NATCHITOCHES - Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl standout Terrence McGee, an All-American during his four seasons playing football for Northwestern State, has made a $25,000 gift to support NSU's Athletic Fieldhouse renovation project.

NSU athletics director Greg Burke announced the gift, which is enabling upgrades to the Athletic Fieldhouse built in 1979.  The continuing project to update and refurbish the facility has included renovations to the football locker room, team ready room, weight room, and second floor offices for football, track and field and baseball, football meeting rooms, along with the Johnnie Emmons Academic Study Center and the Steve and Lori Stroud Hospitality Room. 

Funds for these updates primarily come from revenue sources outside of the university and not the athletic department operating budget, he said.  Improvements accomplished so far, including the Emmons Study Center and the Stroud Room, have been supported by contributions in excess of $600,000, said Burke.

McGee's gift specifically helps replace office and player meeting room furniture that has been in place since the facility was built 31 years ago.  The total to complete the second floor's furniture phase of this initiative was $130,000, completely raised through private gifts to the NSU Athletic Association.

"Northwestern State was a great experience for me on and off the field," said McGee, about to begin his eighth season in the NFL, all with Buffalo. "I'm excited to help out on the Fieldhouse project and look forward to working on more projects in the coming years."

Named to the Top 100 Players in Demon Football History roster in the program's  2007 Centennial Celebration, McGee, a native of Athens, Texas, played for the Demons from 1999-2002. He hit the field at cornerback early in his true freshman season, and made a spectacular debut as the Demons' punt returner as a sophomore, setting a single-season NCAA record with a 23.7 average that included three long touchdowns, the first helping trigger a season-opening win over Southern.

He earned All-America honors as a return specialist that season, in 2000, and became one of the top cornerbacks in the FCS ranks as a junior while helping lead the Demons to an overtime win at TCU and a narrow FCS playoff loss at eventual national champion Montana. As a senior in 2002, McGee also played safety and on offense at receiver, fighting through injuries to help NSU to a No. 3 national ranking and another playoff appearance. He still stands as the NCAA FCS record-holder with his 17.4 career punt return average and shares the Demons' career mark for pass breakups (44)  while adding 11 interceptions.

A fourth-round 2003 NFL Draft pick by Buffalo, McGee won Pro Bowl honors as a kick returner in his second season, 2004, and has emerged as one of the league's top cover cornerbacks, matching up weekly with the NFL's best receivers. McGee recently signed a new four-year contract with the Bills.

McGee's contribution is the largest single gift by a former Demon football player active in the professional ranks. 

"On behalf of the entire NSU Athletic Department and especially the Demon football program, I express appreciation to and applaud Terrence McGee for his willingness to be so generously supportive of our ongoing efforts to update the NSU Athletic Fieldhouse," said Burke.  "Terrence unequivocally bought into the value of this project and his gift went a long way towards completing the furniture updates on the second floor of the Fieldhouse.  He has set a great example for the type of support that our program needs from alumni, former athletes and friends to continue to compete at a high caliber at the Division I level."

Burke said the renovations will keep the NSU facility in the upper echelon of its kind nationally.

"We are ensuring that the Athletic Fieldhouse, which when it was built was well ahead of its time and was one of the best in the country, continues to be a huge selling point to recruits and a building that coaches and staff can benefit from on a daily basis.  We don't have to start from scratch, or do an addition, to have a Fieldhouse which will compete favorably with others at the FCS level and beyond.  Long overdue updates are what we need.  The vision to retransform the Fieldhouse is in place.  We just need others to follow Terrence's lead and make a difference for our coaches and student-athletes."

Head football coach Bradley Dale Peveto, who has signed the nation's No. 1 and 4-ranked FCS recruiting classes in his first two winters running the Demons' program, said McGee's contribution spearheads critical progress for NSU Athletics and Demon football.

"We've had success recruiting to NSU, and a gift of this size gives us a tremendous boost moving forward. Coming from Terrence makes it even more special," said Peveto. "He has been in the shoes of our players and he wants to help them. He wants to attract young men to attend NSU and compete for the Demons, and he appreciates the opportunities he had in his college days.

" Facilities really matter in the recruiting process and this demonstrates a solid commitment to the future at NSU," said Peveto.  "When I came back here, making these long-overdue improvements was a critical part of our plan. We're replacing furniture and upgrading facilities that have been in place since the building opened, probably longer than any other furniture on campus. We're not asking for state funds to do it. When you consider the lifetime of this facility, this is probably something needed when I was an assistant coach here (1996-98), and I'm proud to be part of the process that gets us back out front."

McGee's gift will be identified with his name on the office for the defensive backs coach's office, occupied by safeties coach and defensive coordinator Brad Laird, and on the defensive backs meeting room.

Naming opportunities for rooms throughout the Fieldhouse are available for interested donors, said Burke.  McGee and other donors participating in naming opportunities are recognized on the Athletic Association section of the www.nsudemons.com website.

McGee and Tolar (fullback, Houston Oilers, All-AFL in  1961-62) are two of eight former Demons to win Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors, along with Oilers receiver Charlie Hennigan (1961-65), Cardinals tight end Jackie Smith (1966-70), running back Joe Delaney (Chiefs, 1981), receiver Mark Duper (Dolphins, 1983-84, 1986), running back John Stephens (Patriots, 1988), and quarterback Bobby Hebert (Falcons, 1993).