CONWAY, Ark. _ University of Central Arkansas student-athletes have been utilizing the brand new Michael and Maria Norvell Nutrition Center for the past month and reaping the benefits, according to strength and conditioning director Alex Fotioo.

    Michael Norvell, the current head football coach at the University of Memphis, is a former record-setting wide receiver at UCA in the early 2000s. He and his wife Maria are both graduates of UCA and made a significant contribution to the UCA Purple Circle that funded the program's first-ever nutrition center.

    "Mike Norvell knows what being a student-athlete is all about,' said Dr. Brad Teague, UCA's director of athletics. "He recognizes the challenges we face in Division I FCS. We appreciate Mike and Maria Norvell for their significant contribution to our program and for providing a very important resource for the health and well-being of our student-athletes. 

    "Coach Norvell is proud of his experience at UCA and has given back in a significant way. We thank Mike and Maria for their support.'
    
    Norvell, a receiver who was inducted into the UCA Sports Hall of Fame in August, is the school record holder for career receptions (213) and is fifth in career receiving yards (2,611).  He played on teams that won 33 games in his four seasons, including UCA's best team in the NCAA Division II era. The 2005 Bears finished 11-3 and lost in the Division II quarterfinals.
        
    "Maria and I are honored to be able to support the UCA Athletic Program,' said Norvell, in his first year as Memphis' head coach after serving as an assistant coach at Tulsa, Pittsburgh and Arizona State. "UCA was a wonderful place for the both of us, and we are grateful we have the opportunity to give back.

    "As a student athlete, there are already many challenges and demands, especially in getting good nutrition for competition and for recovery, so we choose to support UCA with a gift to the nutrition center.  This gift will help support those student-athletes in an area that is critical to their health and success.'

    The center features healthy meals, snacks and drinks available to UCA's 400 student-athletes from all 18 varsity teams. The center is located in UCA's state-of-the-art weight training facilty adjacent to the indoor practice center and is under the supervision of Fotioo and his staff. Fotioo graduated from UCA with a degree in exercise science in 2010 and a master's of science in exercise physiology in 2012.