The University of MinnesotaâÄôs football staff allowed members of the media to tour the newly-renovated Bierman Field Athletic Building weight room and Gibson-Nagurski Football Practice Facility outdoor practice field Tuesday.

The weight room updates include 58 new pieces of equipment and a 1-inch thick rubber floor.

The outdoor field features the first full-field installation in North America of a product called FieldTurf Revolution, which boasts splitting- and fade-resistant fibers.

âÄúWith âĦ the turf that we had out here before, it probably wasnâÄôt safe to practice on,âÄù said Gophers coach Jerry Kill. âÄúThis is a very nice turf and IâÄôm sure our kids are enjoying the summer workouts on it.âÄù

Strength and conditioning coach Eric Klein said the refurbished weight room âÄî which cost a total of $467,192 âÄî will be more efficient, allow more players to work out at a given time and help with recruiting.

Add that to the outdoor practice field renovation cost of $668,296, and the total of the refurbishing projects ran just a little more than $1.1 million.

Private donors funded the majority of the two projects, according to team spokesman Andy Seeley. The remainder came from the athletics department budget, which is separate from the UniversityâÄôs budget.