University Of Georgia Athletic Department Pulls In $80 Million In Donations

The University of Georgia Bulldog Club reeled in a record-breaking $80.4 million in donations and gifts during fiscal year 2018.

The club is the fundraising arm of the school’s athletic department. Statistics from the university show the average student athlete costs about $90,000 a year.

I.J. Rosenberg, with Atlanta sports website Score ATL, says the money will benefit a number of programs.

“They’ll target a good part of it to the improvements that were made at Sanford Stadium,” Rosenberg said. “You also can’t forget that the other sports, whether it’s baseball or women’s basketball, those sports have to be funded as well.”

UGA is spending $63 million on football stadium renovations that include a new video board, locker rooms, and lounges.

Rosenberg said that will go a long way in attracting more recruits.

“It’s keeping up with the Joneses,” he said.  “I think Georgia realized that a lot of these kids are swayed by facilities. They’ll go to a place and fall in love with the different things that they have.”

The donations received last fiscal year are up more than 40 percent from the previous year in which $56 million was brought in.

The previous high was $56.9 million in fiscal year 2016. Rosenberg said the increase in funding can also be attributed to the football team’s success on the field last season. The Bulldogs lost in overtime to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoffs National Championship.