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VILLANOVA, Pa. - Longtime head football coach Andy Talley, who has announced his retirement at the end of the 2016 season, now has a brand new building that bears his name to go along with his legacy of success both on and off the field. Talley and several Villanova dignitaries took part in a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday evening to officially dedicate the Andrew J. Talley Athletic Center in the west end zone of Villanova Stadium. The newest athletics facility on campus will be home to the Wildcats football program and contains several amenities that will benefit every student-athlete on campus.

"Andy has been an example to us all, not only for emphasizing success on the field and in the classroom, but also for his commitment to the National Bone Marrow Foundation and the subsequent creation of The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation," Villanova University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A. said. "For his outstanding leadership and his unwavering dedication to Villanova, I can think of no better honor to his legacy than to name this athletic center -- that will benefit all of our student-athletes -- in his honor."

The Andrew J. Talley Athletic Center adds on to the existing Jake Nevin Field House by creating a new facility that will meet the growing athletic performance demands for student-athletes across Villanova's 24 varsity sports. This new state-of-the-art building will house the department's sports medicine operations and "The Howie Long Strength & Conditioning Training Center," while other amenities will include a new football locker room, coaches' offices, equipment room, academic support, a 100-seat meeting room and a reception/training table area.

"This first-class facility will help elevate our program on all fronts," Villanova Director of Athletics Mark Jackson said. "From sports performance, to academic support, to entertaining our donor and fan base, we could not be more excited about the opening of the Andrew J. Talley Athletic Center. The generosity of Nova Nation getting behind this project will enhance the experience for all of our 600 plus student-athletes and staff."

Talley is the active career wins leader among all FBS and FCS coaches with 254 career victories. He is in his 37th year as a collegiate head coach and his 32nd season as the leader of the Wildcats, and his record at Villanova currently stands at 226-135-1. Talley is one of five active head coaches at all levels of college football to have at least 200 victories at his current school. During his Wildcats career, Talley has led Villanova to 11 NCAA playoff appearances, six conference championships, three national semifinal appearances and the 2009 national championship. He has coached 15 first team All-Americans and his players have been named Academic All-Americans on 12 occasions.

"It is a great honor to have this incredible new building named after me," Talley said. "This facility will provide first-class amenities to all 24 Wildcat teams. The building also gives our football program one of the nation's premier athletic facilities. I am so pleased that we can reinforce our academic advising, sports medicine and strength & conditioning operations, along with providing a first class entertainment area for all of our student-athletes and alumni. This facility is in concert with our prominence as a national university."

Away from the football field, Talley is actively involved in numerous community programs, but foremost among his efforts has been Be The Match, an organization operated by the National Marrow Donor Program. Talley's involvement in this national campaign began in 1992 after hearing the devastating odds facing blood cancer patients in need of a marrow transplant. Since then, he has held an annual donor registry drive on campus each spring. In 2008, Talley officially partnered with Be The Match to start the "Get in the Game, Save a Life" marrow donor registry campaign. Since that time, with the help of almost 80 college football programs from all division levels, over 71,000 new potential donors have been added to the Be The Match registry. Even more impressive, the "Get in the Game" program has been responsible for over 300 lifesaving stem cell/marrow transplants in just eight years.