Ole Miss Athletics’ CHAMPIONS.NOW. campaign, launched in January 2022, set out to drastically improve athletics facilities on campus, enhance the student-athlete experience and raise the bar for each program to be able to compete at the highest level.
The $350 million initiative stemmed from Ole Miss Athletics’ top-25 finish in the 2020-2021 Learfield/IMG College Directors’ Cup, a scoring machine that evaluates how well each college’s sports teams finish in their respective seasons and compiles those results into a ranking system.
Prior to the CHAMPIONS.NOW. campaign, the Forward Together Initiative set aside roughly $222 million for various construction projects, including the Sandy and John Black Pavilion, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium renovations, a new track-and-field complex and updates to Oxford-University Stadium.
Ole Miss Athletics managed all of the Forward Together projects between 2014 and 2018, delivering on its promise to create a better, more sustainable working and playing environment for coaches and student athletes.
In recent seasons, Ole Miss Athletics has made a name for itself on a national level, winning a baseball national championship, a women’s golf national championship, making deep runs in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament and securing double-digit win seasons and a Peach Bowl victory in football.
University of Mississippi Vice Chancellor of Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter explained the significance of the CHAMPIONS.NOW. campaign.
“The CHAMPIONS.NOW. campaign symbolizes our commitment to excellence and our unwavering resolve to win championships at Ole Miss,” Carter said. “This (campaign) is not only about facility enhancement but also about investing in the future success of our program. Rebel nation is the most passionate fanbase in college sports, and we’re confident that this campaign will unite the Ole Miss family as we take our program (to the next level).”
As with any high-profile project, things have deviated slightly from the original plan. Some ideas that were part of the initial proposal — like the renovations to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium — have been sidelined.
“Right now, I would say it’s the volatility of construction (impacting plans),” Joseph Swingle, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Capital Projects, said. “With football, it would be a multi-year construction project, and with NIL and the transfer portal, it just doesn’t make sense to disturb a quarter of (Vaught-Hemingway) for multiple years, multiple seasons. It’s still being looked at, but for now it’s tabled.”
Other projects have risen in importance. There are now plans to revamp the golf complex.
“We just finished the programming for golf, so that one is in the fundraising stage,” Swingle said. “That’ll be a totally donor-based project.”
Title IX has played an integral role in the prioritization of women’s sports in the CHAMPIONS. NOW. campaign.
According to the Department of Education’s Athletics section of Title IX Regulation 52872 450(b): “The regulations go on to provide that a recipient that operates or sponsors interscholastic, intercollegiate, club, or intramural athletics shall provide equal opportunity for members of both sexes. A number of factors are set forth to determine equality of opportunity including but not limited to the provision of equipment, scheduling of games and practice time, travel and per diem allowances, assignment and compensation of coaches, provision of locker rooms, provision of medical and training facilities, provision of housing and dining facilities and publicity.”
This provision gave rise to the softball stadium renovations, the women’s soccer arena plans and the golf construction project. Because baseball facilities received a sizable renovation not long ago, it was time for softball to receive improvements as well. Additionally, delaying the football plans gave way to much-needed renovations to women’s sports facilities.
“With what we did with baseball in 2017, we needed to do (with) softball (renovations), too,” Swingle said. “Now, with bringing softball up to par, we are able to do something more with baseball. (Along) with the football project, we added the soccer project, and women’s golf will be part of it. Then we’re doing a feasibility study for rifle and the Gillom Center (for women’s sports).”
Current construction on the softball facility will spill over into the 2025 season. Since the stadium is essentially being shifted to face another direction, construction impedes seating on all sides.
“(The athletics department) is committing to Ole Miss Softball,” Ole Miss Softball Head Coach Jamie Trachsel said. “Not everyone can say that’s where they’re at. To not just compete, but to compete and win championships here, whether that’s in conference or postseason play, it just takes what it takes. And (the administration) is willing to go to that space.”
Baseball stadium renovations are set to break ground after the conclusion of the 2024 season, which will be about an 18-month project – meaning there is reasonable hope that it could be ready by the 2026 season, according to Swingle. However, unlike work at the softball facility, additions to Swayze Field will not affect seating capacity.
“I am beyond excited about the facility upgrades that will be happening through the CHAMPIONS.NOW. campaign,” Ole Miss Head Baseball Coach Mike Bianco said. “We have an outstanding facility, but to continue to compete in the best baseball conference, you must look to the future or you will be left behind. This upgrade will not only benefit our players but also our tremendous fanbase.”
Improving fan experience is one of the main focuses of this campaign.
“It’s just the excitement of being able to put money into sports to give the student athletes and the fans a better experience when they come to Ole Miss,” Swingle said
