FSU Football: Mega donor Al Dunlap will be remembered for generosity
FSU football lost one of the most generous people in the history of the program when it came to making sure the Seminoles got whatever they needed.
Chances are that if you have been around the FSU football program or the school as a whole for much of the last two decades, the name Al Dunlap would ring a bell – as the Ocala resident has not been shy about donating into the seven figures for the school he adopted as his favorite team.
The Florida State University community lost a big part of its heart on Friday with the news of Dunlap’s passing after a short illness at the age of 81.
He and his wife Judy have been tremendous contributors and supporters of the program. Ironically, neither attended FSU but after a visit to the school in the mid 90s, it was their heart that led them to support and help the garnet and gold and the FSU football program in miraculous ways. The love of athletics and the promise that college gives to people drove them.
In an interview with the Ocala Star Banner shortly after pledging $5 million for the indoor practice facility that bears the Dunlap family name, he talked about why it meant so much to give back.
"“I’m a great believer in sports. Sports changed my life. I was a poor inner-city kid. Would not have gone to college without sports.”"
Dunlap himself was a high school track and football star in New Jersey, attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and became an extremely successful businessman – yet he always remembered to give back to what mattered to him most.
That is where their heart remain focused, donating $5 million to the Champions Club which would also be named after them as well as $10 million to the student success center – before announcing just last year a $20 million donation to “Unconquered” campaign that will help FSU football finally build its stand-alone football facility.
I had the honor of being there for that announcement and meeting them on the field during the Clemson game, and it is a bright smile I will never forget that was full of hope for our program.
Their love of FSU has been tremendous and he will be sincerely missed. FSU football is thankful to him for his belief and his actions that challenged them to believe in themselves as well.