Athletics Center Vision Made Reality by Generous Donors
Amid a sea of blue-and-white clad Creighton student athletes, ground was broken on Oct. 16 for the new, $12 million Ryan Athletics Center and D. J. Sokol Arena, another major milestone in Creighton University’s master plan.
The 46,000-square-foot, two-story building will be located on the northeast corner of Webster Street and Florence Boulevard, near Creighton’s Morrison Stadium — home to the men’s and women’s soccer teams. The facility was made a reality by the generous donations of Dr. Wayne, BS’49, MS’51, and Eileen Ryan and family and Dave and Peggy Sokol. They, along with members of their families, Creighton leadership, athletic staff and students, shoveled dirt to symbolically mark the beginning of construction on the new athletics facility.
“One of the things that has always characterized Creighton athletics has been the long-standing tradition of supportive alumni and friends who do not hesitate to come forward to put their money where their hearts are,” said Creighton Athletics Director Bruce Rasmussen in recognizing the Ryans and the Sokols. “All of us are very excited about what this center and arena will offer.”
The Ryan Athletics Center will house coaches’ offices, student and officials’ locker rooms, an athletic ticket office, training rooms, hospitality meeting areas and media workrooms.
It also will feature the D.J. Sokol Arena, a 2,500 to 3,000-seat facility that will be home to Creighton women’s basketball and volleyball. In addition, the arena is expected to be used for other campus and community events, including campus programs, coaching camps/ clinics, concerts, speakers, and high school sporting events and graduations.
Creighton President the Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., recognized the Ryans and the Sokols for “embracing the University’s master plan” and accelerating efforts to make the athletics center and arena a reality.
“They felt the timing was right not only to make a difference at Creighton but to continue the renaissance of making the corridor from the riverfront to the Creighton University Medical Center an academic, athletic and entertainment district,” Fr. Schlegel said.
Wayne and Eileen Ryan and their family have been longtime supporters of Creighton University. Wayne Ryan, chairman and CEO of Streck Laboratories, Inc., began his career teaching at Creighton, before pursuing his passion for research that led to the founding of his company.
The Ryans received The Ignatian Spirit Award in 2007 from the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus. The award honors a couple who has exhibited the ideals associated with St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. They also recently established the Fr. Henry W. Casper, S. J. Professorship in History to honor one of Ryan’s favorite Jesuit professors at Creighton. They are also Jaybackers, and their daughter, Connie, serves on Creighton’s Board of Directors and is president of Streck Laboratories, Inc.
“My wife and I truly appreciate the value of a Jesuit education that asks students to challenge themselves academically, to examine their values, and to always seek the magis — going further than they thought possible,” Wayne Ryan said. “There is no doubt in our minds that a successful athletics program does immeasurable good for the University as a whole. Going to the games engages the student body and helps unify the campus.”
Dave and Peggy Sokol honor their son, D.J., who died in 1999 following a long battle with Hodgkin’s disease, with the naming of the arena. Sokol serves as chairman and CEO of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, a global leader in the production, supply and distribution of energy, and recently served on Creighton University’s Board of Directors. The Sokols are community leaders who devote time and resources to a host of charitable causes, including Creighton University, the Salvation Army, the Boy Scouts of America and more.
“Creighton University stands for excellence, and that is certainly reflected in the quality of its student athletes and the records they achieve. My wife and I have long believed that the best investment one can make is in the youth of our community,” Dave Sokol said.
Construction of the athletics center complex is expected to be completed by the end of 2008. The completion of the athletics center is another example of the University’s growth, reflected in the strategic plan and identified as a funding priority in the $350 million Willing to Lead Campaign.