Tampa General Hospital donates $25 million to USF athletics
USF announced Thursday its athletic department has received a $25 million gift from Tampa General Hospital for the naming rights to an operations facility that will be part of the Bulls’ on-campus stadium project.
The Tampa General Hospital Center for Athletic Excellence will be located adjacent to the stadium, according to a university news release. In addition to serving as the daily home for the Bulls’ football and women’s lacrosse teams, it will feature clinical space, where Tampa General will provide behavioral health services including assessments, treatment, therapies, career mentoring and more.
Additionally, the school’s athletics district will formally be known as the Tampa General Hospital Athletics District.
The news release indicated the gift is the largest ever given to the Bulls athletic department.
“We are incredibly grateful to Tampa General Hospital for this historic gift and for their phenomenal partnership with USF that goes back decades,” USF President Rhea Law said. “This investment in our students, our university and our community will have far-reaching positive impacts for generations to come.”
Other sports-centric features of the center include state-of-the-art locker rooms, sports medicine and treatment spaces, strength and conditioning rooms, coaches’ offices, training rooms, nutrition spaces and hydrotherapy pools for optimal performance and recovery.
“We recognize the growing demand for behavioral health services in our region, and particularly around the USF campus,” Tampa General Hospital president and CEO John Couris said in the release. “That’s why we’re doubling down on our partnership with the University of South Florida to expand access to care and support.”
USF’s board of trustees in June approved a plan to erect a $340 million stadium north of the practice fields in time for the 2026 season. The State University System Board of Governors is expected to approve the financing at its meeting Friday. The USF trustees are expected to authorize the final price tag in 2024.
“We cannot thank Tampa General Hospital enough for their generous support,” USF athletic director Michael Kelly said.
“We are grateful to TGH for believing in our vision for the future of South Florida athletics and for playing an instrumental role in helping us build what will be one of the finest athletics districts in all of college sports.”
Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls
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