STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi State on Wednesday announced plans to build a $60 million indoor practice facility with an expected opening in the summer of 2028.

Howard Industries of Laurel provided the lead naming gift, and the building will be named in honor of former MSU multisport athlete Billy Howard Sr., pending approval of the state’s Institutions of Higher Learning.

Howard, who graduated in 1946, excelled in football, basketball and track and earned the nickname “Iron Man” for playing nearly every minute of every football game.

Architecture firms CDFL and HOK and facility planners are in the design phase, and groundbreaking is anticipated in 2027. The building will include a 110,000 square-foot indoor training facility as well as areas dedicated to injury prevention and recovery. There also will be renovations inside the adjacent Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex.

“Words cannot truly express how incredibly grateful we are to Howard Industries and the entire Howard family for making this vision a reality,” coach Jeff Lebby said. “This new indoor facility will allow us to train more effectively as we compete against the best in the country week in and week out.”

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football