Conlon Esports Center the New Home for Pride Esports

DUBUQUE, Iowa – Continuing the growth of Clarke University Athletics, the Pride Esports program will have a relocation of their base of operations starting in October in the former Conlon Game Room inside of the Student Activity Center (SAC).

Construction to renovate the Conlon Esports Center has already begun with the preexisting pool table and ping pong table being relocated into the raised terrace area of the SAC.

"The Conlon Esports Center will provide our growing Esports team a state-of-the-art practice and competition venue," Director of Athletics Curt Long said. "In addition, general students may use the facility during designated hours for their own recreation and pleasure."

The Conlon family's support of Clarke University spans numerous generations, family members, and the Conlon Construction Company. Richard F. Conlon, the grandfather of current Conlon Construction CEO Tim Conlon, is credited for being a significant contributor of the construction of Clarke's campus.

Tim, his brother Steve, and Conlon Construction have since made significant contributions to campaigns at Clarke, which also allowed naming opportunities to be available to them so the Conlon Family's name was chosen originally when the game room opened in January of 2000 as the name will transition to the Conlon Esports Center.

Since the inception of the Esports program at Clarke, the on-campus facility was located in Catherine Bryne Hall in the Isidore Lab. With this relocation, Esports will now fully operate within the same buildings as the rest of Clarke's athletic operation along with a significant upgrade in technology and equipment.

In its transition to an Esports facility, the Conlon Game Room will add 11 computers from Micro-Star International (MSI) with seven of those units being Aegis SE models and four being Codex R models. Those computers will be positioned along a countertop that will line the windowed walls at the outside of the room that is visible from the SAC.

Along with the gaming computers, there will also be a console area that will include Playstation and Xbox consoles to use in competitions of the various console titles in which the Esports program is active.

"I'm extremely excited that our students will now have their own facility and computers to use," Director of Esports Henry Johnston said. "Since my first day at Clarke, this was one of my top priorities because of how significant of a benefit a Esports facility can provide to a program."

With their own space in a more common and recreational area of campus, Johnston and the Esports program plans to utilize the space for their own operation as well as for the entirety of Clarke's campus to have limited access.  

Other early proposals for non-traditional use of the facility include hosting Local Area Network (LAN) events on campus for in-person video game competitions, summer camps for local non-college students, community engagement events and tournaments, and charity events.

"I am incredibly thankful to Clarke's administration for their continued support and investment into our Esports program," Johnston said. "It is my goal to build the best Esports program in the state of Iowa and hopefully with this venue we can start heading to that potential."