STANFORD, California. – Stanford philanthropist and former trustee Bradford M. Freeman, 64, has donated $50 million to benefit Stanford football.
“This is a game-changing gift for Stanford,” said President Jonathan Levin. “This will help us recruit top talent and compete at the highest level. Brad’s generosity and commitment to football will benefit our entire athletics department as excellence in football will support success in all 36 varsity sports.”
Freeman was a star football player at his high school in Fargo, North Dakota, and came to Stanford on a football scholarship. After graduating from Stanford in 1964 with a degree in economics, Freeman earned an MBA from Harvard before beginning a career in investment banking. In 1983, Freeman and his longtime friend and business partner, Ron Spogli, 70, co-founded Freeman Spogli & Co., a private equity investment firm.
In 1988, Freeman filled the nation’s first head coaching position, director of football Bradford M. Freeman, currently held by Frank Reich. His early support helped inspire the creation of other coaching positions across Stanford’s 36 varsity sports.
Freeman’s volunteer service at Stanford spans nearly six decades. He held positions on several university advisory boards, participated in several fundraising campaigns, and was a member of the Stanford University Board of Trustees for 10 years beginning in 1995. In 2005, he and Spogli jointly committed $50 million to endow the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford’s center for nonpartisan research, teaching, and policy impact and interdisciplinary in international affairs. His philanthropic support at Stanford has included support for Bing’s undergraduate teaching, scholarships, professorships, and the study abroad program.
For decades, Stanford has made athletics and academics inseparable — and for decades, Stanford has dominated both college sports and the Olympic medal rankings. However, the traditional model of college sports has changed significantly in recent years with developments such as Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), the evolving transfer portal, and the House v. NCAA, which allows direct payments to student-athletes.
Earlier this year, Stanford announced that it would address recent changes in a way that continues to respect its academic and athletic values, including allowing NIL payments and expanding athletic scholarship offerings. Freeman’s gift includes significant support for the institutional NIL and creates five new football scholarships for student-athletes.
“We are deeply grateful to Brad for this extraordinary commitment to Stanford football. His generosity comes at a pivotal time and positions us to build a championship-caliber program,” said John Donahoe, who became Jaquish & Kenninger’s new principal and president of athletics on September 8.
“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,” said Andrew Luck, who was named the program’s executive director last fall. “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.”
“I believe Stanford has the opportunity to be a premier program in college football, and we are fully motivated to field championship-caliber teams,” he added. Luck himself earned a bachelor’s degree at Stanford in 2012 while earning All-American status and leading the Cardinal football team to national prominence. After a seven-year stint in the NFL, he returned to Stanford for his master’s degree in education, which he earned in 2023. As general manager, he now oversees all aspects of the football program.
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