{"id":209934,"date":"2025-09-08T10:14:28","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T10:14:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/209934\/"},"modified":"2025-09-08T10:14:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T10:14:28","slug":"fort-worths-ap-ranch-adds-more-funding-to-further-its-mission-to-help-young-athletes-in-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/209934\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Worth\u2019s AP Ranch adds more funding to further its mission to help young athletes in need."},"content":{"rendered":"

Off the side of a highway, in a more secluded portion of Fort Worth, lies one of North Texas\u2019 biggest sports training facilities. Even at 700 acres, it\u2019s easy to drive past the development and assume it\u2019s a run-of-the-mill cattle ranch, given its rustic entrance gate and sprawling fields, where horses and other livestock graze.<\/p>\n

Yet AP Ranch is known for being the stomping ground for world-class athletes such as Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, Jameis Winston, Kyrie Irving, Myles Turner, Jermaine O\u2019Neal, Max Duggan and dozens more looking to hone their craft.<\/p>\n

Founder Mike Dry is the vision behind AP Ranch. Dry has had a successful business career leading Fort Worth-based aerospace specialist Av-DEC (Aviation Devices and Electronic Components), and owning assets in real estate and gas. <\/p>\n

His idea for a training center dates to his playing days at TCU between 1979 and 1981, when he was an All-Southwest Conference linebacker. Back then, he shared a team with his father, F.A. Dry, who was TCU\u2019s coach from 1979 to 1982.<\/p>\n

The younger Dry frequently would bring teammates home and listen to how they had overcome obstacles, ranging from dysfunctional families to financial hardship. He was in awe of how athletes he personally knew were able to conquer such difficulties with the help of his father. From there, he knew he wanted to give back.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s [F.A.] 94 and he\u2019s still alive. Players still call him and say, \u2018God, you impacted my life so much.\u2019 When you impact kids\u2019 lives, it\u2019s a different kind of joy you get,\u201d Dry said. \u201cYou don\u2019t experience that until somebody you know has impacted you. It\u2019ll make you forever think of that person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rise of AP Ranch<\/p>\n

In 2012, Dry dove in when he bought the property from none other than country music legend Willie Nelson for $45 million. Even that didn\u2019t come easy. Dry initially wanted to start with 60 acres and work his way up, but when the ranch and its 150 acres became available, it included the caveat that he\u2019d buy all 700 acres. It was a financial stretch at the time, but Dry went through with it anyway and combined nearby McDavid Ranch and Markham Ranch to maintain the property\u2019s ranch zoning status. The AP in the name stands for Athletic Performance.<\/p>\n

\"WorkingWorking livestock farms ring the exterior of the property, providing little clue about the sports training offered inside. Courtesy of AP Ranch <\/p>\n

Although Dry uses only about 150 acres of the total property, he has put it to good use by converting an old horse arena into a 19,000-square-foot gym and weight room, and repurposing a former barn into a center that offers tutoring, counseling and meeting spaces. <\/p>\n

With the help of his brother-in-law, then San Antonio Spurs general manager RC Buford (now CEO of Spurs Sports & Entertainment), the two built a 35,000-square-foot gym with two basketball courts, a weight room, sleeping quarters and custom-designed showers and locker rooms. He built a 50-yard football field, a full-sized football and a soccer field nestled within a nine-lane, Olympic-spec track. The property also has spaces for golf and beach volleyball.<\/p>\n

But beyond the facilities, Dry doesn\u2019t let the mission get away from him. He and AP Ranch use sports as a magnet for world-class athletes, but he thinks of it more as a sanctuary for at-risk youth, foster children and youth from all backgrounds. AP Ranch serves around 1,200 kids through weekly programs that include training and competitions. Overnight stays are not required, but the ranch does have the capacity to host retreats. On a normal day, about 200 kids use the track and football fields.<\/p>\n

AP Ranch has never advertised but still receives strong interest from locals, thanks to word of mouth and school partnerships. Dry said all it takes to access the facilities is to join one of its many programs. Participation is free for kids and families who receive government aid or grants, or have earned athletic scholarships. There is a $20 registration fee that only applies to select participants. Other than that, AP Ranch and Dry <\/b>cover the costs of programs, meals and equipment. Transportation for those in need is available with one of AP Ranch\u2019s three buses. <\/p>\n

Though the property only employs about 12 full-time people, such as Greg Sholars, a three-time national champion sprinter at TCU, approximately 30 volunteer coaches regularly come out to help with training and activities. While Sholars could have remained focused on athletics, he said he wanted to leave a bigger legacy by the time he retires.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just remember when my aunt died, there were people from all over asking and haggling for something. But when the funeral came, crickets. There was hardly anyone there,\u201d Sholars said. \u201cIt was just so clear to me that God was saying to me, \u2018Son, what do you want? Do you want people at your funeral? Or do you just want stuff?\u2019 The way you get people at your funeral is you give. You get people to remember you because of what you do, not because what you have. Compassion is dying, but we\u2019re going to help bring it back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seeking support<\/p>\n

Dry concedes that the operation hasn\u2019t yet drawn a dollar for him in profits. The facility has garnered one-time donations, ranging between $5,000 and $25,000, from athletes such as the Pistons\u2019 Ron Holland, Bucks\u2019 Myles Turner, Giants\u2019 Jameis Winston, Broncos\u2019 Courtland Sutton and other private donations. The largest donation came from Dry\u2019s son, Dalton Dry, at $250,000. But apart from occasional help, AP Ranch is mostly run through Dry\u2019s own wallet; it has never received government funds. Dry sees an opportunity for AP Ranch to become \u201can amazing revenue stream,\u201d but he and others such as Sholars are wary that over-monetizing the ranch could compromise its mission and values by bringing in the wrong investors or outside influences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hardest thing for these guys to do is try and sift through all the guys that are trying to fish with their bait that\u2019s already out there now,\u201d said Mike Riley, an adviser for AP Ranch. \u201cA lot of people who come through here want something of yours and none of theirs. But if we could get some more support for the facilities out here that share the same vision, that\u2019d be what it\u2019s all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to look at AP Ranch and immediately think of projects similar to it, such as IMG Academy. But Sholars and Dry intentionally steer themselves away from similar business practices. <\/p>\n

\u201cAP Ranch is an extension of the kids and families. But if we decided to do an IMG-type scenario, you\u2019re looking at just isolating a few kids, and that\u2019s always been our biggest concern,\u201d Sholars said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to limit our reach, because the kid that needs us most just may not be in our school or can\u2019t afford our school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dry recognizes that now that he\u2019s older than 60, AP Ranch won\u2019t always be able to rely on his dollars to fund the facility. So he\u2019s begun planning what\u2019s next for the property.<\/p>\n

He wants to add a $30 million student union building; a world-class field house and Olympic-grade stadium beside its existing track; a 130-unit student housing facility; a fine arts and performance center; a retail store set to open in January; and finally, long in the future, a hotel. All projects except for the retail store have yet to get beyond a concept, and Dry said construction will depend largely on how his other businesses hold up.<\/p>\n

The new track aims to have a capacity for more than 1,800 people and will give the campus the ability to host national-caliber meets.<\/p>\n

\"AA proposed expansion would add a $30 million student union building, a world-class field house and Olympic-grade stadium beside the site’s existing track. Courtesy of AP Ranch <\/p>\n

Though AP Ranch has a smaller-scale partnership and support from Nike, as it provides a budget for equipment each year, Dry and AP Ranch are actively seeking more corporate support for their project. AP Ranch is handling its search internally.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hoping maybe to garner a corporate sponsor that sees the vision, gets what we\u2019re trying to do and understands the youth movement,\u201d Dry said. \u201cWe have a complete footprint and we know we\u2019re going to be successful. Maybe take the footprint to other cities and build an AP Ranch there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sports will always be the focal point of AP Ranch, but Dry sees a future in which youth from all walks of life, with any type of interest, will be able to enjoy the facilities he built.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy next passion play is just to complete the circle for kids, where they get everything and every base is touched,\u201d he said. \u201cMaybe a kid doesn\u2019t want to do sports. Well, they can come while the other kids are doing something else. If we could do something similar to that with this performing arts building, it would be huge. If we could especially help these kids held up in the foster system, we\u2019d be making a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Off the side of a highway, in a more secluded portion of Fort Worth, lies one of North…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":209935,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,7371,7372,33401,4281,358,19418,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,65148],"class_list":{"0":"post-209934","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-fort-worth","10":"tag-fortworth","11":"tag-portfolio","12":"tag-print","13":"tag-texas","14":"tag-track-and-field","15":"tag-tx","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-united-states-of-america","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-usa","22":"tag-youth-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115168153988743272","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}