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Boston College Names New Athletic Facility in Honor of Ice Bucket Inspiration

Pete Frates helped kick start the ice bucket challenge that took the internet by storm in 2014

Boston College says its new indoor baseball and softball training facility will be named after the alumnus who helped popularize the ice bucket challenge.

The college unveiled plans Wednesday for the Pete Frates Center during a ceremony attended by Frates and his family.

The 34-year-old Frates is a former Boston College baseball captain who in 2012 was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease.

He and his family helped the ice bucket challenge spread on social media in 2014. The challenge has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for research into the degenerative disease that destroys nerve cells and has no cure.

Boston College Athletic Director Martin Jarmond says there's no better person to name the facility after.

It is expected to open next year.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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