Lets Talk About it with Stephen F. Austin State University Athletics Director, Michael McBroom

We map how Stephen F. Austin’s move into the UT System unlocks a sweeping master plan for academics, campus life, and athletics, and why alumni support now can lift both the fan experience and the value of every SFA degree. AD Michael McBroom lays out funding realities, design priorities, and the path to premier mid‑major status.

• SFA’s transition into the University of Texas System and why it matters
• Breakdown of the $1.3B master plan across academics, campus life, athletics
• How revenue bonds, state funds, and private gifts fit together
• The role of alumni giving, corporate sponsors, and naming rights
• Why facilities upgrade the student experience and brand reach
• Momentum signals on campus and keeping it going
• Design input from coaches and athletes to drive competitive advantage
• Vision for Homer Bryce Stadium and modern game-day experience
• Degree value rising with visible, sustained campus investment
• A light man cave story and the human side of game-day passion

If you want to be a part of Stephen F. Austin Athletics, get a part of this momentum, click on this link below, whether it's Facebook, Instagram, X, and I'm not trying to get you to contribute to my alma mater. No, we are yes, we are, we are. It's yes, and we're shameless about it.

Chapters

• 0:00 Cold Open & Sponsor Spot
• 1:23 SFA’s Shift into UT System
• 3:22 Meet AD Michael McBroom
• 4:20 The Fundraising Era of College Sports
• 6:28 Master Plan Scope and Impact
• 8:12 How the UT System Enables Growth
• 10:51 What Gets Funded and How
• 12:42 Alumni Role and Degree Value
• 15:22 Awakening the Alumni Base
• 16:58 Man Cave Story: Press Box Mayhem

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:35

Honest is a strong word, and we all need honesty when it comes to plumbing and HVAC needs. Somebody who will take care of the repairs efficiently and with quality. Honest plumbing in air is who I trust, and they take pride in that word. Honest plumbing in air, where a handshake still means something. And how can I say this? Commitment by alumni basis and schools like Stephen F. Austin, who are now part of new systems, Stephen F. Austin forever until two years ago was an independent program or independent school. They're now part of the University of Texas system. And just like so many universities, like UTRGV, for one, even Texas Tech, even UT, Texas AM, um Sam Houston, and other universities like that, they're having to improve their infrastructure. And if you want to get specific on athletics, you've got to upgrade facilities. And Stephen F. Austin now has a plan between now and probably the next 15 years, that campus and its athletic facilities are going to look entirely different. It's exciting, but it is a tall task because the name of the game is fundraising. And I want you to meet the new athletics director at Stephen F. Austin, who has a huge, huge project in front of him, and he thrives with it because he's done it before at a Division II university. Michael McBroom and his project at Stephen F. Austin. Let's talk about it. I finally met my biological brother, uh, the Michael McBroom. Look at you. Have you ever thought when we first saw each other that there's a possibility we could share the same genetics?

SPEAKER_01: 3:06

Uh well, clearly at the highest level we do, right?

SPEAKER_02: 3:13

This guy has uh an enviable task, uh a great opportunity in front of him. He is the the the athletic director at Stephen F. Austin, Division I University. And it depending on which part of the state or the country that you are watching this, he was a longtime AD at a Division II university, way up in the panhandle of Texas, West Texas AM. You did some great things, and we all know the uh the what college athletics is now. You have got to raise consistent money and build momentum. But when did that really change to where, you know what? That's something that I can do and do well.

SPEAKER_01: 3:52

Well, I think I mean college athletics has been you know, the last 30, 40 years has really been on that path of everybody says an arms race, right? But it it hits every level. Uh even in division two, you know, when I started West Texas AM, um it was a bottom level division two program, and over the period of time we were able to build facilities and raise money and turn that into a a national, uh nationally renowned program or division two. Um but all through that time at every level, it's it's still about we gotta drive more revenue. And it's no different than your business, right? I mean businesses are in the same thing. You have to drive revenue, drive net revenue, um customer satisfaction, all those things. Here at Stephen F. Austin, we have a tremendous, tremendous opportunity to elevate the program even further than you know where it's been uh previously. And it from my standpoint as an athletics director, it's critically important to have a passionate fan base and a president that loves and supports athletics, and we have all of that here at SFA, which is why I was so excited uh to get the opportunity to come here and start on the process of uh making this a a powerful athletic program.

SPEAKER_02: 4:59

So I'm trying not to be biased. I mean, uh for those who know me, they probably get tired of uh my references to the Stephen F. Austin State University is a big part of my life and it is will will forever be. Um we see we have experienced a lot of success here. Um but as you know, it it it takes a team of alignment from Board of Regents, President, AD, all the head coaches have to be aligned to achieve the ultimate goal. Um now you guys are in a great situation. I say you guys, we it's all of us, it's all of us together. That's right. The University of Texas system and there was you I remember you mentioned it to me, um I think earlier this year when the artist renderings are released of what this campus may look like in the next five to fifteen years, that there's gonna be a wave of uh optimism throughout the alumni base that was released. I want to be honest with you, my reaction to when I saw this artist rendering I know it sounds impossible, but I was speechless for ten minutes. That is impossible.

SPEAKER_01: 6:14

That may be the biggest uh loud factor comment that I've heard on the master plan so far. We silent Sean Clinch for 10 minutes. Oh my god, gagged order as a university for about 10 months, and it's we're in the final uh stages where they're going through the pricing and estimation things like that. It'll it'll ultimately make its way to the system board regions, I believe, in February uh for their review and uh hopefully approval. But it is exciting. I mean there are a lot of possibilities uh and opportunities here to do that, uh to do to elevate the the campus infrastructure and facilities in large part because of the new affiliation with the University of Texas system, which is you know one of the greatest, if not the greatest, university system in the world, not just the United States, the world. And the leadership that they provide for all of their member institutions is unbelievable. I've been I was twenty-five years in the Texas AM system and now part of part of the University of Texas system. That's a huge blessing for me to be a part of, I mean, two very well-known um you know, high caliber, high-tier, internationally recognized systems. The University of Texas is um is a notch above in in the support they provide the member institutions, and that's what's going to help us realize this master plan over the next 10-15 years.

SPEAKER_02: 7:31

For those maybe if there are alumni asking how legitimate is this in regards to baseball and softball facilities, then football, and then everything else that we see on that master plan, the artist rendering, what do you tell them? Because let's be honest, UT can help infuse all these new facilities, but it's people like me and our alumni that need to that we need as well to come together.

SPEAKER_01: 7:57

Yeah, so uh that's a great point, great question. Um, so when you talk about this master plan, it's probably gonna settle in somewhere in the neighborhood of one, let's just say$1.3 billion. Wow. About six hundred and fifty million dollars of that is the academic space. And so every college, every building, uh it's gonna be either brand new or gonna be improved. Um academic funding is a different source. That can come from the state, it can come from the from the system, a little bit from the university. Um, the next portion is about$400 million, uh, give or take for campus life. So that's residence halls, dining halls, um, all the things that students and faculty and staff experience on a daily basis. Uh that's generally funded a lot of those by revenue bonds. So if we're gonna we're gonna we have a new uh residence hall on the books, we hope that uh we'll get approved next year. You know, we'll finance that the revenue bonds on future future um housing income. And then you have athletics and campus recreation. That's the one that's different. Uh we can fund some of that with um revenue bonds on future deal, but also um some incremental fee, uh fee, fees on campus. But the large part, at least half of it,'s gotta come from uh the support of alumni and donors or corporate sponsors. So that's where uh it really is gonna take all of us to come together to raise uh enough funds to get the entire project complete. Um one of the great things I love about SFA is the fact that we have you know over a hundred thousand uh living alumni um that love to support the university, and this is gonna be a great opportunity for them to support the university. And I always say this construction on campus, and there's gonna be a lot of construction on campus over the next decade.

SPEAKER_02: 9:36

There already is.

SPEAKER_01: 9:37

There is, it's it's ongoing. I mean, we have 200 million dollars going on right now.

SPEAKER_02: 9:41

It's a beautiful sign.

SPEAKER_01: 9:42

But construction means um that there's investment going on into the university, it increases and sustain or sustains the value of the degree that everybody has earned previously and continues the value of the degree going forward. So it's imperative upon those who are in charge and leading the institution today to continue to make the investments, continue to encourage alumni to give back. Because as we build and as we get better, it increases the value of the degree for everybody who came before us and who will come after us. And that's why you know I'm very uh very optimistic we'll be able to get this done because the alumni base is so passionate about SFA.

SPEAKER_02: 10:21

I I I I do think that it it it's an awakening. People people have been waiting. That's the way I see it. I think uh people have well, alumni base is doesn't care. That's not true or apathetic. It's been waiting for something like this. And I think this is going to happen uh on on a much greater scale as far as interest. Because we saw what happened in San Marcus. That that alumni base woke up. And it that can easily and that will happen here. A very dramatic transition. Uh, the man cave story. There have been some great ones. Uh, this is episode 486, and we've had about 350 man cave stories, or maybe 300, I'm overestimating. That's what happens at age 52. But uh, you've been around a lot through athletics, life, athletic administration, been part of some great moments athletically and personally, and know a lot of people. As far as a man cave story, is there something as amusing today when it's discussed or brought up as it was when it happened?

SPEAKER_01: 11:33

I'm not gonna use names. Is that fair? Okay, that's fair. Okay. So uh uh like you, I've I've we've all been in press boxes a lot during football games, and and if you get too close to those coaching boxes, right, you start to hear some things and see some things that maybe you don't want. Um there was an instance at one time, again, no names. Uh protect the innocent. But you know, uh when when coordinators and and position coaches, when when there's a blown play or something, you hear, you know, banging and banging on the walls and some other things maybe you shouldn't hear. I mean, it's it's an emotional sport, right? Had a coach one time banged on the windows so hard, it popped the windows out of the press box and and and straight down. I think I I remember this.

SPEAKER_02: 12:19

It was brought to my attention. I think this is the same story. Maybe.

SPEAKER_01: 12:25

Probably.

SPEAKER_02: 12:26

You uh you will not confirm or deny. Correct. And I respect that.

SPEAKER_01: 12:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 12:31

Was anyone injured?

SPEAKER_01: 12:32

No one was injured, thank goodness. But that's one that's uh you look at like of all the things you see you see, and we I mean that I we can go on for hours. Right, we could that's one you asked me that like on the spot. I'm like, yeah, that's one that's still like wow, that really happened. And thank goodness nobody was hurt, but it's one that you we kind of like will sit around, like, oh yeah, I've got one for you. And we tell that spoon. That's hard, that's hard to top.

SPEAKER_02: 12:56

Uh, before we wrap this up, every day's exciting for you. Every day when you walk on, and I'm not being biased again, but every day is when you look at because for example, your offices are at Homer Bryce Stadium, which has been the home of Stephen F. Austin football and and track and at one point soccer. Do you do you see the visions of what could be as the transformation of that facility kind of reverses? And do you how do you describe the energy around the your staff and maybe people on this campus as you look ahead and what this Division I program will look like in five plus years?

SPEAKER_01: 13:38

Yeah, that's the that's the driving force, right? Uh it's uh it's to and I I don't think people fully understand it yet. Uh I can see it because I've done it uh before. Right now it's the hard time. People, it's the we've got a master plan, everything looks really good. We have to execute the plan. And when you start to execute and you get into like the design phase, and now you get coaches and athletes giving input into the then it's then people start to get really excited, and the momentum really goes. We have a lot of momentum on campus right now, um, as the general university, largest freshman class in school history. Uh campus is full, we've got family weekend um today. Uh you know, great attendance at football expected tonight, but these are the small things, like you got to keep the m momentum going. President said it in cabinet a couple of weeks ago. Guys, we've started the momentum, now the challenge is to keep it going, uh, which is what we'll do. But from my perspective, coming in to your point, every day is a challenge, it's a blessing. Um I've done it before so I can see the end, and I know that when we get this whole thing done, we will be the premier uh mid-major division one program in the country. Um all of our facilities uh will be some of the best in the country for what we have. We have one of the very best basketball uh practice in the country. Right here. The challenge is to get we're in it right now. Challenge is to get everything else up to that speed, uh, which we'll do. And as you start to see that process, I mean the the pride that alumni have, the pride that the current student body has, when and then then when we open them up and people have a brand new experience in state of the art facilities where uh we have great concessions and great sound and lights and all the digital stuff, but you come and it's it's it's a social impact where we bring people in, you have a great time three hours at a football game, two hours at a basketball game, in an environment that that welcomes everybody and basically helps us throw a party and maintain that connection. When you start to see all of that, it is impossible to stop the momentum. And I think we're gonna get it done, it's gonna take all of us, but when we do start like shovels in the ground, man, look out, because it gets it gets fun, it gets fun fast.

SPEAKER_02: 15:48

I'm excited, drilling us right now. If you want to be a part of Stephen F. Austin Athletics, get a part of this momentum, click on this link below, whether it's Facebook, Instagram, uh X, and I'm not trying to get you to contribute to my alma mater. I'm just saying if you want to be a part of it, no, we are yes, we are, we are. It's uh yes, and we're shameless about it. Um, it's exciting. It has been exciting for me to watch other universities who have decided to take the leap, be bold, and go this direction. And here at Stephen F. Austin, that's what they're doing, and this is also a great story. Michael McBroom, where he came from, now he's a part of this. And for me, the last two visits I've had, including this one, the energy levels is just off the charts, unreal. And I want to fast forward to completion date, but that's not how life works. Michael McBroom. Appreciate you, brother. Thank you so much, Sean. Anytime you can have a McBroom and and two follically challenged domes on your screen, it's always good to talk about it.