Arizona State announces $10 million gift to endow head football coach position

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Arizona State has received its largest athletics donation in history. It will also endow the head football coach position, the university announced.

Former PepsiCo executive and eBay CEO Brian Swette and his wife, Kelly, are donating $10 million to their alma mater. The gift will go toward “recruitment and retention” of student-athletes, coaches and staff while also contributing to compensation for football athletes under NCAA rules.

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Additionally, head coach Kenny Dillingham will now be the Swette Family Endowed Football Coach at Arizona State. Football is the second program to have an endowed head coach at ASU along with men’s hockey.

“It’s an honor to have the Swette family endow the head coaching position, and I can’t wait to continue building this program into what it can be with continued support,” Dillingham said in a statement. “Commitments like this show the direction of the program and buy-in this program has from the community. The Swette family has been a vital piece of our program from season one on, and this gift marks a next-level commitment.”

Dillingham previously issued a call to action at Arizona State as the school planned a new indoor facility. He later shared an update and said someone “stepped up” and provided a major donation, and now the school is getting a historic gift from the Swette family.

The gift comes as revenue-sharing era comes up on its one-year anniversary in college athletics. That paved the way for schools to directly share up to $20.5 million with athletes, and that number is expected to grow to $21.3 million on July 1.

Brian Swette noted the ever-changing nature of the landscape and praised the work Dillingham has done to put Arizona State in position in the new era. That’s why he and his wife wanted to further support the program with a historic gift.

“The dynamics of athletics has changed with NIL and the (transfer) portal,” Swette in a statement. “It requires a new type of leadership. Kenny is uniquely suited to success. We are proud to support him.”

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