The University of Missouri has announced a $10 million gift from an anonymous donor in support of a planned indoor football practice facility. 

Announced less than a month after the university’s board of curators approved Mizzou Athletics’ plan to conduct a study for construction of an indoor practice facility, the gift is the third eight-figure donation the department has received in five years. The facility will replace Devine Pavilion, which opened in 1998. While a site for the facility has yet to be announced, Mizzou Athletics is working with St. Louis-based architecture firm HOK and its Kansas City-based sports division, HOK-Sport, to develop pre-design programming and planning for the new facility. 

"One of the things that I quickly identified as a need, not a want, was a full-length practice facility for Mizzou Football, and on behalf of everyone in our program we are excited, humbled and blessed by this donation to the project," said Mizzou head football coach Eliah Drinkwitz. "This facility is critical to the year-round training and development of our student-athletes, and we believe it will help transform our football program for many years to come, just as the South End Zone Facility is already doing."

"The magnitude, impact, and timing of this gift is significant as we attempt to advance the indoor football practice facility project as quickly as possible," said Missou director of athletics Jim Sterk. "As the SEC's furthest-most Northern school, it is critical that our program have a full length indoor practice facility to utilize year-round, and this gift, coupled with the board of curators' action earlier this month, gives this project great momentum."

(Image credit: University of Missouri)