Support UChicago Athletes
Contributions to Maroon Athletics enhance and enrich the student-athlete experience and support the mission of Maroon Athletics: aiming for competitive excellence as we challenge our student-athletes to develop into their best selves as athletes, teammates, students and ultimately, citizens in the world. We are committed to teaching how to work collaboratively to reach performance goals, how to embrace diversity of thought and culture, how to persevere through failure with resiliency, how to compete with integrity.
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Friends of Maroon Athletics
A gift to Friends of Maroon Athletics expands opportunities for all UChicago student-athletes, allows the Director of Athletics to immediately address department priorities, and raise the competitive profile of the Department of Athletics as a whole. Contributing to an individual team grants coaches the flexibility to address team needs above and beyond their departmental budget. A gift supporting the department or your favorite team makes an immediate and direct impact, and will help us build upon the foundation of success that UChicago Athletics is recognized for.Â
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Department of Athletics Endowment Funds
Managed by the University, the athletics endowment fund model is an investment in our teams and department priorities. Endowment funds provide perpetual, sustainable, additive financial support above and beyond the College's operational budgets, as determined by the head coaches of each sport and the Director of Athletics. The annual payout is determined by the Board of Trustees, in consultation with the Office of Investments. Visit the University’s Office of Investments website for more information on how the endowment is managed. Payout generated by the Fund is to be used at the coach’s discretion in consultation with and approval from the Director of Athletics.Â
Walter L. Hass Fund for Athletics
Made possible by a gift from an anonymous donor, this fund honors Walter Hass, who served as UChicago's chair of the Department of Physical Education - Men's Division from 1956 until his retirement in June 1976. The introduction of the fund marks a significant step as the University's first endowment supporting athletics priorities. The generous gift will enhance and enrich the student-athlete experience and support the vision and mission of Maroon Athletics in perpetuity. Walter Hass was instrumental in the reinstatement of football as a varsity sport in 1969 and served as head coach of the Maroons from 1969-75. Hass was posthumously inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.
Patricia R. Kirby and Mary Jean Mulvaney Fund for Athletics
The endowment was made possible by a generous group of women who participated in collegiate athletics during Kirby and Mulvaney's tenures leading the department. The endowment fund will enhance and enrich the student-athlete experience, and support the vision and mission of Maroon Athletics in perpetuity. Mulvaney served the department for 24 years, starting in 1966 as chair of the Department of Physical Education - Women's Division. She became one of the nation's first female athletic directors of a coeducational department in 1976, and held the title of Director of Athletics up through her retirement in 1990. Kirby was an administrator and four-sport coach within women's athletics, leading the badminton, basketball, softball and volleyball programs. Her softball teams won state championships in both 1977 and 1978. In 1974, the Maroons became the nation's first-ever college women's basketball team to fly to an away game.
Dan Tepke Memorial Fund for Football
The endowment was established by a generous group gift from football alumni, family and friends in memory of Dan Tepke. The fund will serve as a permanent source of ongoing support for the football program and its priorities, and became the University's first athletics endowment fund to allocate support directly to a specific team. In the athletic realm, he was an assistant coach for the Maroon football team. Tepke's distinguished career also included roles as the Associate Dean for Management and Budget at the School of Business, as well as a lecturer in marketing and Director of the New Product and Strategy Development Laboratory. A dear friend, mentor and colleague to many in the University community, Tepke passed away in December 2019.
J. Laurence Costin Men’s Basketball Fund
The endowment was made possible by a generous gift from men's basketball alumnus Larry Costin, AB'66 (Class of 1963). The fund will serve as a permanent source of ongoing support for the men's basketball program and its priorities.
University of Chicago Baseball Fund
The endowment was made possible by a generous gift from an anonymous donor. The fund will serve as a permanent source of ongoing support for the baseball program and its priorities.
University of Chicago Women's Lacrosse Fund
The endowment was made possible by an anonymous donor and other lacrosse supporters. The fund will serve as a source of ongoing support for the women's lacrosse program and its priorities. It is the first endowment fund for the department that directly supports a women's sport.
University of Chicago Softball Fund
The endowment was made possible by a dedicated group of softball families, alumnae and fans. The fund will serve as a permanent source of ongoing support for the softball program and its priorities.
University of Chicago Wrestling Fund
The endowment was made possible by a dedicated group of wrestling alumni and fans. The fund will serve as a permanent source of ongoing support for the wrestling program and its priorities.
University of Chicago Women’s Volleyball Fund
The endowment was made possible by an anonymous donor. The fund will serve as a permanent source of ongoing support for the women’s volleyball program and its priorities.
More ways to support Maroon Athletics
For more information on giving to athletics, please contact Stephen Milani, Senior Associate Director of Athletics Development (smilani@uchicago.edu).Â
