround the state-of-the-art computerized video system with overhead digital projection capabilities and four tera-byte storage ability. The Francis W. and Rita C. Smith Family Office Suite is a gift of the Smith Family of Manteno, Ill.

Haggar Fitness Center
More than 800 Irish athletes in all sports use the 25,000 square-foot home of Notre Dame’s strength and conditioning program. Included in the Center are a state-of-the-art weight room that houses 250 pieces of weight training equipment, a 50-yard Mondo track for speed workouts, a 45 X 18-yard Prestige Turf Field and updated sound and lighting that includes six plasma television screens. The Haggar Fitness Center is a gift from Joe and Isabell and Ed and Patty Haggar of Dallas, Texas.

Allen Equipment Room
Located adjacent to the practice-week locker room, the Allen Equipment Room houses the football equipment staff and storage facility. The generous space allows for tremendous storage and work areas, and expedites equipment repair and servicing on a timely basis. The equipment room is a gift of former senior football manager Marty Allen, and his wife, Sue, of Grand Rapids, Mich.

Romano Family Locker Room
The spectacular 9,000-square-foot Romano Family Locker Room is located on the first floor of “The Gug,” and houses 125 spacious (42″ x 90″) player lockers equipped with shoe warmers/driers for wet cleats. The room is designed to be large enough for team gatherings and has 22 showers. A player’s lounge includes a 52-inch plasma television, a Gatorade station and a kitchen. The new locker room gives the players and staff instant access to the Cartier practice fields, the Haggar Fitness Center and the indoor field in the Loftus Center. Just off of the locker room is a “mud room” that allows players returning from practice to remove their cleats for cleaning. The locker room is a gift of Leahy Lad Buddy, and wife, Florence, Romano of Chicago, Ill.

Hickey Coaches’ Locker Room
Located next to the player locker room is the Hickey Coaches’ Locker Room, featuring 20 spacious lockers and six private showers. This provides the coaches with a perfect platform for final pre-practice planning strategies, as well as immediate evaluation thoughts post-practice. The coaches’ locker room is a gift of Jack and Rosemary Hickey of South Bend, Ind.