TSU Athletic Director Mikki Allen Says Improved Facilities Could Generate Revenue

Dr. Mikki Allen, the athletic director for Tennessee State University, made a case to the university’s Board of Trustees that in order for the university’s athletic departments to generate more revenue, the university should look to renovate its existing athletic facilities. Allen argued the university to construct buildings on campus that can generate revenue for the cash-strapped department.

As HBCU Gameday reports, Allen wants the facilities built to help ease the cost of supporting the various athletics programs the university maintains. “We need to get revenue-generating facilities on campus so we can start offsetting the brunt of institutional dollars that are going into athletics,” Allen told the board. 

He also called attention to the need to refurbish Ed Temple Track, which he believes is a step in the right direction. Allen believes that the university needs dedicated athletic facilities, a central operations building, and more adequate housing on campus. In order to help make these expansions more achievable, Allen stressed to the board that facilities that can generate premium revenue have to be built so the athletic program can make money instead of losing it.

Allen stressed the importance of constructing housing, as it is a central concern of mothers and other family members who send their young people to attend the university. “When we bring young men and young ladies into our program, the first thing aunties and mama say is: ‘hey, where is my young person gonna stay?” Allen told the board. 

Allen called for upgrades to modernize the Gentry Center, where the university’s basketball teams play their home games, in order to generate more potential revenue for the university. According to HBCU Gameday, Allen told the board that current-generation LED technology and media boards could help attract sponsorships for the programs, thereby enhancing their revenue generation potential. 

Allen also advocated for a gradual approach to constructing a football stadium and wanted the board to keep ways to secure mixed-use of the facilities, such as ensuring the stadium is ADA compliant and potentially using a turf field to ensure the stadium could be used to host non-sports events and generate extra money for the athletic programs. 

Allen understands that the changes he is calling for require a substantial and sustained investment in infrastructure from the university’s board, as well as the continued support of the TSU community. In summary, HBCU Gameday reported that Allen is fundamentally asking for the support of both the institution and the broader TSU community in order to restore the former glory of the Tennessee State University athletic programs. 

Allen, who was named the university’s Athletic Director in 2020, has overseen a number of improvements and additions to Tennessee State University’s athletic programs, including naming Candice Dupree, a former WNBA All-Star and assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, the women’s head basketball coach. As Black Enterprise previously reported, Allen and TSU made history in April by naming Duanté Abercrombie the head coach of its hockey program. That move made TSU the first HBCU with a hockey program. Allen’s remarks to the board appear to be in alignment with the progress he has already made over four years at the university.  

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