Sun Devil football receives huge $10 million endowment gift

On Friday night, Sun Devil football got the best kind of news dump.

Arizona State announced a $10 million endowment gift from Brian and Kelly Swette. The endowment will go to Kenny Dillingham's head coaching position, making it the largest endowed leadership position of any kind at Arizona State.

Brian Swette, who graduated from Arizona State University in 1976, is a decorated businessman whose resume includes stops as the Chief Operating Officer at eBay and a senior executive with PepsiCo.

Swette has also served on the boards of various large corporations, including Burger King, Shutterfly, and Jamba Juice. He has also taught several classes for the WP Carey School of Business at his alma mater.

According to the release from the university, Swette was convinced to make such a generous gift due to his belief in Dillingham and the direction of the football program.

Success in sports is important for the university,” said Swette, who graduated from Arizona State University in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. “It enhances the college experience. It brings a sense of community and pride. It enriches our brand. It engages alumni and builds support for the university.

Number one, I think [Dillingham] is a first-class coach. But he’s also a great leader of men. He has incredible authenticity and character, and he loves our state and our university. We’re blessed to have a guy of that caliber on both sides of the equation … competence and character.

The endowment will be used to support recruitment and retention of both players and coaches for the Sun Devils, as well as developing new technology that can be used to "enhance athletes' physical and mental development."

Dillingham underscored the value of such a gift while highlighting what it means for the overall community involvement in the Valley.

Commitments like this show the direction of the program and buy-in this program has from the community. The Swette family has been a vital piece of our program from season one on, and this gift marks a next-level commitment.

University President Michael Crow also spoke glowingly of what the Swettes' investment in the football program means.

Sun Devil football brings together the entire ASU community around our shared passion for the university and our drive to compete and be the very best. Brian Swette and his wife Kelly have been extraordinary supporters of ASU for many years, and today’s gift is an expression of commitment that we deeply appreciate. We are extremely grateful for their generosity and devotion.

Dillingham is only the second coach at Arizona State to receive an endowed position. Hockey head coach Greg Powers received a similar gift a year ago from Mike and Nancy Friend for several million dollars. That helped to add further funding to the rapidly rising hockey program.

Football, of course, is a different animal when it comes to money.

Dillingham has often spoken candidly about the school's lack of resources relative to the blue bloods they hope to contend with. His contract extension this past winter did a lot to make up ground in that respect, and this latest gift will certainly go a long way towards closing that gap.

One thing is for sure: the future of football is very, very bright in Tempe.