As he enters into his seventh season as the University of Wyoming head football coach, Craig Bohl wants to give a little back to the school he loves and the student-athletes who have missed out because of cancelled spring athletics seasons.
Bohl and his wife Leia announced that they are donating $100,000 to the UW athletics department to pay for the scholarships of eight spring-sport student-athletes who are taking advantage of the NCAA’s decision to grant an extra year of eligibility to those affected by cancellations due to COVID-19.
Bohl’s donation will cover close to $70,000 in scholarships, while the remainder will go toward the UW athletics training table and student-athletes’ nutritional needs.
“Leia and I have been blessed by our time at Wyoming. This is an opportunity for us to give back to the young people who represent our university so well,” Bohl said in a statement. “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.”
Under the NCAA’s new plan to offer an additional year of eligibility to student-athletes who missed their spring season, all institutions are responsible for covering the additional scholarship money. UW athletic director Tom Burman had previously acknowledged that the school didn’t have the additional money in its annual budget.
“It’s the right thing, but how do we pay for it?” Burman said at the time. “I don’t know where at the present time Wyoming stands.”
Athletic departments currently find themselves at a significant deficit. Without subsidy assistance, non-Power Five programs were at a median deficit of $22 million in 2018, per the NCAA.
“(Bohl) knew I was frustrated that I couldn’t fund these scholarships for these seniors,” UW athletics director Tom Burman told WyoSports. “(It’s) unbelievably heartwarming. I tip my hat to him. Coach Bohl is very invested in the University of Wyoming.”
