FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas’ $40 million football operations center, scheduled to open this summer, will be named in honor of longtime benefactor Fred W. Smith, the university announced Thursday.
The board of trustees building and grounds committee unanimously recommended a resolution to name the operations center for Smith, who is chairman of the Reynolds Foundation. The entire board will formerly approve the recommendation at today’s meeting in Monticello.
The Reynolds Foundation issued a $10 million challenge grant for the 80,000-square-foot operations center in October 2010 that was matched in August 2011 to pave the way for the construction process to begin.
“The admiration and respect Fred enjoys throughout our state was once again demonstrated when several of his peers stepped forward in a major way when they learned of our desire to honor him with the naming of the football center,” Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long said in a university release. “There is no more fitting way to recognize Fred’s generosity and the Smiths’ love of the Razorbacks than to place his name on our newest and most essential football facility for our student-athletes and coaches.”
Smith, who lives in Las Vegas, had a 43-year career as an executive for Donrey Media Group.
Sports, Pages 23 on 04/05/2013