The Duke Basketball Legacy Fund is one in a million. Or perhaps it is better said that the Legacy Fund is unique, first of all, because its members have to give a million to be one. No doubt, this type of entry fee brings together a group of individuals who have set themselves apart in their respective fields and have the ability and desire to give to endeavors they believe to be worthy of their support. So just what is it about the Legacy Fund that each of its 34 historical and 29 active members have found to be so worthy?
As a member of the Duke Basketball Legacy Fund, one does receive certain exclusive benefits that would make most Duke Basketball fans drool: exclusive and premium-seating tickets to all Duke Basketball games including to the ACC and NCAA Tournament, use of the private Legacy Room at games in Cameron Indoor, invitations to all Duke Basketball events, a yearly trip on a team charter flight, and an annual Legacy Fund dinner hosted at the Krzyzewski home. A tempting package indeed, but hardly on the level of having a university building named in your honor or other forms of recognition that would typically accompany such a generous donation. But Legacy Fund members — or “partners” as they are more appropriately called — are not in it for the recognition. What membership means to these individuals is suggested by the name of the group itself; these are people committed to the Duke Basketball Legacy. It’s about the name on the front of the jersey.
Legacy partners do not join because they seek gratitude and personal recognition, they join because they believe. Just as Tommy Amaker, Bobby Hurley, Christian Laettner, Jason Williams, and Carlos Boozer have left their lasting mark on Duke Basketball through their character and talents on the basketball court, Legacy partners have made the decision to use the fruits of their success in their respective fields to become a part of the team that has and continues to set the bar for college athletic programs. In fact, many of the players and managers that chose to believe in Duke Basketball as part of the team during their student days, have chosen to continue their support and involvement as Legacy Fund partners. Three-time All-America and seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill was the Legacy Fund’s first member and chairman, forming the Grant and Tamia Hill Scholarship in 2000 which has since provided the scholarship support for Blue Devil greats Nate James, Mike Dunleavy, Dahntay Jones, Chris Duhon, J.J. Redick, Shelden Williams, Josh McRoberts, and, this year, Gerald Henderson. Christian Laettner and Brian Davis, who were co-captains and roommates during their time at Duke, have also shown their continued commitment with a $2 million donation. In joining the partnership, Grant and Tamia; Christian and Lisa; and Brian and Marcia have exhibited their desire to remain a part of the Duke Basketball legacy for years to come.
And thanks to the Legacy Fund partners, the legacy becomes increasingly impressive and is moving quickly toward its goal. The team is on its way to the goal of fully endowing the basketball program at Duke to include player scholarships, coach salaries, and the building of a capital fund to ensure basketball facilities continue to grow to meet the needs of the program into the future. Since being a part of a basketball team can sometimes be about statistics, here are some of the Legacy Fund’s impressive numbers.
*To date, the group has contributed a total of $58.2 million to Duke Basketball-related projects.
*$18 million has gone to the completion of the Schwartz-Butters Athletic Center which houses men’s and women’s basketball offices and locker rooms, the Hall of Honor, and an academic center.
*$18 million has gone to the creation of the Michael W. Krzyzewski Center — Dedicated to Academic and Athletic Excellence, which will include a practice facility, upgraded weight room, classroom and computer lab, video theatre, and event hall.
*11 Men’s Basketball scholarships have been completely endowed, including 10 players and one student manager.
*The Associate Head Coach position has been endowed.
*$3.55 million has gone to renovations of historic Cameron Indoor Stadium including air conditioning installation and upgrades to the locker rooms and concourse area.
*Additionally, the Legacy Fund has allowed for upgraded recruiting travel and financial compensation for the top-notch Duke coaching staff, upgraded video and computer equipment for team use, and a one-of-a-kind overseas basketball trip for the Duke squad in 2003.
As everyone in the Duke Basketball family is aware, the success of a great team depends on more than statistical excellence. It is about communication and the forming of relationships. The Legacy Fund has stood out in this area as well, initially funding the creation of the K Academy which has just completed its fifth year and has proven itself to be the top sports fantasy camp in the country and the only of its kind in college basketball. Furthermore, the Legacy partners initially helped to fund the creation of The Coach K/Fuqua Conference on Leadership which brings some of the top leaders in the country in all fields to Duke each October. To add to the Legacy group’s list of “firsts” and “onlys,” this leadership conference is the first collaborative athletics/business school venture in the country. For a project that began only seven years ago, in 2000, these are some pretty spectacular accomplishments.
However, for both the team on the court and the supporting team off the court, there is more work to be done. As the Duke players and coaching staff continue to pursue championships, the rest of the team is hard at work helping provide them with the means to do so, and more importantly, discovering new and creative ways to extend that success on the court to worthy partnerships and endeavors off the court. Projects still on the agenda are the establishment of three more student-athlete scholarships, further renovations to Cameron including the scoreboard and sound system, endowments for the head coach and two remaining assistant coach positions, and the endowment of the entire basketball operating fund. Upcoming Legacy Fund projects include a focus on the long-term preservation of Cameron Indoor Stadium, ensuring that Crazies for decades to come can raise the roof in the historic arena.
Not to go without mention is the Legacy Fund staff, who are unique in their own right. There is Mike Cragg, the Director of the Legacy Fund, Rachel Curtis, the Associate Director of the Legacy Fund, Debbie Savarino, Assistant Director of the Legacy (and Director of External Relations), and Erin Andrews, Administrative Assistant for the Legacy Fund. The group is extraordinarily talented and gifted, most noticeably in their creativity which lends a special flair to each and every Duke Basketball event; none is ever like the other.
According to Fund Director, Mike Cragg, “No other school or sports program in the country has what we do in a donor program and a head coach that had the vision of leaving the program he guides financially secure and independent upon his retirement.” Indeed, Legacy partners accomplish a sense of team mirrored by the program to which they so generously give their support. They have given of themselves to be a part of something bigger. As a result, they have not only “joined” the effort of the Duke Basketball staff and players in leaving a lasting legacy, they have helped to define and hone exactly what that unique legacy will be.
