Men’s basketball head coaching position endowed for $5 million
The donors didn’t even go to Notre Dame
Today, it was announced that the men’s basketball coaching position has been endowed for $5 million dollars through a donation by Glen Murphy, former Gap CEO, and his wife Stacey of Toronto, neither of whom attended Notre Dame.
Head coach Mike Brey, who is currently in his 16th season with the Fighting Irish, will be the first coach to benefit from this. Although still paid $400,000 less than Brian Kelly’s salary, Brey is ranked 35th on highest paid NCAAB coaches.
The news follows the recent increasingly common trend in endowing coaching positions and comes over a year after the first ever endowed Notre Dame coaching position, women’s basketball, which was also endowed for $5 million.
Jack Swarbrick, vice president and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics, said: “The Murphys’ extraordinary generosity and the confidence it reflects in the basketball program that Coach Mike Brey has built is critical to our continued success.”
He added: “With Purcell Pavilion having been renovated to be one of the best basketball arenas in the country, the soon to be developed practice facility, our sustained competitive success, and now the endowment of both our men’s and women’s head coaching positions, Notre Dame basketball is as well positioned as it ever has been to help our student-athletes achieve excellence on the court and in the classroom.”
This change is very promising for the long term future of men’s basketball at Notre Dame.