TRUSTEES APPROVE PLANS FOR DEN PROJECT.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

College football will return to Cougar Stadium next month, and one former athlete hopes to foster campus spirit by creating a gathering spot for fans passing between the parking lot and the bleachers.

The College of the Canyons board of trustees approved a proposal Wednesday by B.J. Atkins to build what he calls The Cougar Den - a garden-like setting with a large barbecue, several picnic benches, a fountain with water cascading down rocky formations, and a stone monument of a cougar in repose.

``I'm hoping it will become a landmark on campus,'' Atkins said.

An offensive center on the COC football team in 1973 and '74, Atkins said he's thrilled to see gridiron action return to the Santa Clarita Valley after a 16-season absence.

The Cougars' home opener is Sept. 26 against Compton College.

Now the owner of an environmental consulting business in Valencia, Atkins credits his years at COC for preparing him to transfer to a university and continue in intercollegiate athletics.

``I owe a bunch to College of the Canyons, because (otherwise) I might not have been able to finish my college degree,'' he said. ``It gave me a leg up to get the degree I was looking for, and at a bargain-basement price - for a fraction of what it cost at a university.''

Plans and artists' sketches of the project, which Atkins presented to the board of trustees, show The Cougar Den outside the stadium on the south goal-post end. The main entrance to the stadium is on the opposite side, near the north goal post.

Atkins envisions an ``honor wall'' on which bricks would bear the names of donors whose contributions will cover the estimated $35,000 to $60,000 in construction costs for The Cougar Den.

``We're going to build this thing, and it's not going to cost the college any money. It'll be a gift back to the college,'' said Atkins, who for several years was active on the College of the Canyons Foundation, COC's fund-raising entity. He and COC football coach Chuck Lyon came up with the idea for the Cougar Den a few months back.

Rallying the donations, supplies and labor is Atkins' next task, and with any luck The Cougar Den could be finished in time for COC's final home game, an Oct. 31 contest against Glendale Community College, he said.

In the meantime, he is appealing for craftsmen and tradesmen - ranging from landscape architects and cement-truck drivers to electricians and plumbers - to donate their time, talents and materials.

``It'll be a venue to be used by the community,'' Atkins said. ``There are a bunch of uses for this den. It's not just for football.''

He envisions The Cougar Den becoming a popular congregating place, hosting events like Little League barbecues and pregame booster club parties for the local high school football teams.

The resurrection of the football team, and the appointment of Lyon as head coach, brings things full circle, said Atkins, who hiked the ball to him when Lyon was the Cougar quarterback. ``He has dedicated his life to coaching football. Everybody I know . . . is happy that he's here and is the guy.''

He said he hopes Santa Clarita Valley residents will embrace the new team - regardless of how the Cougars fare in their inaugural season.``I hope that no one gets hung up on win-loss records. That will take care of itself,'' Atkins said, echoing Lyon's own coaching philosophy.

``The win-loss record is not as important as if those kids get an education and move on to a four-year school.''

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) A rendering shows plans for a gathering spot at College of the Canyons.

(2--Color) Former College of the Canyons football player B.J. Atkins displays sketches for The Cougar Den, which will be built on the outside of the stadium.

Myung J. Chun/Daily News