LAWRENCE — Kansas Athletics announced another major gift Friday that will go toward its Gateway District project, this one a $35 million commitment from Brad Garlinghouse to KU Endowment.
Garlinghouse, a Topeka native, is no stranger to supporting KU. Dating back to his time as a student, he was a former student body president. And he’s doing his part to help make Kansas’ vision for a renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, and reimagined surrounding area, a reality.
“I couldn’t be more proud to have attended the University of Kansas,” Garlinghouse said in a KU release. “It is an honor to partner with Kansas Athletics to enrich the future of this place that did so much for me. I hope others feel compelled to do the same.”
Garlinghouse’s gift is the latest moment that’s furthered the momentum behind the fundraising for this project. Considering the goals Kansas Athletics and the university at large have for the project, one wouldn’t expect for it to be the last. And it’s surely had to have helped that the football team is on its way to a bowl game for a second-straight season, which hasn’t happened in more than a decade.
Other recent gift announcements include $25 million from R. Todd Slawson in October and $15 million from an anonymous family in October. They include a $10 million gift from the Kimbell and Almanza families in November and $10 million gift from Dana Anderson in August. Each one has been met with an outpouring of appreciation from the athletic department and fans.
Construction is underway on the project that began in earnest after the last home game of the 2023 football season, which is not yet over for the Jayhawks. As the release outlines, in addition to the renovation of the football stadium the project is set to include a “state-of-the-art conference center” and a “multiuse development complex.”
“Brad has a special love for the University of Kansas and Kansas Athletics, and we are so humbled by his continued generosity and his desire to help lead the way on a project that is as critical as anything touching our university right now,” KU athletic director Travis Goff said in the release. “In my time here, Brad has continuously looked for ways to help support the future of Kansas Athletics at an important time of change. This investment supports all 500-plus of our student-athletes, who in recent semesters have had record-breaking performances in the classroom and on their respective playing fields. Each of them will benefit from Brad’s amazing gift, and we are truly honored by that.”
KU chancellor Douglas Girod added: “We are grateful for Brad’s continued investment in the University of Kansas. His leadership commitment to the Gateway District represents a new generation of donors who recognize the impact this project will have on the University and region.”
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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
