Any truth to this story?

[bincitysioux]

Here's a link to a video story about potential upgrades to athletic facilities at SDSU and USD. There are artist renderings for SDSU's hopes for a future football stadium.

I thought it was kind of funny that the video story opens with the narrator saying that "you can always count on a packed house for SDSU Jackrabbit football..............". I think there was like 3,500 on hand when we played them last season.

[GeauxSioux]

Eleven alumni who are billionaires? Or $500 mill +?

How many actually would donate to athletics?

Although he may not be a likely UND athletics financial supporter, I would look at Peter Nygard for potential donations to the UND foundation.

Peter J. Nygård (born 1943 in Helsinki, Finland), is a Finnish-Canadian fashion executive of Finland-Swedish origin. He is the chairman of Nygård International of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, a company that makes women's wear. His was rated the 70th richest Canadian by Canadian Business Magazine in 2009 with a net worth of $817 million.[1]

Mr. Nygard is a self-made millionaire.

Looking to get away for a while..... Nygard Cay.

[IrishSiouxFan]

Here's a link to a video story about potential upgrades to athletic facilities at SDSU and USD. There are artist renderings for SDSU's hopes for a future football stadium.

I thought it was kind of funny that the video story opens with the narrator saying that "you can always count on a packed house for SDSU Jackrabbit football..............". I think there was like 3,500 on hand when we played them last season.

Looking at the struggles that USD and SDSU are having with athletic facilities makes me proud to be at UND. I think UND fans have higher expectations for our universities athletics because we have had a taste of the good life (national rankings, network deals, association with top universities) through hockey and have a clearer vision of what we could be with the right facilities and coaching staff. Ralph didn't just build a hockey arena he set a standard of expectation and dared an institution to dream big or not at all.

[IrishSiouxFan]

Although he may not be a likely UND athletics financial supporter, I would look at Peter Nygard for potential donations to the UND foundation.

Mr. Nygard is a self-made millionaire.

Looking to get away for a while..... Nygard Cay.

Nice find! I noticed on his wikipedia page that he sponsors amateur sports, maybe this could be a segway to close him on the idea of donating money. We could call it Nygard International Stadium and he could write it off as a tax deduction (although he lives in Canada, could be tricky).

[GeauxSioux]

Score!

How about Game Stop Stadium? I don't know about the billionaire thing, but Richard Fontaine has done quite well with Game Stop.

[jodcon]

Here's a link to a video story about potential upgrades to athletic facilities at SDSU and USD. There are artist renderings for SDSU's hopes for a future football stadium.

I thought it was kind of funny that the video story opens with the narrator saying that "you can always count on a packed house for SDSU Jackrabbit football..............". I think there was like 3,500 on hand when we played them last season.

Looks like they have some serious work ahead of them, in one sentence they talk about the Board of Regents dealing with budget cuts and in the next they talk about the Board not letting them work on a financial analysis or forming a building committee...not exactly encouraging signs.

Just at first glance these look like warbucks type projects:

SDSU:

Football Stadium

Indoor Practice Facility

Human Performance Facility

Renovations to Frost Arena (BKB, VB, Wrestling)

USD:

Basketball/Volleyball Arena

Renovating the Dome

Outdoor Track and Soccer Complex

USD's projects look realistic within a reasonable time, SDSU's are going to be a tough sell...I can't imagine the dollar figure that will go on them, maybe 200+ million if they don't get too crazy? Granted it will be a phased-in plan but still...ouch.

[GeauxSioux]

Nice find! I noticed on his wikipedia page that he sponsors amateur sports, maybe this could be a segway to close him on the idea of donating money. We could call it Nygard International Stadium and he could write it off as a tax deduction (although he lives in Canada, could be tricky).

He lives in the tax-free haven of the Bahamas.

[IrishSiouxFan]

He lives in the tax-free haven of the Bahamas.

That's exactly where I would live if I were super-wealthy

[IrishSiouxFan]

Score!

How about Game Stop Stadium? I don't know about the billionaire thing, but Richard Fontaine has done quite well with Game Stop.

Game Stop Stadium sounds great to me! Let's print this guy off an honorary doctoral degree and start stacking some bricks

[Yote 53]

USD already has 75% of the money pledged for its projects (word on the street), all private money. The issue is the BOR cutting funding for higher ed and then approving the building of athletic projects. Doesn't look good to do that in the same meeting to John Q Public. Expect us to get our approval at the next meeting and breaking ground by 2013 on the arena.

You are correct in that SDSU's project is much larger in scale, the price tag is $100 million and probably rising with time, whereas USD's is more like $45-50 million. I don't know what their money situation is, whether money has been pledged, or what. I think the difference between the schools is that SDSU wants permission to start planning and fundraising for this long term project (its a 2025 master plan) whereas people expect USD to have our's done inside of a couple years.

[star2city]

Game Stop Stadium sounds great to me! Let's print this guy off an honorary doctoral degree and start stacking some bricks

While Fontaine may have wealth way beyond most, he's really not all that wealthy in total scheme of things (only holds only 182,000 shares of GME). If he had been founder, with a 40% stake in the company, that's a whole other level.

Another UND grad and CEO, Sally Smith of Buffalo Wild Wings, actually owns a higher % of shares and has more wealth via company stock.

Greg Page, CEO of Cargill, is probably doing much better off than either of those two. But, still in the total scheme of things, he's almost certainly not in the top 11 of UND alumni wealth-wise (probably need at least a 0.25 billion to qualify). There are probably low 100's number of alumni in the 10 -100 mill range.

In order to amass great wealth, one almost has to be a founding investor in company that later does very very well. Fennell is an example. Most UND grads who have done exceptionally well are in the financial and investing world, which most CEOs don't particpate in or only do so later in life. As an example, look at Great Plains Software. Doug Burgum (an NDSU grad) was the brains and CEO behind it, but the major investor and backer was his uncle, Rick Burgum (a UND grad), who did exceptionally well when Microsoft purchased Great Plains.

[darell1976]

While Fontaine may have wealth way beyond most, he's really not all that wealthy in total scheme of things (only holds only 182,000 shares of GME). If he had been founder, with a 40% stake in the company, that's a whole other level.

Another UND grad and CEO, Sally Smith of Buffalo Wild Wings, actually owns a higher % of shares and has more wealth via company stock.

Greg Page, CEO of Cargill, is probably doing much better off than either of those two. But, still in the total scheme of things, he's almost certainly not in the top 11 of UND alumni wealth-wise.

In order to amass great wealth, one almost has to be a founding investor in company that later does very very well. Fennell is an example. Most UND grads who have done exceptionally well are in the financial and investing world, which most CEOs don't particpate in or only do so later in life. As an example, look at Great Plains Software. Doug Burgum (an NDSU grad) was the brains and CEO behind it, but the major investor and backer was his uncle, Rick Burgum (a UND grad), who did exceptionally well when Microsoft purchased Great Plains.

Welcome to Bdubs Stadium! Wings are free, tickets are extra.

[jodcon]

USD already has 75% of the money pledged for its projects (word on the street), all private money. The issue is the BOR cutting funding for higher ed and then approving the building of athletic projects. Doesn't look good to do that in the same meeting to John Q Public. Expect us to get our approval at the next meeting and breaking ground by 2013 on the arena.

You are correct in that SDSU's project is much larger in scale, the price tag is $100 million and probably rising with time, whereas USD's is more like $45-50 million. I don't know what their money situation is, whether money has been pledged, or what. I think the difference between the schools is that SDSU wants permission to start planning and fundraising for this long term project (its a 2025 master plan) whereas people expect USD to have our's done inside of a couple years.

That's good to hear regarding the 75% in hand, sounds like you guys have your ducks lined up and are ready to go. Congratulations on that.

I would have to question the $100 million number for SDSU, I can't see them building a football stadium and 2 other facilities plus sticking money into a Frost Arena refurbish and getting it all for $100 million, the proposed UND practice facility alone was quoted at $30 million, and that was a while ago. Unless they're going absolute bare-bone necessity on the 3 buildings and doing very limited refurbishing on the Frost Arena that number sounds really low, I just can't imagine being under $150 with a football stadium in the mix.

[The Sicatoka]

... Rick Burgum (a UND grad), who did exceptionally well when Microsoft purchased Great Plains.

Understatement of the day.

[IrishSiouxFan]

Welcome to Bdubs Stadium! Wings are free, tickets are extra.

That could work too. We could build a stadium that could rival the Papa Johns stadium at the University of Louisville

[darell1976]

That could work too. We could build a stadium that could rival the Papa Johns stadium at the University of Louisville

Could you imagine BDubbs Stadium and to have a BWW just across the street from the Fargodome.

[jodcon]

Could you imagine BDubbs Stadium and to have a BWW just across the street from the Fargodome.

Ooh...something like that could lead to lakesbison reappearing here and ranting...might be too risky.

[Cratter]

There are probably low 100's number of alumni in the 10 -100 mill range.

Yeah, heck I personally even know one here in Grand Forks, but he's toward the lower end of the scale.

Could these renderings have been a bargaining tool for UND to use against the city for the Alerus since the pictures came out a few weeks before they signed the new ten year year contract?

[star2city]

Yeah, heck I personally even know one here in Grand Forks, but he's toward the lower end of the scale.

Could these renderings have been a bargaining tool for UND to use against the city for the Alerus since the pictures came out a few weeks before they signed the new ten year year contract?

Sure.

But the indoor practice facility, parking ramp, and soccer/T&F oval is definitely part of a overall athletic facilities plan as finances become available. The retractable roof part is definitely a stretch goal.

[star2city]

Yeah, heck I personally even know one here in Grand Forks, but he's toward the lower end of the scale.

There's more than 10,000 millionaires in North Dakota, with almost 1 in 100 of them worth more than 30 mill, so you likely know more of them than you think.

With farm land prices exploding, and oil wealth in western ND rapidly increasing, those number are only increasing.

Just through extended acquaintances, know of several UND alums outside the local radar that have very extensive business holdings.

36,300 individuals in NOrth America worth more than $30 mill

Getting to the billion is much more difficult, with only around 400 individuals in the US.

[GeauxSioux]

I wonder how much Phil Jackson is worth. He is making $13M/year as coach of the Lakers. I'm sure he has many investments as well.

[IrishSiouxFan]

I wonder how much Phil Jackson is worth. He is making $13M/year as coach of the Lakers. I'm sure he has many investments as well.

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-athletes/nba/phil-jackson-net-worth/

[HowBoutThemBison?]

I wonder how much Phil Jackson is worth. He is making $13M/year as coach of the Lakers. I'm sure he has many investments as well.

From what I HEARD(rumors), he won't give a dime to the UND fighting sioux, maybe some other name.

[Ole in MSP]

I wonder how much Phil Jackson is worth. He is making $13M/year as coach of the Lakers. I'm sure he has many investments as well.

Was at UND the same time as Phil. Over the years I thought he would be a really great alumni asset. As time goes on I realize that he has not loved UND like most alums do. Not sure why, but he has not developed a warm spot in his heart for his alma mater and it began long before the Sioux name controversy. He is just what I would call a strange personality, maybe that is what makes him so successful as a coach.

[star2city]

I wonder how much Phil Jackson is worth. He is making $13M/year as coach of the Lakers. I'm sure he has many investments as well.

His live-in / boss, Jeannie Buss, is heir to a fortune that makes Phil look like a pauper.

Donor list for UND Spirit Campaign

While some of the donors are the list are giving major portions of their estate, typical giving is a very minor % of total worth until very late in life. For example, one of the $1 - $5 million donors on the list, Henry Herr, co-founded two companies: Amsurg and Healthways, both major public national healthcare companies based in Nashville.