Arkansas Business

The Tyson family has committed $6 million toward renovating the University of Arkansas' Randal Tyson Track Center, according to UA athletics and the nonprofit Razorback Foundation.

Officials plan to reconfigure the center's seating and add new concession areas, restrooms, locker rooms and training facilities. Workers aim to have the project done before the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, which will take place there.

The center, supported by a donation made by late Tyson Foods Inc. CEO Don Tyson, opened in 2000 and has since hosted 12 NCAA Championships and eight Southeastern Conference Championships. It is named after Don Tyson's brother, who died in 1986. 

Don Tyson's son, company Chairman John Tyson, said his family has been committed to supporting the UA's track and field programs.

"Investing in the renovation and expansion of the Randal Tyson Track Center will ensure it remains one of the world's top track and field venues while also helping the Razorbacks to recruit and retain the most talented track and field student-athletes from around the globe," John Tyson said in a news release.

The total renovation cost of the 160,000-SF building is estimated at $15 million to $20 million.

The track center upgrade is included in a UA master plan adopted in 2011, and it's one of three athletics upgrades trustees approved in November. The others are an $8 million to $10 million makeover of the UA's outdoor track facility, John McDonnell Field; and a $20 million to $25 million clubhouse for the baseball team at Baum Stadium.

The university recently wrapped up a $160 million expansion of Reynolds Razorbacks Stadium.

The Tyson track, billed as the "fastest indoor track in the world," has been home to numerous world and American records. The UA has won 43 team national championships and 147 team conference titles. Its track teams have included more than 1,200 All-Americans.

"To maintain that championship tradition, we must continue to invest in our facilities so that we are recruiting the most talented student-athletes year after year," Hunter Yurachek, UA vice chancellor and director of athletics, said in a news release. "We are grateful to the Tyson family for their long-time support of our program and their extraordinary leadership throughout Arkansas and around the world."