Private gifts from donors Aubrey K. McClendon and Carl B. Anderson III have cleared the way for the University of Oklahoma’s Athletics Department to launch a complete renovation in the museum and display section of the Barry Switzer Center, a University release said on Monday.

The $1 million project will include an overhaul of the existing 8,000-square-foot exhibit areas. The changes are so sweeping that the Switzer Center will close to the public on April 1 and not re-open until August.

"The change will be complete and dramatic," OU Athletics Director Joe Castiglione said. "We wanted something that would capture the Sooner Football spirit and rich tradition of success, but include new items, artifacts, pictures and technology that have recently become available.

"It will be a fresh look and a more complete interpretation of our football history."

Numerous film presentations will be added, as will interactive touch screens. OU also wants to add more artifacts, and toward that end is seeking donations from the public.

Primary items being sought include those from the 1895 – 1946 era, the Bud Wilkenson Era, the 1971 OU-Nebraska game, fan support from the 1960’s and early 1970’s, items from the Barry Switzer Era, anything relating to the Wishbone Offense and items from the Bob Stoops Era.

Special cases highlighting the seven national championships will be a centerpiece in the display and anyone with items specific to 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985 and 2000 seasons are being sought.

Assistant Athletics Director Kenny Mossman is coordinating the collection of publicly donated items. He said that prospective donors should call his office at (405) 325-8231 before making a submission. Due to the number of items expected, anything accepted by the department will become property of OU and will not be returned, Mossman said.

Three firms are working on the project. Actual installation will be handled by FlintCo of Oklahoma City. The project builder is 1220 Exhibits of Nashville, Tenn. Design work is being done by Gallagher and Associates of Bethesda, Md.

When the remodeling project is finished, it will be concentrated in the same area occupied now, although the current towers will no longer be in place on the second and third floors, and the lobby on the first floor will include a more extensive display.

The second floor will follow a team and program theme, featuring OU’s seven national championships. The outer walls will chronicle coaches and eras.

The third floor will shift to more recognition for individuals with displays on All-Americans, all-conference players, lettermen, award winners, academic honorees and hall of fame inductees.

Other than aesthetics, the most noticeable changes will come in the area of interactive displays and the overall story of the program, according to Terry Healy of Gallagher and Associates.

"Over the last 100 years, there have been a lot of championships won by Oklahoma," Healy said.

"But to present those artifacts in the way we will display them now will make the championships seem more real to the fans that see them.

"We want the visitor to come out with a much more comprehensive outlook for the football program and a great admiration for what it has meant to the school, the state and to them personally. It’s not the little wow here and there that we will add – it’s the whole picture of what has happened."

The entire cost of the project will be covered by the Anderson and McClendon gifts. Both men have deep ties to Oklahoma and OU.

McClendon, co-founder, CEO and chairman of Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy Corporation, already is a generous donor to OU. He and his wife, Katie, made an earlier contribution that was instrumental in the renovation of the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium’s north side. There the McClendon Center for Intercollegiate Athletics is named in honor of their family, including Aubrey’s parents, OU graduates Joe C. and Carole K. McClendon, and his maternal grandparents, Aubrey M. Kerr Sr., a 1928 OU law graduate, and Jewel J. Kerr. Mr. Kerr was also a president of the 1927-28 Ruf Neks.

Anderson, president and chief executive officer of Anson Partners in Oklahoma City, is a 1980 OU business graduate and generous donor to OU, including an earlier gift in support of the Barry Switzer Center. He and his family’s earlier gift is recognized in the All-American Plaza, which serves as the entrance to the Switzer Center.

The Plaza is named in honor of Anderson’s father, the late Carl B. Anderson Jr., who was an outstanding athlete during his college days at West Point and served as the offensive backfield football coach under the legendary Bud Wilkinson while pursuing his graduate engineering studies at OU.