Pitt Football to Renovate South Side Training Facility

Before the spring game on Saturday, Pitt Football Head Coach Pat Narduzzi along with acting Athletic Director Randy Juhl had a brunch with several Pitt donors and supporters. They outlined a plan to renovate the football training facility to bring up to the standards of other high level football programs.

This was the flyer that was handed out to the donors. 

Todd Graham and Paul Chryst both left their own marks on the practice facility in their time. Graham did a lot of cosmetic changes in terms of adding Pitt history and graphics to the walls of the center. It was really a great upgrade on the surface, and helped Pitt to show itself off a little bit. Paul Chryst expanded the weight room along with a few other upgrades to help players train better. Narduzzi has mostly concentrated on the team meeting rooms along with the locker rooms.

Right now, the team meeting rooms are pretty basic. Large projector screens at the front with metal/plastic chairs just lined on the floor. Turning it into auditorium seating matches what other schools offer, and should make meetings a bit better. As for the locker room, it's also pretty basic. They're wooden lockers with the player's name, some hooks, and, well, that's about it. Modernizing them and adding the little things like phone charging points and what not will win over the fickle hearts and minds of future recruits. The upgraded players lounge is also pretty much a requirement. Before, Pitt had a couple TVs and some ping pong tables, but it seems like Pitt will go all out with sprucing it at all up. Taking a look at those pictures, it looks like it's gonna be pretty sweet.

The donors were also shown other ACC facilities, and the proposed changes make Pitt at or better than all of them from what one donor told me. The same donor also told me Narduzzi said these changes would go into construction immediately, and should be ready before the start of the season.

These planned upgrades are further evidence that Chancellor Gallagher and Pitt overall is reinvesting in the football program a little bit. You have to spend money to make money as they say, and this will certainly help to attract new recruits and compete with what other ACC schools are offering.