Kansas Athletics Receives Historic $300M Gift From Donor David Booth

Local businessman and alumnus David G. Booth made a $300 million donation to Kansas athletics, which the school called "among the largest single gifts in the history of college athletics."

"David's unprecedented generosity is transformative now and for our future," athletic director Travis Goff said. "It accelerates phase II of the Gateway District and the new 'Booth' and inspires others to step up and join in completing this vision. We're profoundly grateful for David's leadership and extraordinary impact on generations of student-athletes and fans. There is no more generous and impactful Jayhawk, and we are so fortunate to call him a friend and mentor."

Kansas will earmark $75 million of Booth's donation toward continued work on the Gateway District and the football stadium that bears his name.

The university first rolled out the project in 2023. In addition to renovating Memorial Stadium, Kansas will build new retail, dining and residential spaces around the stadium.

According to ESPN's Max Olson, KU already spent $450 million toward the first phase with another $360 million estimated to be needed for the second phase.

This all represents an ambitious bid to raise the profile of Jayhawks football, which has historically been an afterthought. The Jayhawks have just three 10-win seasons all time, the most recent of which was in 2007.

Men's basketball has long remained the crown jewel of the athletic department. While that remains the case, the recent rounds of conference realignment have forced schools to invest significant sums in their football infrastructure or risk getting left behind.

Kansas got off to a 7-2 start and ranked as high as No. 16 in the College Football Playoff rankings in 2023, eventually winning nine games and capping off the year with a victory in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

While a 5-7 record in 2024 was a step backward, extending the contract of head coach Lance Leipold last February was a sign of the program's positive long-term direction.

With Wednesday's donation, it's clear the university is forging ahead with its vision to put Kansas football on the map.