College receives $1.5 million for a new 10,000-square-foot football facility from alumni Kevin and Lisa Baird
Allegheny College has committed to upgrading and updating the Robertson Athletic Complex facilities by 2025, aiming to create a premier athletic center in NCAA Division III and the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. The initial $1.5 million in funding for the project is a gift from Kevin Baird and his wife, Lisa Fiedor Baird, both 1984 Allegheny College graduates.
Kevin was an Academic All-American and All-Conference football player for the Allegheny Gators, as well as a member of the baseball team. He was also involved as a student with his fraternity Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji), The Campus newspaper and as a resident director.
He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of International Automotive Components Group, a global automotive supplier to leading original equipment manufacturers. Lisa was involved as a student with her sorority Alpha Chi Omega, Allegheny Student Government, The Campus newspaper and Panhellenic Council.
The Bairds’ support will go toward the construction of a 10,000-square-foot facility which will provide new coach’s offices and locker rooms for the football program, as well as an expansive meeting room designed for alumni events and customized visit experiences with prospective student-athletes.
Team meeting rooms will also be made available for academic services, including study hours, tutoring, and player support. The new center may be one of the few Division III facilities to have all of these resources under one roof.
“This Center will benefit the entire athletic department,” explained Bill Ross, director of athletics and recreation. “This major addition creates a domino effect. As the football program transitions to its new space, it allows us to relocate all of the sports teams that currently share locker rooms in overlapping seasons to their own dedicated locker rooms. Importantly, all coaches that use Robertson Athletic Complex, no matter what their sport, will be able to utilize the space for recruiting or team meeting purposes.”
“The support of the Bairds acknowledges the importance of athletics to our vibrant and inclusive campus,” said Ron Cole, president of Allegheny College. Cole noted that this contribution comes during a year that the College received its largest donor support in its 209-year history with alumni, friends and foundations contributing more than $77 million in gifts to date.
