Allegheny College athletic facility upgrades get boost with $1.5 million alumni gift

MEADVILLE — Allegheny College’s Robertson Athletic Complex just received a major financial boost.

The school revealed Tuesday a $1.5 million alumni gift to fund a new, 10,000-square-foot facility which administrators say will benefit Allegheny’s entire athletic department.

The new building will create new locker rooms and coach’s office for the Allegheny football program, plus an "expansive" meeting room which could host alumni events or visits from prospective student-athletes.

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What upgrades are planned?

Allegheny student-athletes will have more space because of the upgrades.

“This major addition creates a domino effect,” Bill Ross, Allegheny’s director of athletics, said in a release. “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.”

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Academic services such as study hours and tutoring will be available in team meeting rooms at the new facility. All coaches will have access to it for recruiting or team meetings.

“The new center may be one of the few Division III facilities to have all of these resources under one roof,” a university release read.

Where did the money come from?

Kevin Baird and his wife, Lisa Fiedor Baird, donated $1.5 million to fund the project. Both are 1984 graduates of Allegheny and Kevin Baird is the current chief executive officer for International Automotive Components Group, a worldwide supplier of automobile parts.

Kevin Baird was an all-conference football player at Allegheny, plus an academic All-American and member of the baseball team.

Allegheny has received more than $77 million in donations this year already. That, according to a university release, is the largest number in the school’s 209-year history.

Allegheny competes in the President’s Athletic Conference and sponsors 21 varsity sports. Its five home football games in 2024, including a Sept. 1 home opener against Saint Vincent, are all scheduled for Frank B. Fuhrer Field at Robinson Athletic Complex.

Contact Jeff Uveino at juveino@timesnews.com . Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @realjuveino .

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Allegheny College athletic facility upgrades get boost with $1.5 million alumni gift