Clearasil has given plenty of Northwestern students a fresh face — this Fall Quarter, it will do the same for NU’s athletic facilities.
NU Life Trustee and former varsity tennis player Ivan Combe, whose company invented the facial cleanser, donated $3 million for a $10 million addition to the Sports Pavilion and Aquatics Center that includes six new tennis courts, locker rooms for the tennis teams, three hardwood-floor basketball courts and an elevated running track surrounded by windows.
Construction on the Combe Tennis Center is scheduled to begin Sept. 1 and could last between 14 and 16 months, said Dan Bulfin, director of recreational sports.
SPAC’s existing running track and basketball and tennis courts will be replaced during the construction. But students still will have access to the three main courts.
“We can continue to operate seamlessly for faculty and students without having to shut the building down,” Bulfin said.
In addition, the new facilities will provide a boost for NU’s tennis teams. Both squads currently practice under a “bubble” in the Johnson Tennis Center — a facility near Ryan Field with three indoor courts and no locker rooms — and on SPAC’s four multi-purpose courts, which also are used for basketball.
SPAC’s floors are rubber, which slows down the ball too much for competitive play. The new floors will be covered in asphalt.
The advantages of the new center, said men’s tennis coach Paul Torricelli, are numerous.
“Where do you want to start?” Torricelli said. “My team never had a place to shower. My first nine years here (1984-1993), we spent 80-100 hours per season traveling to and from practice. It’s three courts and a port-a-potty. We’re up against teams with much better facilities. — It’s time for a new facility.”
Also included in the plan are a 30 percent expansion of the cardiovascular training area and a balcony over the length of the courts to accommodate 300 to 400 spectators.
Combe, a 1933 Weinberg graduate, served on the Board of Trustees from 1968 until his death Jan. 11.
During the 1997-98 academic year, he received NU’s Alumni Medal, the highest honor for alumni who have distinguished themselves professionally and in service to the university.
In 1995 he created the Ivan D. Combe Family Endowed Fund for Excellence in Business Programs in Weinberg.
The Daily’s Jeff Carlton contributed to this report.
