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Virginia Athletics receives $40 million donation from former student-athlete

The donation marks the largest the Virginia Athletics Foundation has received in its history

<p>With Phase I of the project complete — including renovations to Memorial Gym and the expansion of grass practice fields, fundraising efforts for Phase II and the construction Football operations Center are in progress.</p>

With Phase I of the project complete — including renovations to Memorial Gym and the expansion of grass practice fields, fundraising efforts for Phase II and the construction Football operations Center are in progress.

The University announced Tuesday that an anonymous former student-athlete has made the single largest donation to the Virginia Athletics Foundation, a $40 million contribution made with the intent of making a “significant” impact in the lives of student athletes. 

The $40 million contribution will play a role in the University’s $5 billion Honor the Future capital campaign, including a $500 million goal from the Virginia Athletics Foundation itself — Tuesday’s donation brings that total to $443 million. 

“This type of philanthropic giving helps to ensure U.Va. Athletics will remain a leader in college athletics and positively impact generations of student-athletes,” Director of Athletics Carla Williams said in the announcement. “The commitment of this very special family is inspirational to everyone who loves the University of Virginia.”

While exactly in what capacity the gift will be used has not been specified, it is likely that a portion will be used to further the development of the Virginia Athletics Master Plan. With phase one of the project complete — including renovations to Memorial Gym and the expansion of grass practice fields, fundraising efforts for phase two and the construction Football operations Center are in progress. 

Phase three includes plans for a renovated McCue Center and the construction of an Olympic Sports Complex. 

Improvements to various facilities along with the implementation of new resources will also aim to achieve the objective of stronger performance across all programs. With funding being placed towards assets that will enhance practice as well as the rest and recovery facets of all sports, the Athletics Department is looking to better position all teams for success. 

There is no doubt that a donation of this size allows Virginia Athletics to take a tremendous leap forward in providing the world-class facilities and resources it has long sought to provide student-athletes. 

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