Stanford football receives $50 million donation from former player

The Stanford football program has received a $50 million donation from a former player, the school announced Wednesday, marking a significant gift as it attempts to revive the program’s fortunes under general manager Andrew Luck.

This is the largest individual donation in Stanford football history outside of facilities, and an unusually large amount for an individual program. Donations of this value are typically tied to buildings or facilities.

The gift comes from former Stanford football player Bradford M. Freeman, a 1964 graduate of the school and one of Stanford’s top donors for decades.

The Cardinal are currently playing catch-up in the modern college football landscape, finishing 3-9 in each of their last four seasons. Stanford is 2-3 this season under interim coach Frank Reich.

“Thanks to Brad’s incredible gift, we are able to win on the field and build a bridge to a sustainable future for Stanford football,” Luck said in a statement. “The ability to support our players through new scholarships and institutional NIL will solidify Stanford as the nation’s preeminent place to be a scholar-athlete in football.”

The gift is also a dose of adrenaline for the tenure of Luck, general manager since November 2024 (fundraising being a key part of his task), and for new athletic director John Donahoe, hired in July.

Stanford is looking for a full-term coach, as the program and Reich have made it clear he will not be the coach after this interim season. This gift is a marketing boost for the position, as it shows the availability of immediate resources and the power of leveraging Stanford’s network.

Stanford will honor the gift by naming a tunnel and gate at Stanford Stadium after Freeman, who provided a wide variety of gifts to Stanford athletes and the university. In 1988, Freeman filled the nation’s first head coaching job; the title is known as Bradford Director of Football M. Freeman.

Freeman is also a former school administrator who has served on numerous advisory boards. He co-founded Freeman Spogli, a private equity investment firm, and in the release he said he credits his time at Stanford with impacting “the trajectory of my life” and hopes it will help “herald a new era of excellence for Stanford football.”

Luck added, “I believe Stanford has the opportunity to be a premier program in college football, and we are fully motivated to field championship-caliber teams.”