In a gesture that could alter the trajectory of Illinois athletics forever, Illinois alum Larry Gies announced a $100 million pledge to his alma mater.
The donation comes with new naming rights to Memorial
Stadium and long-term plans to improve both the stadium and the football program.
Illinois is beginning its ascent to football power status. And in year one of massive expectations, this gift to the university is a loud signal of the Illini’s arrival.
So what does this donation truly mean?
Larry Gies is playing at the high-stakes table.
Gies’ donation is one of the largest donations in the history of college athletics. Major moves like this buy the flagship university of the state of Illinois a seat at the proverbial Big Boy Table.
That is oil baron money. That is Larry Ellison money. That is the kind of money that programs like Illinois rarely get.
Winning is expensive. That is nothing new, but in a landscape where the exchange of money in college sports easily rivals pro sports, the barrier to entry is more than just solid program builders who can recruit decent players.
Larry Gies, bluntly, put Illinois’ largesse on the glass table of college athletics. And both the weight and impact shattered the glass.
Remember, a school does not ask for a seat at the Big Boy Table. They take it. Illinois has a proud donor who kicked in the door.
The Flutie Effect and what it could mean for the beloved.
The Flutie Effect refers to the phenomenon where a college or university experiences increased applications, donations, and general visibility following high-profile success in athletics, particularly football or basketball.
It’s named after Doug Flutie, the Boston College quarterback who threw a famous last-second Hail Mary touchdown pass to beat the University of Miami 47-45 on November 23, 1984.
In his report entitled The Dynamic Advertising Effect of College Athletics, Harvard researcher Donald Chung found that when mediocre teams rise to greatness, admissions applications increase by 17.7%. For schools to see similar application gains, Chung said they would have to either hire improved faculty or reduce tuition by nearly 4%.
An Ivywise story mentions several famous examples of the Flutie Effect.
- Georgetown University saw a 45% increase in applications in the mid-1980s after Hoya Paranoia and John Thompson took the basketball program to new heights. Mind you all, this was during the Marion Berry era of Washington, DC, being possibly the most dangerous city in America.
- Northwestern had a 21% increase in applications after winning a Big Ten Championship.
- Schools like Butler, Gonzaga, and VCU also saw significant advances in applications after March Madness runs.
The current first-year students at the University of Illinois are a part of the largest applicant pool in the history of the school.
According to the Daily Illini, over 73,000 students applied for the Fall 2025 term.
I cannot officially prove a 1:1 correlation between a legendary 10-win season and increased interest in the University of Illinois. But if there ever was a school that has risen from mediocrity to the potential for sustained success in the last five years, it is the University of Illinois.
A growing DIA and a growing university can provide significant growth in the school’s national profile.
I could write nothing but Josh Whitman puff pieces and never run out of material.
The man in charge has put Illinois in a different stratosphere in terms of capability and fundraising.
So I will simply present Josh Whitman: by the numbers.
Football Facilities
Henry Dale & Betty Smith Football Performance Center
- $20 million donation from the H.D. Smith Foundation, with the facility dedicated in 2019
- $79.2 million, 107,650-square-foot facility
Memorial Stadium Renovations
- $132 million stadium renovation project announced in October 2016
- Over $9 million committed to a better wireless internet system
Basketball Facilities
Ubben Basketball Complex Renovation
- $30 million campaign launched in June 2018
- Raised over $11 million of the $30 million project to more than double the square footage
- $40 million multiyear renovation and expansion completed in fall 2022
Other Sports Facilities
Soccer and Track & Field
- $7 million gift for a new soccer and track and field stadium and facilities
Baseball and Softball
- Two $3 million naming gifts for baseball and softball indoor training facilities
Has all of this money led to success?
Under Whitman’s leadership, these facilities upgrades have contributed to 92 NCAA postseason appearances, 14 Big Ten Conference titles, and 9 individual national championships.
So where do the Illini stand now?
Illinois is on the precipice of an undefeated non-conference football schedule. If Bret Bielema and company take care of business against Western Michigan, they will achieve that goal.
Another football campaign with double-digit wins keeps Illinois squarely in the conversation that Brad Underwood’s squad consistently finds itself in: contender for the top of a loaded Big Ten with potential to make deep, annual postseason runs.
That opens up the money spigot that represents the minimum buy-in to play hands at the highest-stakes game of no-limit in college sports.
