Texas Wesleyan University plans to bring its football program home by constructing a $16.5 million football and track stadium on the western edge of campus.
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the stadium will be named after university trustee and donor Karen Cramer, who pledged $5 million toward its construction.
The structure, set to be called the Karen Cramer Stadium, will make Texas Wesleyan one of the few schools to have a female namesake for its athletics facility.
Cramer continues the legacy of supporting Texas Wesleyan University started by her father. She revealed her parents met while studying at Texas Wesleyan and that her grandfather also attended the university. Cramer’s father joined the Board of Trustees for the college in 1972 and became chair in 1976.
Discussing the path toward the stadium’s construction, Cramer explained the $5 million donations were initially meant to be part of her will, but that plan changed after she asked the Board of Trustees if they preferred the donation now or after her death.
“And guess what they said? ‘We want it now.’ And I want to see it built while I’m alive,” she shared.
Cramer explained the stadium will be built in three phases. The first phase includes the practice field and lighting for the Texas Wesleyan Rams football team. The second will bring an NCAA standard track to the stadium. Finally, the construction of bleachers and press facilities will complete the project. The first phase is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2022.
The decision to construct a dedicated athletics stadium comes after the 2017 return of the university’s football program following 76 years in which the school did not have one.
“The new stadium will positively affect all aspects of our Engage 2025 Strategic Plan by enhancing student, alumni, and community engagement and spurring further economic development … by bringing more people to our neighborhood,” commented Texas Wesleyan President Frederick Slabach.
“It also will generate a revenue stream to sustain our athletic programs through usage fees from outside organizations,” he added.
Other construction around the Texas Wesleyan University campus includes new buildings, such as the Nick and Lou Martin University Center and the Rosedale student housing development.
