Dickey Fitness Pavilion
Construction Date: 2001
Contractor: Plyler Construction
Donor: Verde V. Dickey in honor of his father, the late Verde Dickey ’27
Original Purpose: Weight Room and Fitness Center
The Verde Dickey Fitness Pavilion, part of the Mason Athletic Complex, is a state-of-the art cardio and resistance training workout facility open to all students, faculty, and staff of Austin College. The machines and equipment, all new in August 2001, are some of the safest, most advanced, user-friendly, and motivating exercise products on the market today.
The cardio stations are Precor and include seven treadmills, three upright and three recumbent bikes, and seven elliptical machines, two with upper-body movements. All the cardio equipment is connected via radio transmitters and headphones to an audio and visual theatre, allowing users cable television options on eight different TV monitors and four choices of radio stations.
The pavilion includes a full line of Body Masters equipment for both the upper and lower body. This user-friendly equipment is safe, easy to use, and ideal for all types of people with varying fitness levels and goals.
A full line of upper- and lower-body Hammer Strength equipment allows the more physically demanding users to be a little more aggressive while still allowing for a high degree of safety. Eight power rack systems allow users to safely do core strength lifts such as the bench press and squats. The power racks and “Austin College” monogrammed wooden platforms also allow users to safely learn and perform the more athletic Olympic-style lifting.
In addition, a full line of free-weights, dumb-bells, fixed weight bars, adjustable benches, and large stabilizing and medicine balls can be used by everyone to modify and vary their workouts. The fitness pavilion also has individual stretching mats and instructional posters that provide helpful hints on exercise routines and safety.
Verde V. Dickey of Phoenix, Arizona, provided funding for the facility in honor of his father, the late Verde Dickey ’27, a coaching pioneer in Texas high school football.
From 1926 through 1958, Dickey ’27 was at the forefront of the changing trends in high school football in Texas, successfully coaching teams in Pampa, Sherman, and Dallas. Producing some of the finest football teams in Texas, Dickey sent many of his players on to college football fame and several to professional teams. In recognition of Dickey’s professional success in the coaching field and his commitment to serve as a positive role model for the young men on his teams, Dickey was inducted into the Austin College Athletic Hall of Honor in 1974 and the Texas High School Coaches’ Hall of Honor in 1983.
