USC Football: John McKay Center Nearing Completion

Mar 24, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of construction of the John McKay center at the University of Southern California. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

On Sunday, USC AD Pat Haden tweeted a little update about the status of the John McKay Center, the new Trojan athletics facility:

The John McKay Center is set to open by the start of fall camp in August, but a move in date of July 21st should get people excited. A new athletic facility has been long overdue at USC; the recruits from the class of 2009 were promised a new one in their years with Troy, and that promise is finally going to come to fruition.

The $70 million, 110,000 square-foot building stands next to Heritage Hall and will be the new home of USC football operations and all other Trojan sports teams, as well as all athletic department academic and training support.

Over the past we have seen sneak peeks of the John McKay Center, provided by the athletes:

But there is still so much that has yet to be revealed of this three-story facility. Some of the most exciting features include:

A two-story-high, customized video wall composed of 278 15-inch flat-screen TVs. Live content also will be shown across the screen, and recruits can play video games on it.

The Marv Goux Recruiting Lounge on the upper level. It will be open to recruits from all 21 of USC’s varsity sports.

A room with 25 tutorial computer stations, an additional computer lab and a library-like study area.

An outdoor atrium honoring McKay, including a statue of the legendary coach.

The “football floor”: coaches’ offices, team meeting rooms, a team auditorium and an outdoor dining area overlooking the 90-yard intramural field.

On the west end, a head coach’s suite with a patio overlooking Howard Jones Field, where the football team practices.

A 60,000 square foot basement,with a workout area eight times the size of the current available training space at Heritage Hall.

A 40-yard by 30-yard turf field with a raised roof, a full nutrition center, hydrotherapy pools and an expanded sports performance and recovery areas.

The football locker room is shaped like a football and features 114 lockers, each with built-in iPads and USB ports.

A players’ lounge that 10 current Trojans, two from each class, helped design.

Several former USC players have contributed to the John McKay Center, donating money for naming rights in the new facility. For example, the quarterback meeting room will be named for Mark Sanchez. Others who have contributed include Ryan and Matt Kalil, Sam Cunningham, Lynn Swann, Keyshawn Johnson and Carson Palmer.

These features and more will be at the USC athletes’ disposal some time over the next month. Once this project is open, USC will begin a $30 million revamp of Heritage Hall, the 41-year old build that currently houses USC’s athletic facilites.