John and June Scheumann pledged the gift toward Above and Beyond, The Campaign to Advance Ball State University. He is the chairman and CEO of Crossmann Communities, in Indianapolis.

The training facility, to be located in the south end of the renovated and expanded stadium complex, will be dedicated to the football team, opening up existing training facilities for other university athletic teams. The facility will offer weight- and strength-training equipment, team dressing rooms and player position meeting rooms.

"The football training facility is going to be a tremendous boost not only to our program, but the entire athletic department," said Bill Lynch, head football coach. "From a facilities standpoint, it's going to give us an opportunity to develop our athletes to their fullest potential."

John Scheumann believes the new facility will keep Ball State in the game.

"It's important that Ball State have these facilities in order to remain competitive," he said. "Hopefully it will have a big impact on recruiting and bringing people into the stadium, and will help support the sports program and make it as successful as it can be."

Scheumann, a former Cardinal defensive tackle, graduated in 1971 with a degree in accounting. He worked as a controller in the home construction industry before buying a company called Deluxe Homes with a partner in 1981. Their venture, renamed Crossmann Communities, went public in 1992.

The company, named one of Forbes magazine's 200 best small companies in America, provides housing and financing for first-time homebuyers.

The Scheumanns see their success as a way to help others.

"Ball State was good to me and helped me out with a scholarship for football when I needed it," John Scheumann said. "This is a way to help pay some of that back."

Coach Lynch said it was especially gratifying to see the former player help his old team.

"It's special that you have someone who is that committed to the university and the football program, particularly because John is an alumnus and a former football player," he said. "He's been a very, very good friend of our program and one who has shown a real commitment to Ball State football and Ball State University."

Scheumann gave $700,000 to the university in 1997 for a new artificial surface facility. The turf field is used by the football team for practices and by the university's championship women's field hockey team.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information about this story contact Lori Rader at 765-285-1560 or lrader@bsu.edu.)