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Rutgers Football Weight Room Renovations Have Begun

By Aaron Breitman
Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

Spring practice ended on Saturday with the Scarlet & White Game, and this week players are back to just weight training and focusing on academics.  As they continue their offseason workouts, it will be in a new and temporary location.

The renovation is being funded from a $1.25 million donation by Rutgers Board of Trustees member Ron Garutti and his wife Joanna. Dan Duggan of NJ Advance Media covered the story back in March here. It is a great profile on how strength & conditioning coach Kenny Parker unknowingly convinced the Garutti's to make their pledge for the renovations. The couple have been tremendous supporters of Rutgers athletics and the entire University for decades. The space will reside in the same spot on the first floor of the Hale Center where the old weight room resided. It will be renamed the Ron & Joanna Garutti Strength & Conditioning Center. Duggan asked Parker what changes were being made to the facility and this was his answer:

"Everything you see," Parker said. "From the floor to the racks to the equipment — you name it. Everything in that room is going to go bye-bye except for the stuff that I already bought (four leg press machines and three Shuttle MVPs) and the dumbbells. Other than that, brand new room."

So where is the temporary weight room located in the interim during renovations?

This renovation is separate and unrelated to the R B1G Build fundraising campaign that athletic director Pat Hobbs started back in January.  He spoke during Saturday's spring game that an announcement on the status of the campaign will be coming within the next two weeks.  Yesterday, Rutgers men's basketball associate head coach Karl Hobbs gave indication they are close to groundbreaking on at least the basketball practice facility.

Indications from Duggan's article were that renovations for the football weight room will take about a month to complete. Hopefully for the program, that means it will be finished by Memorial day and ready to debut for the start of summer workouts which begin the first week of June. Kenny Parker has been instrumental in helping head coach Chris Ash change the culture of the football program since their arrival.  Griffin did a great profile on Parker and the intense offseason workouts he was putting the team through before spring practice. This new facility should help him get the team closer to achieving all of their strength & conditioning goals the coaching staff established for the players. This is an exciting development for the future of Rutgers football!