Chicago Tribune

The $270 million Walter Athletics Center is spectacular … but can it help Northwestern win?

There's a virtual reality room that allows quarterbacks to watch 3-D film on a screen large enough for drive-in movies. An outdoor lounge where players can nap to the sound of Lake Michigan's crashing waves. A massive weight room that can accommodate all 110 players at once.

"Like going from the Bates Motel to the Ritz-Carlton," said Jay Hooten, Northwestern's director of sports performance for football.

Yes, NU's new Walter Athletics Center is spectacular. A ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday for donors marked NU's rise from the worst football facilities in the Big Ten

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