Chancellor Robert Hemenway proclaimed it “as good as any in the country.”

Senior associate athletic director John Hadl called it “the best facility in America.”

Women’s basketball coach Marian Washington said, “It’s awesome.”

All three Kansas University officials were talking about the Anderson Family Strength and Conditioning Center.

Although the $8 million, two-story, 42,000-square-foot building adjacent to Parrott Complex has been in use by KU varsity athletes since March 24, the official dedication ceremony was Saturday morning.

Dana and Sue Anderson and members of their family were on hand to help with the ribbon-cutting. The Anderson family contributed half the funds needed for the project.

Dana Anderson, a Los Angeles businessman, exhorted others to open their wallets and contribute to the school’s “KU First” fund-raising campaign.

“Sue and I really do care very much about KU,” Anderson said. “Now is the time the university needs your help. I hope everybody who cares about the Jayhawks will make a contribution in the near future.”

Football coach Mark Mangino accepted the state-of-the-art facility on behalf of KU’s coaches and athletes.

“It’s a major step for KU in our journey to be the best in the Big 12 in every sport we sponsor,” Mangino said. “This strength center will be a key component in that success.”

Kansas University donor Dana Anderson, left, chats with interim athletic director Drue Jennings before dedicating the Anderson Family Strength and Conditioning Center. At back right, left to right, football coach Mark Mangino, wife Mary Jane and Chancellor Robert Hemenway talk Saturday at the center.

In closing, Mangino made this vow to the Andersons: “I promise you we will make this facility the busiest building on campus.”

Although constructed with football in mind, the Anderson Family Center will be used by all sports, including women’s basketball.

“It will make a difference,” Washington said. “You see facilities at other places and you say, ‘One day’, and now that one day is here. It’s going to impact recruiting, truly.”

The new facility replaces the 5,000 square-foot Shaffer-Holland Center that was tucked into a small area of Anschutz Pavilion, the athletic department’s indoor workout building.

Putting it another way, the Anderson Family Center is more than eight times larger than the old strength and conditioning room.

After a dedication ceremony for the Anderson Family Strength and Conditioning Center at Kansas University, strength and conditioning director Chris Dawson, left, and assistant director Jason Beaulieu, right, showed KU alumnus Dana Anderson and his wife, Sue, some of the equipment in the facility. The Anderson family was the lead donor of the project, which was celebrated Saturday.

“It’s like comparing a Volkswagen to a Mercedes, or to a Rolls-Royce,” Washington said.

KU officials began exploring the possibility of building a new strength center more than four years ago, but the proposal bogged down until the Andersons agreed to contribute $4 million to put the project over the top.

The building contains weight-training equipment, a cardiovascular workout area, lockers and meeting and conference rooms. The high-tech equipment cost more than $1 million.

“Right now it’s about as good as it gets,” interim athletic director Drue Jennings said. “It’s really going to improve our overall program.”