'Generous gift': Illinois State football receives $2.5 million donation
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
NORMAL — Illinois State football has received a $2.5 million donation from an anonymous former Redbirds quarterback, the school announced Tuesday, Dec. 23.
The announcement comes three days after ISU secured a trip to the Football Championship Subdivision national title game. The gift is the largest allocated to the football program and the second-largest in ISU athletics history, the school said in a release.
The money will help ISU enhance its football program and help in its “quest to recruit and retain first-class student-athletes to Normal,” the school said. ISU athletics director Jeri Beggs said she was “grateful for this generous gift,” and appreciates the trust this former player puts in the program.
Unseeded ISU (12-4) is in the midst of a Cinderella run to the FCS championship game, during which they became the first team to win four road playoff games in the same season. They face No. 2 seed Montana State in the championship game set for Jan. 5, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Investments in ISU football have shown immediate dividends in the past. The school renovated its home stadium in 2013 and then made three consecutive playoffs including its last title game berth in January 2015. The school opened an indoor training center in 2023 and now is in its second title game.
The school did not name the former quarterback, but thanked him for the “investment,” and said the school will be sharing more details about the donation.
“Investments like this in our program are transformational for us and key to the future success of our team on a national scale,” ISU coach Brock Spack said in a release. “… This commitment will not only help us recruit and retain some of the best players in the country, but it will also help our program stay in the national spotlight for years to come.”
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Illinois State Redbirds football donation: QB pledges large donation
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos