Murchie Family Fieldhouse Opening

"Good morning!

Thank you all for joining us to celebrate the grand opening of UB’s Murchie Family Fieldhouse!

I would like to begin by welcoming and acknowledging our field house’s name-sake—the members of the Murchie family.

Many thanks to Tunney Murchie, and to the entire Murchie family, for your loyal support of the UB Division of Athletics and our university community.

I would also like to welcome and acknowledge: our elected officials here with us today; the members of the UB Council; and the members of the UB Foundation, who have been so instrumental, across campus, in enhancing our student experience, and in bringing this project to fruition. I appreciate all that you do on behalf of the University at Buffalo.

This is a remarkable day for our Division of Athletics, for our student-athletes, and for our entire university community.

In opening the doors to the Murchie Family Fieldhouse, we are opening the doors to exciting new opportunities for our student-athletes to excel in their respective sports. As you know, our athletics program has been on an impressive upward trajectory over the past several years.

From individual feats of athleticism to historic team achievements, we are competing among the best in the nation. And our success has gained a great deal of national attention—along with a great deal of excitement. 

This premier indoor practice facility will help us build on this excitement and momentum,so we can achieve even greater success with each new season. Of course, those who will elevate us to the next tier of excellence are those who are practicing, training and coaching inside these four walls. Our talented student-athletes always give us reason to cheer—on and off the field of play.

In turn, our dedicated coaches and support staff give so much to our student-athletes. Every day, they inspire our student-athletes to make the most of their skills and talents—in athletic competition, in the classroom, and in the community.

At UB, we have a long tradition of cultivating well-rounded student-athletes who succeed on the field, in the classroom, and well beyond. We take great pride in our student-athletes. And once they graduate, we continue to watch with great pride as they harness all that they have learned at UB to contribute meaningfully to the world.

We are dedicated to ensuring that all of our students—whether they be aspiring artists, architects, athletes or entrepreneurs—have opportunities to thrive academically, and in their extra-curricular endeavors. We know that these opportunities and experiences help them make a profound impact on our local and global communities as UB alumni.

Many thanks, again, to Tunney Murchie and the entire Murchie Family for helping us make our field house a reality. We truly appreciate your long-standing dedication to our UB Division of Athletics, and our entire university community. 

And many thanks to all of you here today for supporting UB and our vision of excellence as a premier public research university.

Thank you."