TEMPE, Ariz. – In the first year of Sun Devil Athletics’ Senior Gift and Sun Devil Club education program, senior student-athletes surpassed the initial goals set for giving to the Sun Devil Club.
The donation, which was matched by former ASU football player Joe Cajic, will fund future efforts to enhance the student-athlete experience. Cajiic, a member of the 1992-94 Sun Devil football program, is a passionate supporter of Sun Devil Athletics.
"Regardless of what team they belong to, the seniors are uniting together as a class to give back to the University and future athletes after them,” Cajic said. “I've been in their shoes and I know how it is. One thing you realize when you step away from the game and you're 20 years out is that the University is always there for you and your fellowship with the other athletes is always there."
Sun Devil senior student-athletes voluntarily donated $20.15 toward the Senior Class Gift to provide the same opportunities and experiences for the athletes that follow. In total, 41 seniors contributed to the gift with 100 percent participation from women’s golf, tennis, water polo and men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and 75 percent participation from football.
"The Senior Gift Program helped me better understand how the student-athlete experience as a whole can be positively impacted through giving, no matter the amount,” said football’s Taylor Kelly, who graduated with his undergraduate degree in three years.
“It is important for me to remain connected to Sun Devil Athletics, and this program is a great opportunity to continue to make an impact even though my playing days are over. I encourage all of the seniors across our 23 varsity programs to join our mission to improve ASU for every future Sun Devil."
In addition to the senior gift, student-athletes from all years learned about the mission of the Sun Devil Club, department costs associate with providing scholarship opportunities, and the impact Sun Devil fans and donors make on our student-athletes.
"The buy in and the understanding our student-athletes have shown - to give back to a common cause - is tremendous,” said Ray Anderson, Vice President for University Athletics. “The objective was not about a dollar amount but more to recognize the great efforts of our current donors and to give our student-athletes the opportunity to leave their own legacy. I am encouraged by the participation of our senior class and know they have set a great example for the Sun Devils following in their footsteps.”
Sun Devil Athletics also hosted multiple “Thank-A-Thons” where sophomore and junior student-athletes reached out to fans and donors to thank them for their support of their educational opportunities and their commitment to Arizona State. In total, our student-athletes spoke to 344 donors, left 598 messages, and wrote 402 hand-written thank you notes.
Sun Devil Athletics started the Senior Gift and Sun Devil Club education program to drive awareness of the costs and resources needed to provide scholarship dollars for student-athletes and to acknowledge the commitment and the impact made by fans and donors of Sun Devil Athletics.
Senior Gift Participants
Bo Barnes, Men's Basketball
Promise Amukamara, Women's Basketball
Alex Hartig, Track & Field
Shelby Houlihan, XC/Track
Edmond Baker, Track & Field
Tanner Greeley, Track & Field
Bryan McBride, Track & Field
Jamil Douglas, Football
Taylor Kelly, Football
Tyler Sulka, Football
Noemi Jimenez, Football
Amber Freeman, Softball
Zac Dalby, Swimming
Melanie Busch, Swimming
Hailey Casper, Diving
Tory Houston, Swimming
Leighann Sahagun, Tennis
Shannan McCready, Volleyball
Petra Pardi, Water Polo
Kevin Radford, Wrestling
The donation, which was matched by former ASU football player Joe Cajic, will fund future efforts to enhance the student-athlete experience. Cajiic, a member of the 1992-94 Sun Devil football program, is a passionate supporter of Sun Devil Athletics.
"Regardless of what team they belong to, the seniors are uniting together as a class to give back to the University and future athletes after them,” Cajic said. “I've been in their shoes and I know how it is. One thing you realize when you step away from the game and you're 20 years out is that the University is always there for you and your fellowship with the other athletes is always there."
Sun Devil senior student-athletes voluntarily donated $20.15 toward the Senior Class Gift to provide the same opportunities and experiences for the athletes that follow. In total, 41 seniors contributed to the gift with 100 percent participation from women’s golf, tennis, water polo and men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and 75 percent participation from football.
"The Senior Gift Program helped me better understand how the student-athlete experience as a whole can be positively impacted through giving, no matter the amount,” said football’s Taylor Kelly, who graduated with his undergraduate degree in three years.
“It is important for me to remain connected to Sun Devil Athletics, and this program is a great opportunity to continue to make an impact even though my playing days are over. I encourage all of the seniors across our 23 varsity programs to join our mission to improve ASU for every future Sun Devil."
In addition to the senior gift, student-athletes from all years learned about the mission of the Sun Devil Club, department costs associate with providing scholarship opportunities, and the impact Sun Devil fans and donors make on our student-athletes.
"The buy in and the understanding our student-athletes have shown - to give back to a common cause - is tremendous,” said Ray Anderson, Vice President for University Athletics. “The objective was not about a dollar amount but more to recognize the great efforts of our current donors and to give our student-athletes the opportunity to leave their own legacy. I am encouraged by the participation of our senior class and know they have set a great example for the Sun Devils following in their footsteps.”
Sun Devil Athletics also hosted multiple “Thank-A-Thons” where sophomore and junior student-athletes reached out to fans and donors to thank them for their support of their educational opportunities and their commitment to Arizona State. In total, our student-athletes spoke to 344 donors, left 598 messages, and wrote 402 hand-written thank you notes.
Sun Devil Athletics started the Senior Gift and Sun Devil Club education program to drive awareness of the costs and resources needed to provide scholarship dollars for student-athletes and to acknowledge the commitment and the impact made by fans and donors of Sun Devil Athletics.
Senior Gift Participants
Bo Barnes, Men's Basketball
Promise Amukamara, Women's Basketball
Alex Hartig, Track & Field
Shelby Houlihan, XC/Track
Edmond Baker, Track & Field
Tanner Greeley, Track & Field
Bryan McBride, Track & Field
Jamil Douglas, Football
Taylor Kelly, Football
Tyler Sulka, Football
Noemi Jimenez, Football
Amber Freeman, Softball
Zac Dalby, Swimming
Melanie Busch, Swimming
Hailey Casper, Diving
Tory Houston, Swimming
Leighann Sahagun, Tennis
Shannan McCready, Volleyball
Petra Pardi, Water Polo
Kevin Radford, Wrestling
