Champaign, Ill (WAND) – When the University of Illinois football team takes the field Saturday their stadium will have a new name. Gies Memorial Stadium.Â
Larry Gies, whose late father served in the U.S. Army, donated a gift of $100 million to the Illinois athletic department. Making it one of the largest donations to any university athletic program in the country.
The money will be used to take the 101-year-old stadium into the next 100 years according to Gies and will continue to honor the men & women who attended Illinois and lost their lives while serving in the military.
Shortly after Athletic Director Josh Whitman was hired Gies made it clear to him his position on donating money.
“I will never give any money to University of Illinois athletics,” Gies told Whitman.
But the two men built a quick relationship leading up to this weeks announcement of the $100 million gift. Stadium signage is already being changed to reflect the stadiums new name.
