Michigan State Athletics was one of the departments that benefited most from donations last year
The Michigan State athletic department is known for its alumni.
The department collects huge amounts of donations every year, with the majority of the money going to facilities in recent years.
Among those projects is the new Tom Izzo Football Building, which was made possible thanks to a generous donation from Coach Izzo’s former player, Mat Ishbia. The former Michigan State University basketball player donated $20 million for the facility as part of a $32 million donation to the entire athletic department. According to Michigan State Athletics, this was “the largest single donation by an individual in MSU history.”
Other facilities contributed by donors included the Clara Bell Smith Student Athlete Academic Center ($2.5 million from Spartan alumnus Steve Smith) and the Duffy Daugherty Building/Skandalaris Football Center ($5 million from Robert and Julie Skandalaris as part of a $12.5 million project).
Grant Hughes of 247Sports recently revealed the “25 Big Shots Who Received the Highest Donations in 2023,” based on records from Sportico data, only considering donations from the 2022-23 financial year.
Michigan State ranked 15th with $45.1 million, two spots ahead of Michigan and the fourth-best athletic department in the Big Ten.
At $115.4 million, Texas A&M ranked No. 1 on the list and was the only department to reach $100 million.
“Not surprisingly, roughly 90% of total donations to the top 25 programs in 2022-23 went directly to football programs,” Hughes wrote. “Donors know that football is the breadwinner in college sports. Texas led the nation with $182 million in football revenue last season. Men’s basketball brings in the second most money, but pales in comparison. The top-grossing basketball school posted a net profit of $38 million.”
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