Donors, friends, family, athletic faculty and football players filed in under a white pavilion as people anxiously awaited the groundbreaking of the Gary Weber End Zone Complex Friday.
They were greeted with pictures of conceptual renderings for the new complex. Among a 12-person panel, SMU star running back Tyler Lavine opened the red and blue ballon-filled ceremony in prayer while shovels turned over soil.
SMU President R. Gerald Turner took the stand after Lavine and said it would be the start of a new era for all SMU athletics.
“It’s always a good thing when we have a big tent here on campus,” Turner said.