MORROW, Ga. -- The Clayton State Department of Athletics has announced that the current athletics weight room will be renamed after long-time supporter and Athletics Hall of Famer, Dr. Joseph S. Wilkes. 

After receiving a gift from Dr. Joseph and Debbie Wilkes, Clayton State will rename the current athletics weight room to The Dr. Joseph Wilkes Sports Performance Center. 

Dr. Wilkes served as Clayton State's team physician from the program's inception in 1990 until 2015, the same year he was inducted into the Clayton State Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
"Shortly after I first began my orthopedic surgery practice, I began my relationship with the Clayton State University Department of Athletics," Dr. Wilkes said. "I watched the program grow from a single sport to the multi-sports program it is today. After recently retiring, I wanted to continue to support the Clayton State student-athletes.

"My wife Debbie and I view the performance center, and the athletic excellence program, as not only an opportunity to help athletes perform at their highest levels, but also as an opportunity to instill life skills such as hard work, perseverance, dealing with adversity, and leadership. These skills can not only be applied while in school, but also throughout life."

During his time with the Lakers, Clayton State made 57 NCAA Tournament Appearances, produced 14 Peach Belt Tournament Champions, 11 PBC Regular Season Champions, 54 All-Americans and the 2011 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Champions.

Dr. Wilkes also served as an associate team physician for the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons, was an orthopedic consultant for the U.S. Luge Association, the Chick-fil-A Bowl and was the Venue Medical Director for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. 

"Dr. Joe and Debbie Wilkes are longtime supporters of Clayton State Athletics and we consider them part of our Laker Family," Director of Athletics Ryan Erlacher said. "We're incredibly grateful for their generous gift and excited to be naming our sports performance center after them. The facility has been transformed over the past three years into a space our student-athletes take tremendous pride in. 

"This gift will allow us to offer our student-athletes the first-class training facility they deserve and demonstrates our continued investment into their development. The Wilkes' family has been taking care of our student-athletes for over twenty-five years and now that care can continue for years to come."

In addition to the gift from the Wilkes' family, PepsiCo collaborated with Clayton State in October of 2020 to provide enhancements to the sports performance center. The Lakers added five new custom branded half racks which increased the volume and variety of workouts the student-athletes could do. These enhancements are just the beginning as Clayton State has future additions planned for the Dr. Joseph Wilkes Sports Performance Center. 

"The Dr. Joseph Wilkes Sports Performance Center naming is a big step in becoming the leading standard in sports performance among the PBC," Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Performance and Operations Mason Grounds said. "The naming will allow us to continue to upgrade our performance center to better serve our student-athletes. I'd like to thank Dr. Wilkes and his wife Debbie for their support and contributions towards the Department of Sports Performance."

The newly installed half racks are among many improvements the weight room has seen. Additional enhancements that are planned include custom bumper plates, custom platforms, turf flooring, Clayton State Lakers wall graphics and new strength equipment. The additions will only amplify the experience of the Lakers' student-athletes. 

A ribbon cutting and formal naming ceremony will take place on a date to be determined. 

Dr. Wilkes was also instrumental in the one of the Athletics Department's largest gifts as OrthoAtlanta donated towards athletic training room renovations in 2016. The Lakers completed the remodeling of the OrthoAtlanta Athletic Training Room in 2018.