As the flames of Friday night's bonfire still glow in students' memories and the celebrations of Saturday's Ivy League co-championship continue, the football team can now revel in yet another piece of good news: a $10 million gift to the University's football program from investor and former University football player William Powers '79, the University's Office of Development announced yesterday afternoon.
Powers' gift — which, on top of the core $10 million, includes an additional $500,000 for need-based financial aid for athletes — has already funded a resurfacing of the stadium field. The yet-to-be used funds will go toward maintenance of that field, as well as the renovation and maintenance of two practice fields east of the stadium — to be shared with the soccer and lacrosse teams — and general operating support for the football team.
Brian McDonald '83, the University's vice president for development, hailed the magnitude of Powers' gift, which is the largest single donation to athletics in the University's history.
"His generosity is remarkable, absolutely remarkable, for someone as relatively young as he is," McDonald said.
During his time at Old Nassau, Powers piled up awards as the football team's defensive back, becoming an All-Ivy punter and garnering the University's Charles W. Caldwell Memorial Trophy, awarded to the senior football player who demonstrates the greatest improvement. In the past few years, he has been particularly active in his support of the football program, having funded a trip to San Diego for the team and the University Band in 2004.
McDonald stressed that Powers' most recent decision to donate occurred prior to the start of this year's football season and thus was not prompted by the team's recent string of successes.
"This is sort of the culmination of a sustained interest on his part in the program," McDonald said. "I'm sure there's nobody happier than he is that the program had as great a year as it did this year, but that has nothing to do with his thinking about why [his gift] is important to the program."
Maren Dale '08, the soccer team's goalie, said resurfacing the two practice fields with more weather-resistant turf will be extremely useful for University soccer players, who currently must borrow the football team's field for training on stormy days.
"We've been lucky enough to have accommodating football coaches who allow us to use their field," she said, referring to the state-of-the art synthetic surface of the stadium field. "A turf field allows us to play in a more rainy situation because a grass field gets beat up a lot more."
Though the bulk of Powers' gift goes directly to the football team, Dale said her fellow athletes earned their award.
"It's amazing what the football team has done this year," she said. "They deserve to get what they're given ... That's how it is, that the football team rakes in more money, is given more money."
In a University press release, Powers said he looks forward to a time when his largesse will serve as a model for the athletes currently reaping its benefits.
"I hope this contribution will inspire among its beneficiaries their own philosophy of giving," he said, "and that it may lead other alumni, parents and friends to consider sharing their good fortune with Princeton and other outstanding organizations."
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