Shama: Coach Jerry Kill Fundraising in Arizona

BleedGopher

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per Shama:

Gophers football coach Jerry Kill is in Arizona fundraising for the Athletic Department and the master facilities plan to raise $150 million. Kill is in the Phoenix area with his wife Rebecca, athletic director Norwood Teague and other department leaders. The athletics facilities fundraising effort is being assisted by longtime Gophers booster and Minnesota native Dick Ames, who has a ranch in the Phoenix area.

Kill is popular with Gophers donors and has become the face of the department since taking over as coach for the 2011 season. He is adamant about having a new football complex that will include much improved practice facilities—a key piece to the master plan that will include other buildings and resources benefitting various sports at the University of Minnesota.

The department hopes to break ground on facilities this year but won’t do so in piecemeal fashion. That means the football facility won’t begin as a single endeavor. Fundraising for the master facilities plan has reached $70 million but $120 million is needed to break ground—meaning 80 percent of the $150 million is in place. That $150 million figure will eventually be replaced with an additional $40 million, raising the total to be privately fundraised to $190 million. The $150 million will fund an initial phase of assessed needs such as new football and basketball practice facilities, and an academic and nutrition “Excellence Center” benefitting all Gophers athletes.

Kill’s impact on fundraising can’t be understated. He had a close relationship with the late Dave Larson, the former Cargill executive and member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. Larson’s widow Janis told Sports Headliners awhile ago she is making a $15 million donation toward the new football complex. She said the facility will be named the David and Janis Larson Football Performance Center.

http://shamasportsheadliners.com/

Go Gophers!!
 

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Glad to see Kill is on the war path. The phrase "hopes to break ground" concerns me. I thought at one point we were breaking ground this year. "Hopes to" feels like a step backwards.
 

Glad to see Kill is on the war path. The phrase "hopes to break ground" concerns me. I thought at one point we were breaking ground this year. "Hopes to" feels like a step backwards.

The narrative hasn't really changed. August-September of this year has always been the goal and it has always been just that, a goal and not a guarantee.
 

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Even better, he has a picture of the 202L South Mountain freeway project that I'm currently working on. Get R done!
 



The narrative hasn't really changed. August-September of this year has always been the goal and it has always been just that, a goal and not a guarantee.

I wonder what the drop dead date is for having the funding in place in order to still break ground this year. There are tons of logistics involved so there has to be a cutoff of some kind to where it just wouldn't be possible to get things done in time. Kill has been banging the drum hard for breaking the ground this year if that doesn't happen it will be interesting to see how he responds. Hopefully they can get all the funds in place to get shovels in the ground before the end of this year.
 





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