How Creighton’s Bold $300M Gamble Could Redefine the Big East Forever

Omaha’s buzzing with big news as Creighton University unveils an ambitious $300 million makeover that’s set to transform not just a few corners but a sprawling 12-block stretch on the campus’s east side. This isn’t your everyday upgrade—it’s the brainchild of the Fly Together initiative, buzzing with a hefty $100 million kickoff donation from the Heider Family Foundation, marking an unprecedented gesture in the school’s history. Picture this: a state-of-the-art Sports Performance Center designed exclusively for 300 student-athletes, packed with cutting-edge training zones, revamped dining and nutrition hubs, plus top-tier sports medicine and mental health services. Alongside it, the revamped Athletic Village and refreshed arenas promise to lift Creighton’s competitive spirit to stratospheric levels—just ask athletic director Marcus Blossom, who’s charged up about reeling in the nation’s finest athletes and flexing muscle against the toughest rivals. Coaches and players alike see this as a game changer, leveling the playing field with the giants bolstered by astronomical TV deals, aiming to catapult Creighton into the Big East spotlight. With softball and baseball facilities already breaking ground near Charles Schwab Field, the Bluejays are not just talking growth—they’re making waves, ready to welcome all College World Series teams under one roof for the first time ever. Intrigued? Dive deeper into the future Creighton is crafting right now LEARN MORE.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton announced a $300 million facilities project Thursday that will encompass 11 new or upgraded buildings and outdoor spaces covering 12 blocks on the east side of campus.

The donor-funded Fly Together initiative received a $100 million lead gift from the Heider Family Foundation, the largest in university history.

“Fly Together will enhance the student-athlete experience greatly,” athletic director Marcus Blossom said at a presentation on campus. “It will help us to recruit some of the best student-athletes in the country and help us win against our toughest competition. Our vision is to be the model program in the Big East Conference, and Fly Together will help us realize this vision.”

The centerpiece is the Sports Performance Center that will serve the school’s 300 athletes. The center will feature a strength-and-conditioning space, upgraded dining and nutrition areas, sports medicine, academic advising and sports psychology services.

The sports performance center and renovated Ruth Scott Training Center for women’s basketball and volleyball will be known as the Athletic Village. There also will be upgrades to the DJ Sokol Arena, the home for women’s basketball and volleyball.

The men’s basketball team’s McDermott Center will get upgrades to the weight room, locker room, hydro training space and practice courts. The Bluejays have appeared regularly in the Associated Press Top 25 the past five years and have made two appearances in the NCAA Sweet 16 and one in the Elite Eight.

Coach Greg McDermott noted that Creighton competes against schools and conferences with more resources because of “astronomical TV contracts.”

“So how do we catch up? Where can we make up that difference?” McDermott said. “In addition to revenue-sharing, facility enhancements are one of the ways we can. When the Fly Together project is complete, Creighton’s facilities will be among the best of the best, keeping us competitive with the programs we’re going toe-to-toe with every day.”

Already under construction are a softball field and baseball practice facility, and Creighton announced a two-story building for softball and baseball would house batting cages, team lounges and locker rooms.

The practice facility will be 12 blocks from Charles Schwab Field and available to all eight of the teams that play in the College World Series each June. CWS teams have had to travel to sites around Omaha to practice.