During CU's fall Sports Media Day, Colorado athletic director Fernando Lovo announced that the university had set a fundraising record over the past year. The athletic department generated $37.7 million in pledges and cash commitments. The amount surpasses the previous record of $35.4 million in 2024-25. "A special time for me to be able to say this because, one, it's so critical to our success," Lovo said Friday morning. "Buff Nation stepping up to support us in this manner is something that is so needed in this day and age. I really want to thank, first off, our Buff Club staff for the work that they put in to be able to get to this moment, and really to all of Buff Nation for continuing to believe in our mission and our vision." Lovo specifically highlighted the record-breaking $6 million individual gift from the Crawford Family, half of which has gone to the George Family Athletic Director's Fund. This allows Lovo's team to use those funds to support athletes in any way, from NIL to coaches' salaries and revenue sharing. Breaking the fundraising record, this year is just the beginning, according to Lovo, who hopes to surpass the $37.7 million in the next cycle. "As I heard someone once say, yesterday's successes are tomorrow's expectations," he said. "That is our expectation, that we continue to break that record. I'm fully confident that we'll be able to do that. We have great coaches, great student-athletes and a passionate fan base that loves the Buffs." Other notes from Lovo's media day press conference
On finding naming rights and jersey patch sponsors: "Yeah, we're having those conversations daily with our partners… We've got to believe it's the right partnership… We've got to agree that the number makes sense," Lovo said. "We believe our brand has immense value, so we want to make sure the number we agree on makes sense for both our partner and us, and we'll be really diligent about it. I also believe we need to look at all of our sports. Do we keep it together? Do we separate it? … I do believe we are getting closer, both from a jersey patch standpoint and a naming rights standpoint." On naming rights for Folsom Field and the CU Events Center: "We are getting closer and closer every single day," Lovo said. "We hope to have something in the next few months." On the new Ralphie's Road pregame activation: "It is another way to engage our fans," he said. "It's a free event. We'll have happy hour pricing there, so we'll have some ability there to really lower our price points to encourage all fans to come in and support and be there."
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