Oct 19, 2007 1:29 pm US/Central
Mdewakanton Sioux Donates $10M To Gopher Stadium
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ―
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The university had raised $63 million of the $86 million it needs in private gifts and sponsorships to help pay for the stadium, so it must still raise $13 million.
University of Minnesota
The largest private donation in the history of Golden Gopher athletics was made Friday.
The University of Minnesota received a $12.5 million donation, with $10 million going towards its new TCF Bank Stadium.
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, which owns Mystic Lake Casino, made the contribution.
"This is the single, largest gift in the history of Gopher athletics and it helps to keep our fundraising efforts ahead of schedule," said University athletics director Joel Maturi.
The additional $2.5 million will go towards an endowment scholarship targeted toward American Indian students.
"What really got my attention was an opportunity to support the scholarship program and that the 'U' would be matching that," said Stanley R. Crooks, chairman of the tribe.
Crooks called the donation a win-win. He said the Dakota community is excited to be a part of the new stadium. As part of the donation the tribe will have naming rights to the west hospitality plaza.
Crooks said the tribe has never been in favor of mixing gambling and sports, but for this donation Crooks believes there is a distinction.
"We don't consider this gambling revenues. We do consider this tribal revenues used to support amateur sports. So, we think that is a distinction that we are trying to provide out there," he said.
As for the University of Minnesota, President Robert Bruininks said the contribution will help to educate students about Dakota traditions.
"It is our shared hope that this gift will tangibly link those proud traditions with new, shared traditions that we will celebrate and enjoy together," said Bruininks.
A name has not been decided, but Crooks said one possibility is 'Dakota Plaza.' When finished, TCF Bank Stadium will be the first Big Ten stadium built since 1960. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community contribution puts the University within $13 million of a stadium goal of $86 million.
Crooks said this is the largest single donation his tribe has made. Click <a href="http://www.ccsmdc.org/smsc/pdf/donation_rpt2006.pdf " target="blank">here</a> to see a link to other contributions the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has made.
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Memorial Stadium was the home of Minnesota Golden Gophers football from 1924 until 1981.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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