Mississippi State has received the lead gift for its new football-only indoor practice facility from Howard Industries, with the new Billy W. Howard Sr. Indoor Practice Facility expected to open in the summer of 2028. Anticipated groundbreaking will occur in 2027.
MSU is the only team in the Southeastern Conference without an indoor practice facility specifically for the football program, instead sharing the Palmeiro Center with baseball. The estimated cost for the new facility, which will be constructed adjacent to the Leo W. Seal Jr. Football Complex, is approximately $60 million, according to an athletic department news release.
“We are so thankful to the Howard Family and Howard Industries for their thoughtful decision to invest in the development of elite talent at Mississippi State,” athletic director Zac Selmon said. “We know this is a critical time in college football, and we must continue to take steps forward to elevate Mississippi State football.”
According to the release, the new facility will include a 110,000 square-foot indoor training facility, along with dedicated areas for sports science, injury prevention and recovery. The existing Leo W. Seal complex will also be renovated, with updates and expansions to the sports medicine, nutrition and locker room areas. Those renovations are expected to be completed in 2029.
Billy W. Howard Sr. was a three-year graduate of MSU in 1946, competing on the football, basketball and track and field teams. He later worked at General Electric before returning to Mississippi in 1968 and starting Howard Industries, which manufactures electronics, lighting fixtures and distribution transformers. Howard Transportation also operates a fleet of more than 200 long-haul trucks.
“This new indoor facility will allow us to train more effectively as we compete against the best in the country week in and week out,” Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby said. “The development of players, the injury prevention and recovery components and the ability to prepare for Saturdays regardless of the elements outdoors is going to have tremendous impacts on our program.”
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