The Formby Athletic Center was made possible by a gift from Reddie alum Buddy Formby. The architect for the project was Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson, Inc. and the general contractor was Wade Abernathy, Inc. Construction of the 19,235-square-foot athletic center and the training facility began in March 2002 and was completed by the spring of 2003.
Located on the southeast end of Carpenter-Haygood Stadium, the Reddie Athletic Center stands as one of the premier sports facilities in the Great American Conference.
The state-of-the-art facility is central to the Henderson State football program but services all 13 sports the school offers.The facility houses nine Reddie football coaches’ offices, coaches’ and team meeting rooms, locker rooms for both players and coaches, training rooms, and medical training and strength training facilities for all Henderson State sports.
Along with the many features of the center is a coaches meeting room equipped with televisions, video playback machines, executive tables and chairs, and message boards.The center also features a team meeting room with several large wall screens, overhead projectors, televisions and video playback machines.
Commercial laundry equipment on-site makes it easier to keep uniforms in repair and inventories evaluated.
As a punter for the Reddies from 1957 to 1960, Formby was a member of the 1959 All-Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference championship team.Â
Formby played for the legendary Duke Wells. Formby received the Henderson State University Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998 and he also served as board member for the Henderson State University Foundation. He was inducted into the Reddie Hall of Honor in 2002.Â
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