aTm coach donates $1 million for indoor facility

[Dawgpix]

From: Miles Marks [mailto:Execdirect@12thManFoundation.com]
Sent: Saturday, June 25, 2005 7:00 AM


As the backbone of our support for athletics, you will be as excited as
we
are to know about today's incredible announcement from Coach Fran.
Olin
Buchanan has broken the story today in the Austin paper so I thought I'd

just send you that story directly....

Miles Marks
Executive Director/CEO
12th Man Foundation


A&M plans to build indoor practice facility -- and Franchione will help
pay for it
Aggies coach to make $1 million gift to A&M to help build new football
facility

By Olin Buchanan
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, June 25, 2005

Texas A&M officials are expected to announce today plans to construct an
indoor practice facility for football, and Coach Dennis Franchione --
who said A&M would be the final stop in his coaching career when he
accepted the position three years ago -- is making a $1 million gift
toward its construction.

Franchione's nomadic track record as a coach -- seven head coaching jobs
in 22 years -- might have caused some to be skeptical about his future
plans. But he said that his $1 million gift to help build the facility
should end any doubts.

"Does that sound like anybody that intends to leave?" said Franchione,
who also is having a new home built in the exclusive Miramont Country
Club development in Bryan.

Texas A&M Athletic Director Bill Byrne, with Franchione in Colorado for
a meeting with the 12th Man Foundation advisory board, said Franchione's
gift to the university puts the coach in select company.

"When I learned of this gift, two names jumped to mind: Joe Paterno and
Bear Bryant," said Byrne, who will tell 12th Man Foundation members
today about the plans to build the facility.

"As far as I know, they're the only two other coaches to make a major
gift back to their universities to help their own programs and
respective institutions," Byrne said. "That's rarified company, and
Dennis Franchione belongs in that group."

Paterno funded a library at Penn State University and Bryant started a
scholarship fund for the children of former Alabama football players.

Three years ago, the University of Texas constructed its $4 million,
69,750-square foot practice bubble for the Longhorns' football team to
practice indoors. Located on the northwest corner of Interstate 35 and
26th Street, Texas' facility helps the Longhorns escape the heat of
August two-a-days and other extreme weather conditions, and its 55-foot
ceiling is tall enough for kickers and punters to work out.

Texas' facility took approximately six months to build.

Though there has been speculation that A&M would follow Texas' suit --
even perhaps with an indoor facility that could be big enough to house
two football fields and an indoor track -- the size and expense of the
indoor facility has not yet been determined.

A&M, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Colorado are the only Big 12 Conference
schools that don't have an indoor football practice facility.

A&M's new facility is expected to be built in an area on campus that is
now a parking lot, just north of the current football practice fields.

Franchione, who led A&M to a 7-5 record and a Cotton Bowl appearance
last season, earns $2 million annually on a contract that extends
through 2012.

obuchanan@statesman.com; 445-3952



Excerpts from Coach Fran.....

"...You've probably heard me say several times how great it is to be
working with the first athletic director in my career who has greater
vision than my own. When he talks about the proposed master plan for
facilities improvements and construction, you get goosebumps. And the
sooner we have the funding, the sooner we can move forward. This
contribution seemed to us to be the best way we could say thank you and
help the athletic program and the University...."

http://www.coachfran.com/news.aspx?id=283


What a gracious gesture from someone who has now officially squelched
what few rumors left that A&M was just a stepping stone for him.

Thank you, Dennis Franchione.




[img]aoladp://MA10231966-0001/fran2.jpg[/img]

[Bossdawg]

Wonder If JBIII would donate his cash to hekp out our University. Didn't think so.

[KayBee]

guess he might actually stay this time

[Dawgpix]

Wonder If JBIII would donate his cash to hekp out our University. Didn't think so.

Wouldn't know until we built something. . . . . . . . .

[DONW]

I'm surprised that A&M didn't already have an indoor practice facility. I saw an article in the newspaper about a month ago listing schools that have 1 billion dollar or more endowments. Texas was #5 and A&M was around #15. Rice was the only school from the WAC at #17. Vanderbilt was the only SEC school.

[TYLERTECHSAS]

Wonder If JBIII would donate his cash to help out our University. Didn't think so.

Does he belong to Champs?

[Cool Hand Clyde]

Does he belong to Champs?

Nope

[markay714]

That'd probably buy a little job security, too - sort of call it job insurance. Don't think it'd work that well for JBIII after as many years as he's been here and how little interest he's shown in our athletic program success. Most of our goals are higher than beating Tulsa.

[TECH88]

Nope

Wait a minute. You're telling me JB's too good to donate to the university that gave him the opportunity to be a head coach? That, to me is UNBELIEVABLE. I mean think about it: free car, free clothes, living expenses, free membership to Squire Creek, and add in the fact that he makes probably 200k a year and lives in a town where the cost of living is dirt cheap. All the head coaches I've ever known, high school or college, all donated to their schools-it may not be required but it is EXPECTED.

[Easydawg]

That, to me is UNBELIEVABLE.

The 2003 Rice game - unbelievable, Bick not donating money - believable.

[DogsWin]

The 2003 Rice game - unbelievable, Bick not donating money - believable.

One of the most unbelieveably effortless games by Tech that I can remember as a Tech fan since the late '70s. Also astonishing was following that up in 2004 with a 55-14 trashing of Rice in Houston (our final game of the season). In that game Tech scored 35 points in the 2nd quarter alone and posted 48 points unanswered by Rice.

We're consistently inconsistent.