The Vision
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It is time to reimagine North Texas Athletics.
The University of North Texas, with more than 38,000 students and located in a major metropolitan area and recruiting hot bed, has long been viewed as an athletic department with enormous potential. Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker has a plan to realize that potential.
UNT is launching the largest athletics-facilities campaign in school history: the Light The Tower Master Plan. This bold, ambitious project will span 20 years, spawn new game and practice venues, dramatically upgrade support for our student-athletes, and build the athletic program to new heights.
That vision is shared by President Neal Smatresk and the UNT Board of Regents. But for this vision to come to fruition, it must be shared and supported by Mean Green alumni and fans.
In order to deliver on our promise of Building Champions and Preparing Leaders, our commitment to the spaces where holistic development takes place is critical. This plan will provide a comprehensive roadmap to address the long term needs of all 16 athletic programs and to our student-athletes. We embarked on an 18 month process committed to comprehensive research of trends in athletic facility development, along with a needs assessment of existing athletic facilities on our campus.”
Wren Baker
North Texas Vice President and Director of Athletics
One of the great pieces of building a comprehensive university is athletics because it brings people together in a celebratory mode. Investments into our athletics programs are going to make a huge difference in how we can recruit student-athletes and, ultimately, how we have success. It can also serve as a point a pride for our alumni. They want to see that our facilities look the way that they feel about their university.”
Dr. Neal Smatresk
President of the University of North Texas
The Light The Tower Master Plan for Mean Green athletics facilities is a realistic, actionable blueprint that integrates athletics into the UNT campus through coordination with the 2013 Campus Master Plan Update and current campus improvements. The plan emphasizes the importance of the I-35 corridor and its proximity to the athletics precinct to advertise and enhance the University of North Texas brand. Lastly, we want to provide the facilities to accommodate hosting Conference and NCAA championships as an additional means of promoting UNT nationally.
The Master Plan has been segmented into short-term and future projects based on anticipated needs and sequencing to achieve our end result. It is important to note that ongoing evaluations will occur that could impact prioritization of projects along with donor interest, which will be essential to completion of the Master Plan.
Short-Term projects consist of:
Subsequent proposed projects would include an arena for basketball and volleyball, a stadium for baseball, a natatorium, an indoor tennis facility, a new and reoriented softball stadium, a relocated soccer practice field and a tailgating park across from Apogee Stadium.
All the facilities will be located in the Mean Green Village, the area south of I-35E on either side of South Bonnie Brae Street and north of Willowwood Street.
Watch the video below for an overview of the Light The Tower Master Plan.
The Light The Tower Master Plan began with construction of the new soccer and track & field venue, which is slated for completion in 2018, followed by the indoor practice facility and an expansion of the Athletic Center.
Track & field will leave Fouts Field and soccer will have a stadium befitting the winningest program at North Texas.
A 98,000-square-foot, high-roofed facility with full-size football field, running lanes, sand pit, filming platforms and a visitor/recruit lounge.
Will include updated locker rooms, larger sports medicine and strength and conditioning facilities, and a new academic center.
Located across Bonnie Brae from Apogee Stadium, it will have a minimum of 600 spaces initially and be expanded with an additional 900+ spaces in coordination with other future projects. There will be restrooms, concessions and a centrally located turf area that can accommodate concerts and other game-day activities.
A 6,000-7,000 seat arena for basketball, with lower-bowl and upper-deck seating. There will be premium club, loge and suite seating. The facility will include two basketball practice courts and a volleyball facility with 1,000 retractable seats.
A state-of-the-art stadium for a potential new baseball program. The stadium will include a locker room, training room, coaches' offices, pitching tunnels and batting cages.
A state-of-the-art stadium with a more ideal southeast field orientation. It will include a locker room, coaches' offices, pitching tunnels and batting cages.
Various options are under consideration, but the pre-engineered facility will accommodate a minimum of three indoor courts.
A new swimming and diving facility will have an eight-lane 50-meter pool that can be converted to a 25-meter pool, plus a full-platform diving well.
As we began developing the Master Plan, the most noticeable deficiency in UNT's facilities was the amount of space provided to our 16 athletic programs.
At the completion of the Light the Tower campaign, almost all of our sports will have doubled the square footage of their facilities, an expansion that will have a tremendous impact on the lives of our coaches, staff and, most importantly, our student-athletes.
In addition to new venues and facilities, the Light The Tower Master Plan will result in dramatically increased space in existing facilities. Here are increases in square feet for areas of the athletic department that will be expanded and renovated:
| Facility | Current SF | Proposed SF | Increase |
| Academic Center | 6,586 SF | 14,626 SF | +122% |
| Coaches and Staff Offices and Workspace | 8,682 SF | 14,994 SF | +73% |
| Football Locker Room and Equipment Room | 9,000 SF | 13,500 SF | +50% |
| Sports Medicine | 3,520 SF | 9,500 SF | +170% |
| Strength and Conditioning | 6,150 SF | 23,000 SF | +273% |
Your contribution to The Light The Tower Master Plan will leave a lasting legacy to generations of UNT student-athletes, and will allow North Texas Athletics to realize its mission of building champions and preparing leaders.
The scope of The Light The Tower Master Plan offers numerous naming options, and your generous gift can be payable over time.
Contact the Mean Green Scholarship Fund to discuss your legacy.
We've also created a booklet about the Master Plan. Click here to view it.
Have questions? Want to discuss naming opportunities or contributions? Please contact us:
