For the second time in the past couple of months, a former member of the Oklahoma football program has given back to their alma mater in a very financially significant way.
The Sooners announced via a press release Saturday that former OU and current St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford has donated $500,000 to the school’s athletic department. That money will be earmarked for the construction of the $47 million Headington Hall, OU’s new student housing facility that will open in fall 2013.
The release states that "[m]embers of the general OU student population will comprise 51 percent of Headington Hall residents. It is anticipated that the entire incoming freshman class of student-athletes will all be housed at Headington Hall beginning in fall 2013, accounting for the remaining 49 percent of the residents calling the facility their on-campus home.”
“My experience at Oklahoma made it possible for me to realize my dreams,” said Bradford in a statement. “The coaches, the academic environment and every aspect of being a student-athlete at OU made me a better person. I am honored to give back to a program that did so much for me and hope that in some way this contribution can make it possible for those who follow me to enjoy the same kind of experience I did as a Sooner.”
Bradford spent 2006-09 with the Sooners, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2008. He was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2010 NFL draft.
In April, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson announced he was giving $1 million toward the construction of the facility. It is the largest donation ever for a former OU athlete.
