Extreme makeover
by
Tom Loeffler
Posted: 02.07.2012 at 7:17 PM
From Division None to Division I.
No kidding.
The transformation of the Lincoln University weight/training room in Solider's Hall is something to behold.
It went from a dark, musty, depressing basement with outdated equipment --- it looked like a prison weight room, only worse --- to a state-of-the-art facility.
"This extreme makeover will make a significant difference for all of our athletic programs," Lincoln President Dr. Carolyn Mahoney said.
Then, with the big scissors in hand --- we should all have a pair of those, by the way --- Dr. Mahoney helped cut the ribbon, as this first-class facility was unveiled to the public.
Yes, the weight room will be used by all of Lincoln's athletic teams.
But, like any other college, the elephant in the (weight) room is football. The Blue Tigers haven't been competitive in a long, long time --- even more so since they moved back to the powerful MIAA.
Here are some scores from last fall's 1-10 season.
69-6. 73-7. 81-20.
If you weren't sure, those were losses.
So this can only help.
"We have got to get bigger and stronger and faster," Lincoln coach Mike Jones said, "and you can't do that unless you come in here and lift weights and eat properly.
"This will really, really help us go in the direction we want to go. When you see the pictures of what it was and where we came from, it's amazing and it's exciting.
"Our weight room wasn't adequate, that's the bottom line. We didn't have the equipment or the coach to help us, and now we've got both."
The new strength and conditioning coach is Jon Heisinger, a 1985 graduate of Jefferson City High School.
"This is awesome," Heisinger said. "The way it was and compared to what it is now, it's night and day. It's really exciting to finally be on the level we need to be on."
The facility went from a dungeon to 4,000 square feet of glistening pride.
"This is a Division I-level weight room," Heisinger said. "This is every bit as good as the schools we'll play against --- we may not have the square footage they have, but the equipment and facility are now every bit as good.
"It's a huge recruiting tool. You've got to bring them in the door and show them something impressive.
"You couldn't bring them in that other weight room, you just couldn't."
This dream started taking shape last year. The driving force was Reid Millard, who started the Blue Tiger Quarterback Club last spring.
"Last year when coach Jones took the job," Millard said, "we told him we'd try to help him out and do something."
The answer was easy.
"A weight room," Millard said.
Total cost? Between $450,000-$500,000.
It had better glisten.
Lincoln will host a Casino Night at Capitol Plaza on April 19. The night will include special guest Dick Vermeil, Jones' coach with the St. Louis Rams when they won the Super Bowl --- and when Jones made the game-saving tackle to end the game --- as a fundraiser to help pay for the facility.
"There was a great resolve in the community, putting together a goal and an idea and making it become a reality," Millard said.
"Within just a few short weeks (the work started in early January), we got it done. It's fantastic."
Lincoln football players and coaches lended a helping hand.
"It was an all-in effort by everybody ... the community, the players and the coaches," Jones said.
"I've told everyone we're now a football program-slash-construction company."