Former Panthers owner Jerry Richardson donates $150 million to Wofford College

Former Carolina Panthers owner and founder Jerry Richardson has donated $150 million to Wofford College, the school announced Wednesday.

The gift is the largest in the school’s history is designated for the endowment with a focus on need-based scholarships and experiences for Wofford students.

Richardson has often given back to his alma mater, with his total donations exceeding $262.6 million, among the largest individual commitments ever to a U.S. college or university. The $257.3 million he has given since 2014 as part of the current “For Wofford“ campaign is the largest single campaign gift made to a national liberal arts college.

“Coming to Wofford in 1954 as a 18-year-old with a partial scholarship was a turning point in my life,” Richardson said. “It is difficult to put into words how grateful I am for that opportunity and how proud I am of the tremendous progress the college has made since then. My hope is that many more young people will now be able to aim high regardless of their background or financial means.”

In 2018, Richardson, 84, sold the Panthers — after owning the team since its inception in 1993 — to David Tepper after an NFL investigation found Richardson guilty of multiple instances of workplace misconduct. He was fined a record $2.75 million by the NFL after the league’s investigation substantiated allegations of both sexual and racial misconduct. Many of those claims were originally published in a Sports Illustrated 2017 story.

The $150 million endowment will focus on four areas, the school said: Need-based financial aid that will affect hundreds of students each year, off-campus national and global study opportunities, student and faculty research, internships and entrepreneurial learning opportunities, an initiative to transition all of the college’s support staff to a minimum wage of $15 per hour and a fund for the maintenance, repair and improvement of campus buildings.

Jerry and his wife, Rosalind Sallenger Richardson have contributed to 14 major projects on Wofford’s campus since 1979, including the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.

After Richardson opened the first Hardee’s franchise in Spartanburg, he and his former Wofford football teammate Charlie Bradshaw co-founded Spartan Food Systems. Richardson later was the CEO of Flagstar, which was the sixth-largest food service company in the United States.

Richardson played wide receiver during his time at Wofford and still holds three records. The school retired his jersey (#51) in 2011.

The Charlotte 49ers’ football stadium is also named for Richardson, who pledged to give $10 million in 2013 in yearly increments of $1 million to help build the stadium, The Observer has previously reported.

The Panthers removed Richardson’s statue from outside of Bank of America Stadium in June, citing the interest of “public safety” with protests against systemic racism ongoing. Tepper had shared that he was “contractually obligated” to leave the statue outside of the stadium after buying the team, however, the statue has not and will not return, but the team did not destroy it.

A statue of Richardson remains at Wofford.