John Scheumann came to Ball State University when the football stadium was built. Now he will have the chance to be a part of the rebirth of that same stadium.
Ball State Stadium, which was built in 1967, two years before Scheumann earned his first football letter, will be named Scheumann Stadium today.
The proposal will be discussed by the Board of Trustees today at 12:30 p.m. before the Homecoming game. Scheumann, who has donated $4 million to help renovate the stadium, said he and his wife June will be in attendance for today's game against Toledo.
"We're pretty excited about this project coming to conclusion," John Scheumann said. "It's incumbent upon us to return the favor and pay back what was given to us. It's our way of saying thanks for what the university did for us."
The stadium campaign was initiated in October 2004, and the university began a fundraising campaign to raise $12 million. Scheumann said he wanted to give money because the stadium is the main entrance to the university.
"It's something that everyone wants to come see, and it's important that it looks good when you enter campus," Scheumann said. "It also encourages alumni to come back and kids to come to the games."
Scheumann said he was notified by President Jo Ann Gora and Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham two weeks ago about the stadium's naming.
Cunningham said details about money raised in the campaign will be released today along with other information about the stadium.
"We're very excited about [today]," Cunningham said.
Sources inside of the committee have confirmed that the campaign has hit the $12 million goal in the past three weeks and are still collecting pledges.
University Communications Associate Director Glenn Augustine said the university will make an announcement regarding the naming of the stadium.
"The university will make an announcement [today], and we hope you join us for that," he said.
Sources within the athletic department said the practice facilities will be named after John Fisher, the former president and chairman of Ball Corporation. Fisher was the chair of a 32-member fundraising committee and has given over $4 million to extend wellness programs, create professorships and to the stadium campaign.
When contacted, Fisher declined to comment on his involvement with the campaign and naming of the practice facilities.
The Ball State football stadium isn't the only facility that will bear Scheumann's name. The Lafayette Jefferson High School football field was named John B. Scheumann Stadium after he donated $2 million to build the facility. Scheumann played at Lafayette Jeff before coming to Ball State and punishing offenses as a defensive tackle for the Cardinals. He finished his tenure in 1971 after earning two letters with the team.
"[The stadium] was relatively new, a couple years old," Scheumann said. "Comparatively, it was a new facility at the time. It was one of the better facilities of that time."
Scheumann graduated from Ball State in 1971, with an accounting degree. He and a partner bought Deluxe Homes in 1981 and the company went public in 1992 as Crossman Communities. Forbes Magazine listed the company among 200 of the best small companies in America, and in 2002, Crossman Communities was sold to Beazer Homes USA Inc., for $625 million.
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