Construction of the Norm DeBriyn Athletics Operations Facility and Murphy USA Student-Athlete Academic Success Center is in its final stage following a September 23 groundbreaking. The soon-to-be completed facility is a gamechanger for the future of Mulerider Athletics as the department has once again been positively transformed by the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation and Murphy USA.
The Walker Charitable Foundation Chairman Johnny Mike Walker, Executive Director Mandy Macke, Norm DeBriyn, Caroline DeBriyn, Carrie Jo Bingham, and Paul Bingham, and Murphy USA Chief Executive Officer and President Andrew Clyde all joined together with SAU officials for the groundbreaking on SAU Family Day 2023.
Construction began on October 2, 2023, on the project site which sits directly south of the Dawson Athletic Complex. The project has a completion date of July 2024, just in time for the beginning of the new athletic year.
The 9,000-square feet facility, which will serve as the central hub for Mulerider Athletics’ 16 athletic programs, is designed to address the academic, nutritional, personal, and professional development of more than 450 student-athletes. Components will include multiple learning environments, including a large classroom also serving as a team meeting room, a computer lab, tutoring rooms, administration, academic advisor and coaches’ offices, a nutrition center, and locker rooms for men’s and women’s Track and Field/Cross Country programs.
The impacts and generosity of the Willard and Pat Walker Foundation can be seen across all of Mulerider Athletics and SAU. Since 2005, the Walker Foundation has partnered with SAU by providing grants totaling over $2.5 million to benefit Mulerider Baseball, Dawson Athletic Complex, Story Arena, and the University’s Engineering program. The Foundation directed a leadership gift of $1.2 million to the Norm DeBriyn Athletics Operations Facility and Murphy USA Student-Athlete Academic Success Center.
“A legend in this state, Coach DeBriyn has been coming with us to Magnolia for baseball games for more than 15 years,” remarked Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation Executive Director, Mandy Macke. “The impact Norm has had on young student-athletes and young adults, from both his decades of coaching and over a decade of ministry, is unparalleled. His name is synonymous with achievement, success, and virtue. We know that having his name affiliated with this building here on campus will be a source of pride and inspiration for student-athletes and staff at SAU for years to come. We are honored to once again partner with SAU in the naming of the Norm DeBriyn Athletic Operations Facility.”
Since 1986, the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation has supported charitable, religious, scientific, literary and educational endeavors directly or through contributions to qualifying organizations in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. Murphy USA’s commitment to Southern Arkansas University, specifically Mulerider Athletics, has been tremendous. In recent years, Murphy USA through its charitable foundation has generously partnered on several aforementioned facility enhancement projects at SAU that have helped enhance athletic facilities on campus into some of the best around the region. The organization serves as the title sponsor of the department’s scholar-athlete of the year awards and Mulerider Football appeared in the Murphy USA Classic for the 12th time last October. With a growing network of more than 1,700 retail stores in 27 states, Murphy USA serves more than two million customers each day.
The catalyst behind making all communities in Southwest Arkansas better, Murphy USA is a dominant force in their industry and completely committed to supporting the Muleriders. Since 2014, Murphy USA has partnered with SAU to provide just over $1,000,000 to Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field, the Dr. Margaret Downing Softball Complex, and the David F. Rankin College of Business.
“Murphy USA is proud to continue its partnership with Southern Arkansas University. In supporting the new Academic Success Center, we honor student-athletes who display values we strongly share: a winning spirit; commitment to excellence; strong work ethic; and personal character. We look forward to seeing them flourish on and off the field and the opportunity for them to join fellow Mulerider alums at Murphy USA,” said Andrew Clyde.
On June 15, 2022, Murphy USA announced their lead commitment of $750,000 targeting the academic success of our student-athletes in the new facility.
“We continue to be blessed by our partnership with the Walker Foundation and Murphy USA,” stated SAU Director of Athletics Steve Browning. “They are both in the business of transforming lives and this newest commitment is another testimony to that. The Norm DeBriyn Athletics Operations Facility and Murphy USA Student-Athlete Academic Success Center will provide our athletes with the resources necessary to not only be champions on the court/field, but most importantly in the classroom. We are proud to have Coach Norm DeBriyn’s name forever linked to Mulerider Athletics because of his transformational impact on the lives of thousands of student-athletes. We cannot say thank you enough to everyone who has had a part in making this dream become a reality.”
