Mid-America Christian University held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the university’s new O’Brien Family Training Center on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 2 in south Oklahoma City.
The facility’s lead donor, Dr. Sean O’Brien of the Oklahoma Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, spoke on his family’s history with MACU and their decision to give towards building the new complex.
“The O’Briens have quite a bit of history with MACU,” said O’Brien, who graduated from the university in 1989. His parents and older brother also attended and graduated from MACU, as did his daughter, son-in-law, and nieces. “My family believes in the mission of this university and the fact that they are Christ-centered in everything they do.”
O’Brien said he and his family feel blessed to have been the lead donors on the facility, which will be named in their honor.
“Mid-America Christian University has given our family a lot. We see this as an opportunity to give back,” he said. “We are excited about seeing what the university will be able to accomplish with this new facility and how it will change the lives of the young people who step onto this campus.”
The 18,600-square-foot athletic facility, which is expected to open in August 2021, will include a wellness and weight training room for the entire campus, new coach offices, new locker rooms for outdoor sports, a training room, and a practice area with portable batting cages.
“I could not be more excited about what the O’Brien Family Training Center will do in enhancing the student-athlete experience at MACU,” said Athletic Director Marcus Moeller.
“At the core of who we are, our athletic department serves to put Christ at the center of our programs, provide a vehicle for an incredible education and achieve an unparalleled level of competitive excellence,” Moeller said. “Each piece of this facility was carefully crafted to allow us to do these things at a deeper and greater level.”
The O’Brien Family Training Center is the first phase of an athletic capital campaign providing necessary resources to student-athletes. Future phases of the campaign will include a second gymnasium for practices and tournaments, an outdoor facility with restrooms and concessions, and sports lighting for the outdoor athletic fields.
To learn more about the O’Brien Family Training Center, visit give.macu.edu or text MACUAthletics to 41444. Naming opportunities for the accompanying field house and other vital facility facets are still available.