The University of Central Oklahoma athletic department is home to some of the finest facilities in the country. Over the past five years, construction projects have taken place that physically transformed the face of the campus. We're taking a closer look at each of those facilities each Wednesday. Up this week we combine Wantland Stadium and the Sports Performance Center to highlight the football facilities.
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Wantland Stadium was built in 1965 as the Central football team moved from its old home in the center of campus – where Broncho Lake now sits – to a new sprawling stadium on the north end of the university plot. The Bronchos have called it home ever since, playing 284 football games there over the past 55 years.
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Hamilton Field House was also built in 1965 and the football team called it home for over 50 years, with its offices, locker room, and weight room, all located just southeast of the stadium. A simple march down the steps became a towering tradition for the Bronze & Blue.
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But in 2018, the opening of the Sports Performance Center gave the football team a new home in the opposite end zone of the football stadium. Now football has its offices, locker room, and weight room just a few steps out of the north end zone. The team also has a half dozen meeting rooms, a cardio room, a theatre, a nutrition center, an academic center, and all of its athletic training needs there as well.
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Taking a closer look at Wantland Stadium, here are some highlights.
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Named after long-time UCO head coach C.W. Wantland, the Bronchos played their first game in the stadium on Sept. 18, 1965, shutting out College of Ozarks (Ark.) 31-0. The 10,000-seat facilty has undergone massive renovations over the past several years and now ranks as one of the finest football stadiums in NCAA Division II.
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Artificial turf, new lighting and a state-of-the-art scoreboard were added to Wantland Stadium in 2003, while a three-level press box that includes club seating and new stands on both sides of the field were installed in 2005. The suites, located on the second floor of the westside of the stadium, offer a luxurious setting to watch football, wine & dine, and fellowship with like-minded Broncho fanatics. The third floor hosts the media, has three broadcast booths for radio and television, as well as a control room where UCO operates to broadcast all of its games live on The MIAA Network. Home and visiting coaches' booths are also on the third floor.
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The playing surface installed in 2003 was replaced with FieldTurf in 2012 and an updated, state-of-the-art scoreboard was added in the summer of 2014 with a video board that measures 32'x32'.
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There have been numerous big games at Wantland but no doubt the biggest was Central winning the 1982 national championship. The Bronchos earned a 14-11 win over Colorado Mesa on Dec. 18, 1982 in the NAIA national championship game that was televised live on USA Network.
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Back to the SPC, here are some highlights.
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The Sports Performance Center is over 40,000 square feet and houses the UCO football team, the UCO athletic administration, athletic training, strength & conditioning, and academics.
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The football team has a locker room with 120 lockers, showers and rest rooms, and a player lounge area. Right outside of it, one of the most high-tech weight rooms in the country – regardless of division – with 16 racks all equipped with KONG IQ technology. A cardio room sits on the second level of the strength & conditioning area. And a nutrition center is also just outside the strength & conditioning area.
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In athletic training, which every sport utilizes, the football team is a short walk from a sprawling room that is also equipped with hydrotherapy pools for rehab and recovery. One of the two hydrotherapy pools also have a treadmill at the bottom. One pool serves as a hot tub and one serves as a cold tub.
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The SPC theatre, again utilized by the entire department, is also used by the football team for various reasons. Team meetings, team building activities, and more all happen inside the 130-seat theatre.
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The academic center is home to a classroom, a computer lab, room for public and private study hall areas. The Broncho Education Learning Lab (BELL) and the Center for Counseling and Well-Being utilize the academic center for their services as well.
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Central Oklahoma's football team has 640 all-time victories. The Bronchos are among the winningest football programs in NCAA Division II and have the second-most wins of any Oklahoma school regardless of division. Its facilities mirror that.
