Naming rights for football field, end zone facility net $10M for Red Wolves

Johnny Allison
Johnny Allison

The Arkansas State University board of trustees Monday unanimously approved the naming rights to the school's football field and its future north end zone facility for a combined $10 million contribution to the Red Wolves Foundation from the Johnny Allison family and Centennial Bank.

The field permanently will be called "Allison Field" after the $5 million donation from Allison, who is the chairman of Home BancShares, which owns Centennial Bank.

Centennial Bank also contributed $5 million, and the future north end zone facility will be named the "Centennial Bank Athletics Operations Center" through Dec. 31, 2037. The bank's naming rights for the football stadium also were extended through that date.

The donations each matched the amount Allison donated in 2014, which enabled the renovation of Centennial Bank Stadium's press box and concourse.

It was the largest personal gift in ASU history -- at least until Allison jokingly presented a dollar bill to the trustees at Monday's news conference in the football practice facility.

"This is now $5 million and one," said Allison, a former ASU football player and former chairman of the board of trustees. "I consider myself part of you. And I'm d*** proud of it."

The donations will contribute to the $29 million north end zone expansion project, which the board approved in November, that will construct a 66,563-square-foot athletics facility, new loge boxes and premium seats, and landscape features such as waterfalls.

Ground broke on the project two weeks ago, and it is Athletic Director Terry Mohajir's goal for it to be done by the start of next football season.

The athletics facility will serve as the football program headquarters and have a weight room, training and rehabilitation area, academic rooms and a team theater-seating room.

"As a former player, I know what a game-changer these contributions are," said Tim Langford, a board member and ASU quarterback from 1980-1983. "In fact, I'm just sitting here thinking what ... [we] could have accomplished if we had a Johnny Allison. I think there'd be national championship banners hanging around. With Coach [Blake] Anderson and Terry Mohajir there, that's the expectation now with these facilities."

ASU System President Charles Welch said he couldn't remember a donation nearing $5 million prior to Allison's first contribution. Now there have been four.

"I think that really speaks volumes of how far we've come as a university," Welch said. "How far we have been able to advance this athletics program, and how wonderful these supporters have been."

Allison told the crowd about growing up through the Jonesboro public school system and going to ASU for college.

"This is about building together," said Allison, mentioning that Centennial Bank "has grown by over $110 million in this market last year" due to its partnership with the university and athletic department.

"Your leadership is exciting people in the marketplace," Allison said. "It's bringing people to Jonesboro, Arkansas. It's bringing people who spend money to Jonesboro, Arkansas. It's making things happen that we want to be a part of. So, we want to help."

Allison commented on Mohajir's fundraising tenacity, and he told a story about how the athletic director requested a $5 million donation after the Red Wolves started the 2016 season 0-4.

"We're 0-4, he's in my office. He's either crazy, or he's got cojones this big," Allison said. "I think it was a little bit of both."

The team won its second consecutive Sun Belt Conference championship that season. This season, the Red Wolves are 7-4 and will play Middle Tennessee State on Saturday in the Camellia Bowl.

ASU football players were in attendance, and Mohajir spoke to them from the podium.

"If you only do what you can do, you'll never be more than you are," Mohajir said. "Well, you guys probably don't know this. But, well, Johnny grew up across the street from here. And he set out to do more than he can do. And as a result from his and Jennifer's generous support, we were able to do more than anybody ever believed we could do."

Sports on 12/12/2017

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