Kansas receives $300 million gift from donor, one of the largest single gifts in college sports history
The gift — which came courtesy of donor David Booth — is the largest in school history. It's believed to be one of the largest single gifts in all of college sports history, per ESPN.
Kansas plans to split the money between renovations on David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and other construction in that immediate area. The school will set aside $75 million for those improvements.
The rest of Booth's gift will be used to "establish an annual additional revenue stream for Kansas athletics," per ESPN.
Kansas athletic director Travis Goff confirmed the gift in a statement to ESPN, calling it "transformative and a game changer."
"I'd say it's transformative and a game changer," Goff told ESPN. "This gift makes an immediate impact on our top priority in a profound way, and it also provides us with an incredible revenue stream that gives us a chance to really invest in unique ways in the future of Kansas athletics."
Kansas is already in the process of updating Kansas Memorial Stadium and has contributed $450 million to efforts thus far. The stadium's southwest, west and north sides are expected to be finished with renovations before the team opens the 2025 season.
Booth's donation will go toward additional renovations at the stadium. It will also be used to upgrade the immediate area surrounding the stadium, known as the Gateway District. The team plans to build a number of amenities in the Gateway District, including a hotel, student housing and restaurants, among other businesses.
Booth received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Kansas. He's given multiple gifts to Kansas over the years, including a $9 million donation in 2004 and $50 million donation in 2017. Booth, 78, currently serves as the chairman at Dimensional Fund Advisors, an investment firm.
After going 9-4 in 2023, Kansas regressed to a 5-7 record last season. The team entered the 2024 season ranked in the top-25 for the first time in over a decade. It reached as high as No. 19 in the rankings before eventually falling off the top-25 list.
Kansas did not appear on the first preseason AP top-25 poll ahead of the 2025 season, which was released Tuesday.
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