STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford philanthropist and former trustee Bradford M. Freeman, ’64, has made a $50 million gift to benefit Stanford football.
“This is a game-changing gift for Stanford,” said President Jonathan Levin. “It will help us to recruit top talent and compete at the highest level. Brad’s generosity and commitment to football will benefit our entire athletics department, as excellence in football will support success across all 36 varsity sports.”
Freeman was a star football player at his high school in Fargo, North Dakota, and came to Stanford on a football scholarship. After graduating from Stanford in 1964 with a degree in economics, Freeman earned an MBA at Harvard before starting a career in investment banking. In 1983, Freeman and his longtime friend and business partner, Ron Spogli, ’70, co-founded Freeman Spogli & Co., a private equity investment firm.
In 1988, Freeman endowed the nation’s first head coaching position, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, which is currently held by Frank Reich. His early support helped inspire the endowment of other coaching positions across Stanford’s 36 varsity sports.
Freeman’s volunteer service at Stanford spans nearly six decades. He has held positions on multiple university advisory boards, been active in several fundraising campaigns, and served 10 years as a member of the Stanford University Board of Trustees starting in 1995. In 2005, he and Spogli jointly committed $50 million to endow the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford’s hub for nonpartisan, interdisciplinary research, teaching, and policy impact in international affairs. His philanthropic support for Stanford has included support for undergraduate education, fellowships, professorships, and the Bing Overseas Studies Program.
For decades, Stanford has made athletics and academics inseparable—and for decades, Stanford has dominated both college sports and Olympic medal standings. However, the traditional model of college sports has changed substantially in recent years with developments such as Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), the evolving transfer portal, and the House v. NCAA settlement, which allows for direct payments to student-athletes.
Earlier this year, Stanford announced that it will approach recent changes in a way that continues to uphold its academic and athletic values, including allowing NIL payments and expanding athletics scholarship offerings. Freeman’s gift includes significant support for institutional NIL and creates five new football scholarships for student-athletes.
“We are deeply grateful to Brad for this extraordinary commitment to Stanford Football. His generosity comes at a pivotal time and puts us in position to build a championship-caliber program,” said John Donahoe, who became the new Jaquish & Kenninger Director and Chair of Athletics on Sept 8. “Brad’s belief in the future of our program strengthens not only football but the foundation of excellence that defines Stanford Athletics.”
“With Brad’s incredible gift, we are positioned to win on the field and build a bridge to a sustainable future for Stanford football,” said Andrew Luck, who was appointed as the program’s general manager last fall. “The ability to support our players through new scholarships and institutional NIL will reinforce Stanford as the preeminent place in the country to be a football scholar-athlete.”
“I believe that Stanford has the opportunity to be a leading program in college football, and we are entirely motivated to field championship-caliber teams,” he added. Luck himself earned a bachelor’s degree at Stanford in 2012 while earning All-American status and leading the Cardinal football team to national prominence. After a seven-year stint in the NFL, he returned to Stanford for his master’s degree in education, which he earned in 2023. As general manager, he now oversees all aspects of the football program.
For the complete story, click here.
Source link
