Fertitta Family Donates $10 Million to UNLV Football Program for Training Facility
Former
UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta has been quiet since selling his
stake in the company earlier this year, but his family’s pockets
remain deep.
That was evident on Tuesday, as the Fertitta family donated $10 million dollars to the UNLV football program, the school announced in a statement. The money will go toward building a 73,000 square foot, two-level training complex that will cost approximately $24-26 million total. According to a release, it is the largest single donation in the history of UNLV athletics; the previous largest gift was a $7.2 million donation made by the Mendenhall family toward the construction of the men’s basketball training facility in 2012.
The training center will be known as the Fertitta Football Complex
and “will become the day-to-day home of the program and include an
academic center, locker rooms, offices, meeting rooms, strength and
conditioning center, media room, training table and nutrition bar,
athletic training center and player lounge.”
"We believe in the future of Rebel Football under Tony Sanchez's leadership and are proud to join others in the community in helping make this vital building block for the program become a reality,” the Fertittas said in a statement issued through UNLV.
Sanchez, the Rebels head coach, previously coached Ferttita’s sons Lorenzo Jr. and Nicco at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas before taking a job at the collegiate level.
"As I've said since the day I was hired here, I am excited about the future of this program and its limitless potential," Sanchez said. "I want to thank the Fertittas for not just this amazing gift but also for everything they do in the community. I also want to thank everyone else who has stepped up with significant and important contributions as they help us turn Rebel Football into a national program.”
Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, who each owned 40.5 percent of the UFC, sold their stake in the company earlier this year to a new ownership group headed by William Morris Endeaveor and International Management Group (WME-IMG) for a reported $4 billion. As part of the sale, Lorenzo Fertitta stepped down from day-to-day operations as promotion CEO. However, both brothers maintain a passive minority interest in the company (online betting).
Renderings of the Fertitta Football Complex can be viewed here.
That was evident on Tuesday, as the Fertitta family donated $10 million dollars to the UNLV football program, the school announced in a statement. The money will go toward building a 73,000 square foot, two-level training complex that will cost approximately $24-26 million total. According to a release, it is the largest single donation in the history of UNLV athletics; the previous largest gift was a $7.2 million donation made by the Mendenhall family toward the construction of the men’s basketball training facility in 2012.
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"We believe in the future of Rebel Football under Tony Sanchez's leadership and are proud to join others in the community in helping make this vital building block for the program become a reality,” the Fertittas said in a statement issued through UNLV.
Sanchez, the Rebels head coach, previously coached Ferttita’s sons Lorenzo Jr. and Nicco at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas before taking a job at the collegiate level.
"As I've said since the day I was hired here, I am excited about the future of this program and its limitless potential," Sanchez said. "I want to thank the Fertittas for not just this amazing gift but also for everything they do in the community. I also want to thank everyone else who has stepped up with significant and important contributions as they help us turn Rebel Football into a national program.”
Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, who each owned 40.5 percent of the UFC, sold their stake in the company earlier this year to a new ownership group headed by William Morris Endeaveor and International Management Group (WME-IMG) for a reported $4 billion. As part of the sale, Lorenzo Fertitta stepped down from day-to-day operations as promotion CEO. However, both brothers maintain a passive minority interest in the company (online betting).
Renderings of the Fertitta Football Complex can be viewed here.
