UCLA Announces Major Gift to Basketball
February 08, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Bruin Athletics
The Michael Price Family UCLA Basketball Excellence Program established to support UCLA Men's and Women's Basketball.
The UCLA Athletic Department is pleased to announce a commitment of $6,500,000 from Jodi and Michael Price to establish The Michael Price Family UCLA Basketball Excellence Program, designed to make a difference in men's and women's basketball student-athletes' experience.
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Funds contributed to this first-of-its-kind program for UCLA, will be applied annually and equally across both men's and women's basketball, and will be used at the discretion of the head coach and director of athletics to fund development programs and initiatives, specifically for men's and women's basketball student-athletes.
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In honor of the Prices' generosity, for the next two decades, the head coaching positions of both the men's and women's basketball programs will be known as The Michael Price Family UCLA Head Basketball Coaches.
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"On behalf of UCLA Athletics, I would like to thank Jodi and Michael Price for their generosity and support of our basketball programs," said Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero. "The naming of our head coaching positions is not something we take lightly. The Michael Price Family UCLA Basketball Excellence Program represents an unprecedented, longstanding commitment to the well-being of our student-athletes and the success of our men's and women's basketball programs. It is deserving of an unprecedented show of appreciation."
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"Throughout my lifetime, UCLA has been at the forefront of promoting athletic and academic excellence, while at the same time forging a leadership position in the promotion of equal rights," said UCLA alum Michael Price, who graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. "As a young boy, I was awed and inspired by the broader accomplishments of so many great UCLA student-athletes: Jackie Robinson, Rafer Johnson, Arthur Ashe, Anne Meyers Drysdale, Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to name a few. These deeply impactful student-athletes truly personified excellence and egalitarianism through their actions and subsequent impact and outcomes to society. In honor of UCLA's great legacy and these exceptional individuals, this gift and its proceeds are intended to promote and support excellence-based programs and initiatives, equally within the men's and women's basketball program."
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This gift, which is part of the $4.2 billion campus-wide UCLA Centennial Campaign concluding at the end of 2019, will be used to underscore UCLA's continued leadership and commitment to achieving excellence in the classroom, in competition and in the community. The Michael Price Family UCLA Basketball Excellence Program directly addresses the Department's primary Centennial Campaign objective: to lay the foundation for a financially sustainable future to build upon UCLA's standing as the premier intercollegiate athletics program in the nation.
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"I would like to thank Jodi and Michael Price for their incredible contributions to both UCLA basketball programs," said Steve Alford, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "This immense commitment speaks volumes, and all of us within the men's basketball program are grateful for their support. This unprecedented pledge to UCLA basketball will help us establish new programs that can really impact our ability to support the development of our student-athletes, both as players and as people."
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ย "I am so grateful for the Price Family Excellence Program," said Cori Close, The Michael Price Family UCLA Women's Head Basketball Coach. "The generosity is program-changing, but the thing that is most meaningful to me is the partnership, alignment, and shared vision of excellence. I believe deeply in the 'why' behind this gift and I am committed to stewarding it well, and continuing to provide an uncommon transformational experience for our student-athletes. We thank Jodi and Michael Price for their incredible generosity."
To learn how you can support UCLA student-athletes, contact the UCLA Athletics Development Office at 310-206-3302 or click here.
ย
Funds contributed to this first-of-its-kind program for UCLA, will be applied annually and equally across both men's and women's basketball, and will be used at the discretion of the head coach and director of athletics to fund development programs and initiatives, specifically for men's and women's basketball student-athletes.
ย
In honor of the Prices' generosity, for the next two decades, the head coaching positions of both the men's and women's basketball programs will be known as The Michael Price Family UCLA Head Basketball Coaches.
ย
"On behalf of UCLA Athletics, I would like to thank Jodi and Michael Price for their generosity and support of our basketball programs," said Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero. "The naming of our head coaching positions is not something we take lightly. The Michael Price Family UCLA Basketball Excellence Program represents an unprecedented, longstanding commitment to the well-being of our student-athletes and the success of our men's and women's basketball programs. It is deserving of an unprecedented show of appreciation."
ย
"Throughout my lifetime, UCLA has been at the forefront of promoting athletic and academic excellence, while at the same time forging a leadership position in the promotion of equal rights," said UCLA alum Michael Price, who graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. "As a young boy, I was awed and inspired by the broader accomplishments of so many great UCLA student-athletes: Jackie Robinson, Rafer Johnson, Arthur Ashe, Anne Meyers Drysdale, Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to name a few. These deeply impactful student-athletes truly personified excellence and egalitarianism through their actions and subsequent impact and outcomes to society. In honor of UCLA's great legacy and these exceptional individuals, this gift and its proceeds are intended to promote and support excellence-based programs and initiatives, equally within the men's and women's basketball program."
ย
This gift, which is part of the $4.2 billion campus-wide UCLA Centennial Campaign concluding at the end of 2019, will be used to underscore UCLA's continued leadership and commitment to achieving excellence in the classroom, in competition and in the community. The Michael Price Family UCLA Basketball Excellence Program directly addresses the Department's primary Centennial Campaign objective: to lay the foundation for a financially sustainable future to build upon UCLA's standing as the premier intercollegiate athletics program in the nation.
ย
"I would like to thank Jodi and Michael Price for their incredible contributions to both UCLA basketball programs," said Steve Alford, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "This immense commitment speaks volumes, and all of us within the men's basketball program are grateful for their support. This unprecedented pledge to UCLA basketball will help us establish new programs that can really impact our ability to support the development of our student-athletes, both as players and as people."
ย
ย "I am so grateful for the Price Family Excellence Program," said Cori Close, The Michael Price Family UCLA Women's Head Basketball Coach. "The generosity is program-changing, but the thing that is most meaningful to me is the partnership, alignment, and shared vision of excellence. I believe deeply in the 'why' behind this gift and I am committed to stewarding it well, and continuing to provide an uncommon transformational experience for our student-athletes. We thank Jodi and Michael Price for their incredible generosity."
To learn how you can support UCLA student-athletes, contact the UCLA Athletics Development Office at 310-206-3302 or click here.
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