BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic University’s athletics department recently hosted the ribbon cutting ceremony and dedication of the Wally Sanger Owl Club Center at its Boca Raton campus.
The Owl Club Center is 3,000 square feet and will house the athletics marketing department, call center and ticket and development offices.
The building was funded by a donation from Wally Sanger, a Palm Beach County entrepreneur and founder of Royal Concrete Concepts, Inc. Furniture for the Owl Club Center was donated by Joe Balistreri, FAU football founder and owner of Balistreri Realty, Inc.
“Mr. Sanger’s kind donation has come at the best time,” said Craig Angelos, FAU’s director of athletics. “The center provides much-needed space for our growing department and is easily accessible for our most ardent supporters.”
Location adjacent to the Tom Oxley Athletic Center, the Owl Club Center will offer a convenient, centralized location for athletics ticket sales, donations and marketing efforts. Patrons will be able to purchase tickets to FAU sporting events, make donations toward athletic scholarships, and provide support to any of FAU’s 18 varsity teams, as well as cheer and dance teams.
In preparation for the planned FAU football stadium, the Owl Club Center will serve as a place for ticket buyers to view and purchase future seats, suites and club seating, and take advantage of stadium naming opportunities. The stadium will be part of Innovation Village, which includes the Marleen and Harold Forkas Alumni Center, the FAU campus recreation center, Innovation Village Apartments and retail space.
The Wally Sanger Owl Club Center was designed and constructed by Royal Concrete Concepts, Inc. In addition, FAU athletics is grateful to James Cummings Construction for their contribution as the project’s subcontractor.
FAU Athletics is comprised of 18 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track, and volleyball.
The Owls are an NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in the Sun Belt Conference in all but men’s soccer, which participates in the Mid America Conference. The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and have captured two bowl games. Cheer and dance are also part of the athletic department family and represent the University annually in competition and within the community.
Florida Atlantic University opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, it serves more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses and sites.
FAU hosts 10 colleges: Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical Science, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering & Computer Science, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Graduate College, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science.