The Red and Black

Issue date: 8/7/08 Section: Athenscape

Media Credit: JIM DIFFLY The Butts- Mehre building, located on South Campus, is home to the Larry Munson Trophy Room in addition to athletic offices. [Click to enlarge]

Ever wonder where Georgia - one of the nation's premier athletic programs - houses the numerous trophies and awards it has collected throughout the years? They are actually kept right here on our campus in the immaculate 85,000 square foot Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall.

Built in 1987 at a cost of $12 million, it was named after two of Georgia's most famous football coaches, Wallace Butts and Harry Mehre.

This sparkling, lustrous ebony rectangular shaped building is located on South Campus directly beside the Spec Towns Track and has an easily identifiable dome-shaped roof.

Inside this building each floor has a specific purpose.

The first and second floor are home to the Georgia football team. The first floor houses the team's equipment, meeting, weight and locker rooms. The second floor is home to the Larry Munson Trophy Room, a display room for all of the football team's many accomplishments, named for the longtime Georgia football radio broadcaster who retired last season. This level is also where head coach Mark Richt keeps his office.

The Georgia Athletic Association occupies the top two floors. Not only do they house their administrative offices here, but they also use this space to honor the University's most celebrated athletes through the Georgia Bulldogs Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is full of memorabilia and exhibits displaying the proud tradition of Georgia athletics.

Just this February the University's Athletic Association approved a $25 million expansion of this facility. This expansion will include a 10,800 square foot multi-purpose room for the football team, as well as expansions and renovations of the weight room and meeting room. It will also include the addition of new offensive and defensive meeting rooms. Work is expected to begin in August of 2009 and should be completed by January 2011.

So if you're ever in the neighborhood and want to see a bit of Georgia Bulldog history, stop by to see the hall-of-fame and all the trophies that the building houses - or to see the last game-worn jersey of Herschel Walker.

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