Facilities: Four former football student-athletes at California Polytechnic State University have announced generous contributions toward completion of the school’s Alex G. Spanos Stadium. Chris Gocong, drafted last month by the Philadelphia Eagles; Jordan Beck, drafted last year by the Atlanta Falcons;  David “Doc” Richardson of the Jacksonville Jaguars; and Isaac Dixon, who works at Wells Fargo Financial, will donate money to the project now underway. All are former Mustang team captains, and all say their gifts are an effort to pay back the university for the chance at success they were given on and off the field. “Chris, Jordan, Doc and Isaac are great examples of who we are on the field, in the classroom and in the community. We are grateful for the significant gifts they have made to the renovation of the stadium, and we hope that more and more former players will do the same,” said Cal Poly football coach Rich Ellerson. Cal Poly began a fund-raising campaign for the football stadium renovation four years ago. Phase 1, which will be completed in August, includes a new west-side stadium facility that will raise seating capacity to 10,000 fans and add a press box, donor suites, restrooms, concession areas, new lighting and a Mustang Memorial Plaza ... The University of California, Los Angeles, announced it will begin construction on its Spieker Aquatic Center in summer 2007. The facility, which will house a 52-meter by 25-yard deep-water pool and diving well (1m/3m boards, 5m/10m tower), is scheduled for completion in fall 2008. The lead gift came from former student-athlete Tod Spieker and his wife Catherine. Tod is a 1971 UCLA graduate who swam for the Bruins from 1968 through 1971 and was an all-American in 1969. He is president of Spieker Companies, a multi-family and apartment complex company in Palo Alto. “That our women’s swim team has remained nationally competitive while using a pool built for the 1932 Olympics is incredible,” said UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero. “Even more remarkable are the achievements of both water polo programs. This new venue, designed specifically for intercollegiate athletics competition, will allow the UCLA swimming, diving and water polo programs to fulfill their unlimited potential. UCLA is about champions and championships, and this was an important and necessary step to ensure future success.” The $10 million project includes a clubhouse that will contain locker rooms, coaches’ offices and meeting rooms. The Spieker Aquatic Center will be a lighted facility and will hold 800 spectators in the permanent grandstand. For large-scale events, UCLA will have the ability to seat an additional 1,700 spectators in temporary seating.

Miscellaneous: The conferences and institutions that participate in the Bowl Championship Series have established an internship program that will carry the name of Tom Mickle, former CEO of Florida Citrus Sports, who died unexpectedly April 17. “We lost a dear friend and colleague with the passing of Tom Mickle,” said Mike Slive, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference and coordinator of the BCS. “The establishment of this internship program is an appropriate way to honor Tom Mickle’s legacy of helping young people into the collegiate athletics profession.” The internship will be based in the host office of the bowl operating the national championship game and will assist in the operations of the contest ... Eastern Kentucky University has unveiled a nine-mark athletics identity system that “captures the success, momentum and innovation exhibited by the school’s coaches and student-athletes.” “This new set of logos portrays a clear, crisp and confident image of our athletics department,” said university President Joanne Glasser. Director of Athletics Mark Sandy added, “This series will serve as a source of pride for the Colonel community.” The new primary logo features an updated, determined Colonel icon with a customized athletics font. The series replaces the venerable Colonel logo that was drawn by Louisville Courier-Journal cartoonist Hugh Haney and served the university for more than 40 years. The new marks were designed by Silverman Group, Inc., a marketing and brand-development agency in New Haven, Connecticut.

—    Compiled by Gary T. Brown