If you haven’t noticed, we’ve been trying to get the word out about the great people our campus buildings are named after.
There were the housing facilities and the academic and administrative buildings , and now here are the rest, which we are calling the athletics and arts edition.
Below are nine athletic facilities and one bell tower, admired for its architectural beauty and its captivating sound.
Briner Sports Complex
The Briner Sports Complex covers 10.4 acres and includes a soccer turf field, a field hockey turf field, a track, a venue for throwing/field events in track, two operations booths, two scoreboards, a track video board, and an arched entrance. Completed in 2012, the complex is named after longtime Ball State athletics supporters Ken and Peggy Briner.
First Merchants Ballpark Complex
First Merchants Ballpark Complex is home to Ball Diamond, where the men’s baseball team plays, and Softball Field. The complex was re-dedicated in April 2016 after two years of extensive renovations, and is named after First Merchants Bank.
Fisher Football Training Complex
The Fisher Football Training Complex houses a weight room, meeting spaces, a sports medicine facility, and locker rooms for the football team. It is on the south end of Scheumann Stadium and is named after John W. And Janice B. Fisher, longtime benefactors of the University.
Lewellen Aquatic Center
John Lewellen was a track star at Ball State between 1935 and 1937. He was a member of Ball State’s staff from 1937 and 1970, serving in a variety of coaching positions, including tennis and cross country. But he made his mark as swimming coach for 24 years. Lewellen Aquatic Center opened in 1968.
Scheumann Stadium
Scheumann Stadium honors John B. and June M. Scheumann, who provided the lead gift of $4 million for the 2007 renovations to the stadium. The couple also contributed the lead gift for the Scheumann Family Indoor Practice Facility currently under construction and scheduled to open in the summer of 2021. John was a Ball State football player who graduated in 1971.
Shafer Tower
The 150-foot-tall Shafer Tower is named after Phyllis and Hamer Shafer, who provided the lead gift for the tower’s construction. Phyllis and Hamer are members of the Miller College of Business Hall of Fame and longtime benefactors of the University and Muncie communities.
Dr. Don Shondell Practice Center
Completed in 2018, the Dr. Don Shondell Practice Center is a 19,000-square foot facility connected to Worthen Arena that offers two regulation-size practice courts utilized by the Ball State basketball and volleyball teams, as well as a training room, two team meeting rooms, and a video room with tiered seating. Shondell, a 1952 Ball State alumnus, founded the Ball State men’s volleyball program and compiled a 769-280-6 (.732) record over 34 seasons as its head coach.
Ron and Joan Venderly Football Team Center
Located on the southwest corner of Scheumann Stadium, the Ron and Joan Venderly Football Center features the Scheumann Family Team Meeting Room, dedicates coaches’ offices, full coach meeting room, and a recruiting lounge. The late Ron Venderly, MA ’64, received the President’s Medal from Ball State in 2009, while Joan Venderly received the Honorary Alumni Award in 2014.
Worthen Arena
John E. Worthen served as University president from 1984 to 2000 and oversaw construction of Worthen Arena, which opened in 1992 and seats 11,500 fans.
Earl Yestingsmeier Golf Center
Named in honor of Yestingsmeier, ’55 MA ’58, the patriarch of the Ball State golf program for more than 50 years, the Earl Yestingsmeier Golf Center is a year-round home for the women’s and men’s golf teams. It features indoor hitting bays, a hitting simulator, putting and chipping areas, locker and restroom facilities, meeting space, team lounge area, and club repair room.
