Welcome to Fundraising Friday, AB Today's weekly digest of recent developments in development.
Through a transformative $3 million gift, University of California tennis alum Stacy Savides is endowing the women's tennis head coach position, which will now be known as The Stacy Savides Director of Women's Tennis — ensuring future generations of student-athletes benefit from exceptional leadership and enduring support. According to Cal's June 26 announcement, Savides, who graduated in 1985, credits much of her personal growth to her collegiate coach, the legendary Jan Brogan, who was a pioneer in emphasizing the psychological side of training. Through meditation, visualization techniques, and direct peer accountability, Brogan encouraged Cal players to confront fear, navigate adversity, and communicate directly with one another — all in pursuit of collective growth.
The University of Texas El Paso celebrated its upcoming move to the Mountain West Conference on June 26 with a special event at the Larry K. Durham Hall of Champions. As reported by local NBC affiliate KTSM, one of the biggest announcements from the event was a $2.5 million gift to UTEP Athletics from Paul and Alejandra Foster.
Murray State University's athletics department announced Tuesday that it has received a $2.25 million gift from Tommy and Sandy Draffen. In honor of the gift, the new premium club and suite level within the heart of Rudolph Family Field at Roy Stewart Stadium will be named the Draffen Family Founders Club. The club will feature a common area with a high-class bar, premium food offerings and comfortable seating so fans can enjoy a world-class gameday experience. The space will also double as additional student-athlete dining hub on non-gamedays, as well as an external event space. Three days, later Murray State Murray announced receipt of an investment of $250,000 from an anonymous source toward the department's Leading The Pack capital campaign that the Racers publicly announced in March. The campaign supports numerous strategic initiatives, capital progress and revenue share.
An anonymous donor has pledged $2 million to a Utah State University match campaign, as the Aggies join the revitalized nine-member Pac-12 Conference. According to the athletics department's Wednesday announcement, every dollar raised during the month of July will be matched, up to $2 million.
Wichita State University's athletics department announced Monday a $500,000 pledge from an anonymous donor to the We Fight For Wichita Fund, creating a dollar-for-dollar matching challenge designed to inspire Shocker Nation to invest in the future of Wichita State Athletics. According to the announcement, the contribution will match donations to the We Fight For Wichita Fund up to $500,000, effectively doubling the impact of gifts made during the campaign and generating as much as $1 million in support for Shocker student-athletes.
Total amount of these gifts:
$10,500,000
Running total for 2026:
$531,427,000
Total amount tracked by AB Today in 2025:
$1,671,578,500
