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Donors Alphonso and Kristi Bigelow and their children with President
John D. Welty are surrounded by athletes with Fresno State jerseys,
Athletics Department and Bulldog Foundation officials.
A $10 million commitment to
Fresno State athletics from NykelBam International will transform
athletics facilities, provide scholarships and enhance the experience
for student athletes. This pledge represents the largest philanthropic
donation ever received in the history of Fresno State athletics, and
boosts the donation total of The Campaign for Fresno State to $142.3
million.
The commitment was announced Tuesday by Director of Athletics Thomas
Boeh. The pledge will fund $8 million in capital improvements for the
“Athletics Mall” as detailed in the athletics facility master plan and
provide $2 million towards student-athlete scholarships. The capital
improvement component of the pledge will help construct the sports
medicine center, a student-athlete village, the soccer/lacrosse stadium
and an artificial playing surface in Bulldog Stadium.
The Campaign for Fresno State is the university’s first formal
fundraising effort and will run until June of 2012. The campaign goal is
$200 million.
“It is an honor to be here today as we mark the next exciting chapter in
the ‘New Era of Bulldog Athletics’,” said Boeh. “We believe that this
extraordinary pledge will provide both the financial resources and
momentum necessary to remain competitive among the nation’s elite. This
commitment will ensure future scholarship opportunities as well as
greatly enhance our capacity to best-serve the daily needs of our
student-athletes.
It is especially gratifying that this pledge comes to us from a company
that has its roots in Fresno State athletics. On behalf of all our staff
and student-athletes, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to NykelBam International, LLC and all of its stakeholders,” Boeh said.
Alphonso Bigelow, CEO of NykelBam, spearheaded this pledge. A Long Beach
native, Mr. Bigelow is a 1996 marketing graduate and a four-year
football player under then head coach Jim Sweeney. His wife Kristi is a
Fresno State alumna from the College of Health and Human Services and
participated on the school dance team. They make their home in Fresno
along with their two daughters.
“I would like to thank the board of directors of NykelBam International,
LLC for giving me the opportunity to give back to my alma mater,” said
Mr. Bigelow. “As a former student-athlete, my wife and I feel strongly
about the student-athlete experience at Fresno State and understand the
importance of first-class facilities and scholarship support.”
Over the past year the Fresno State athletics department has enjoyed
many achievements both on and off the field and courts of play. Rapidly
rising Academic Progress Rates, numerous league championships, two
consecutive WAC Commissioner’s Cups all added to last June’s historic
victory in Omaha and the second NCAA Division I National Championship in
Bulldog history.
For more information on The Campaign for Fresno State, visit
www.supportfresnostate.com.
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