McGraw Athletic Center, 2007
From CSU's Sense of Place: A Campus History of Colorado's Land-Grant University, by James E. Hansen, Gordon A. Hazard, and Linda M. Meyer. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University, 2018.
Architects - Charles Sink, Richard L. Combs and Donald Dethlefs of Denver, Chicago and Los Angeles
Builder – Gerald H. Phipps Construction Company
1005 West Plum Street
On September 20, 1996, Athletic Director Tom Jurich announced there would be a new addition to Moby Arena and it would be named for alumnus and athletic administrator Thurman F. “Fum” McGraw.
On November 3, 1997, the formal groundbreaking ceremony took place with the building’s namesake digging the first shovel of soil. Designed by Architects Charles Sink, Richard L. Combs and Donald Dethlefs of Denver, Chicago and Los Angeles, this three-level, 52,650 square foot building is located at the west end of Moby Arena and houses the administrative offices of the Athletic Department. Costing $8.6 million, it was built by the Gerald H. Phipps Construction Company.
Its first floor houses a 124-seat auditorium and small meeting rooms that are primarily used by the football team for specialty team meetings until moving over to the new on campus stadium in 2017. The remodeling of locker rooms and the construction of a new training room facility were also part of the project. It was opened on May 18, 1999, and dedicated on August 30, 1999. The lobby originally featured a memorial dedicated to Fum McGraw with a display case featuring many artifacts from his life as an athlete and administrator.
In 2014 the lobby was remodeled with new dark marble flooring, wall graphics and the removal of the display cases flanking the entry doors. In the summer of 2016, the lobby floor was modified with the word “RAMS”.
Sources by Gordon A. Hazard
Rocky Mountain Collegian, October 1, 1996, page 1, vol. 105, issue 34.
State Board of Agriculture Minutes, October 8, 1996, 2-1a-b I-1e-f.
Rocky Mountain Collegian, October 15, 1996, page 1, vol. 105, issue 44.
Rocky Mountain Collegian, November 4, 1997, page 1, vol. 106, issue 52.
Rocky Mountain Collegian, November 10, 1997, pages 1 and 6, vol. 106, issue 56.
Colorado State University Alumni, spring 1998, page 24.
Rocky Mountain Collegian, April 29, 1998, page 10, vol. 106, issue 142.
Rocky Mountain Collegian, September 10, 1998, pages 1 and 10, vol. 107, number 14.
1998-99 Women’s Basketball Media Guide, page 9.
Rocky Mountain Collegian, January 21, 1999, page 1, vol. 107, number 78.
Colorado State University Alumni, fall 1999, page 2.
Rocky Mountain Collegian, August 31, 1999, page 1, vol. 108, number 7.
Comment, September 9, 1999, page 4, vol. 30, number 3.
“Democracy’s University – A History of Colorado State University 1970 – 2003” by James E. Hansen II, 2007.
Interview with Associate Athletic Director Doug Max on September 24, 2016.
Information from Julia Innis of Facilites Management in September 2016.
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