Larry Gies has given a qtr. of a BILLION dollars to the University. There is a very good chance that the number will reach a BILLION by the time he has finished donating. People are so focused on the recent donation of 100 million. I can assure you he has done much much more in relation to NIL, player costs, and a whole lot more than people are aware of. I am not sure what Corporate sponsor would donate that type of money.
Gies Memorial Stadium
Possibly, but it's also possible that this is a much longer-term play with a top donor, and it's only one piece of many more potential donations to come that will far surpass anything a corporate sponsor would give us to put their name on the stadium. Josh is not dumb, and there is much, much, much more to this than a $100M donation to upgrade the stadium.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Loose interpretation of the word facts.
People need to look at what other programs have gotten for naming rights and then formulate their opinions. We really undersold the asset we had
Facts are that we didn’t get top end value for the stadium naming rights. There were options… we didn’t explore them. Josh is pretty good at what he does. But mistakes happen.
Facts are that we didn’t get top end value for the stadium naming rights. There were options… we didn’t explore them. Josh is pretty good at what he does. But mistakes happen.
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Illinois had very limited options for naming rights because it's a true Memorial Stadium. They weren't putting CAT or any other for profit business on the name. That's a non-starter.
They're lucky Gies' father was a vet or that likely wasn't a go either.
I proposed changing the naming on Zuppke field. I don't believe there is any living Zuppke family still involved in Illinois football (I may be wrong). Does anyone today really know much about him? No. There would be a groundswell of opposition in the 100's. Maybe.
Gies has already given $150M to the Business school. So in total, that's $250M. I'm sure there are other donations in there. Presumably, he has more money to donate in the future. Keep him close to the program and don't let the University or posters "Shad Khan" him. Been there, done that.
I would’ve gone with either a larger I or put ILLINI around it some how.
A quick google search disproves your “facts”
All in the 60-80 mil range. We got a $100 mil from a guy who is going to continue to give A TON more.
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Yea when a 60 year old controlling owner of a $15ish billion cap privately owned conglomerate who just happens to be a sports nut gives your school a quarter of a billion dollars in a relatively short time frame, you give him basically anything he wants (within reason) to keep him happy and keep the $ spigot on. The guy is probably the wealthiest alumni we got outside of Khan (unless you count Larry Ellison, who's isn't an alumni and is currently underwriting Michigan's football program).
Also, we have no idea what stipulations were put on the Gies DIA donation. I mean he got his name on the stadium, but we don't know if he put any restrictions on how that money could be used (facilities, players, coaches, etc.)
Also, we have no idea what stipulations were put on the Gies DIA donation. I mean he got his name on the stadium, but we don't know if he put any restrictions on how that money could be used (facilities, players, coaches, etc.)
pretty sure it’s just for capital improvements , and I’m 100% fine with donors getting to stipulate that if they want.
Larry Geis is worth about $5B, in case people haven't noticed. To be successful in this new world of college athletics, programs need this type of engaged donor who loves their university to be even reasonably successful. Thank goodness he loves Illinois and Illinois football. I'd think many of us on this board would be doing the same thing if we were worth $5B. I, for one, am extremely grateful for all he has done for the Illini.
Those aren’t lifetime deals. We gave up naming rights FOR life. It was undersold. And maybe he will. But there’s no guarantee of that. And if it’s not helping the on the field product it’s sorta a waste given today’s game
The only guarantee is that he'll stop if "fans" keep giving him crap and complaining about how and where he donates his money.
The venn diagram of people complaining about the stadium getting new signage and people who still complain about the board of trustees snubbing Kahn has a way bigger middle section than it should.
The venn diagram of people complaining about the stadium getting new signage and people who still complain about the board of trustees snubbing Kahn has a way bigger middle section than it should.