HomePublicationPasadenaRose Bowl Foundation Gifted $10M for Centennial Campaign

Rose Bowl Foundation Gifted $10M for Centennial Campaign

The Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the private nonprofit organization created to support the Rose Bowl Stadium, has announced a lead gift of $10 million from Tod Spieker and his family, kicking off the launch of Legacy’s centennial capital campaign.
The campaign seeks to raise $40 million within five years, funding that will provide for several vital areas of capital needs at the Rose Bowl Stadium, the core of the Legacy Foundation’s mission. The campaign will culminate in 2022 when the Rose Bowl Stadium turns 100 years old.
Spieker’s gift is the largest in Legacy’s history, dating to its founding in 2010. In addition to supporting needed capital projects, the gift will also enhance the community aspect of the stadium, as an annual scholarship will be created in the family’s name and awarded to a student to gain experience in the areas of stadium operations or field maintenance at the venue.
“This is a transformational gift for the Rose Bowl Stadium and we are incredibly thankful for the vision of our future that Tod and his family have shared through their generosity,” said Legacy Executive Director Dedan Brozino. “The spirit of this gift embodies the millions of fans, athletes, coaches and performers that continue to author the venue’s inspirational history.”
As a previous donor to the Legacy Foundation’s mission and as a respected philanthropist, Spieker has strong personal ties to the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium, the Rose Bowl Game, and to UCLA, the venue’s home team. A long-standing member of the Bay Area, Spieker is an alumnus of UCLA, having competed on the swim team and earning All-American honors in 1969. He remained active in swimming long after graduation, setting four long-course and five short-course world records at the 1998 Masters World Championships, all while in his early 50s. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2005. Spieker and his wife, Catherine, have supported many charitable causes throughout the country, including providing the lead gift for the Aquatics Center at his alma mater in Westwood.
“We are incredibly honored to receive this commitment from Tod and his family, which is critical not only for a successful centennial capital campaign, but also for the long-term viability of the stadium,” said General Manager Darryl Dunn. “The generosity of Tod and his family has been felt for years at the stadium, and his genuine respect for our history as a UCLA alum and Rose Bowl fan makes the gift even more special.”
In recognition of the lead gift, the Spieker family will be honored and recognized in several locations throughout the iconic venue. Among the locations, “Spieker Field at the Rose Bowl” will be positioned in several areas, including on the historic field hedges adjacent to the playing surface beyond the east and west sidelines. Several images depicting the venue’s most memorable moments will also be installed on the concourse area in recognition of the gift.
With increasingly diverse competition coming to the Los Angeles marketplace due to new and renovated venues, the protection, preservation and enhancement of the Rose Bowl Stadium, as well as the recognition of its history and heritage as America’s Stadium, is more important than ever before, Brozino said.
Co-chairs of the capital campaign effort are Mickey Segal (Legacy’s president) and Ron Okum (Legacy’s vice president and treasurer), with strong support and endorsement from the Legacy Board of Directors, its Advisory Committee, and the Rose Bowl Operating Company.
“I am honored to be co-chairing the very special fundraising campaign,” said Mickey Segal, president of Legacy’s Board of Directors. “The Rose Bowl is an important treasure in our community and this $40 million capital campaign we are embarking on will make sure this facility will always be state-of-the-art and remain an important site as America’s Stadium.”
Backed with the theme of “Inspire,” the fundraising effort will aim to highlight the inspirational moments of the more than 100 million fans to have visited the venue since its gates opened on Oct. 28, 1922. The Legacy Foundation will formally launch other key campaign information on the stadium’s birthday in late October.
The Rose Bowl Legacy Connections is a 501(c)3, tax-exempt organization whose primary purpose is to financially ensure the appropriate honoring of a historic past, while building a premier future through making the venue and surrounding areas even more distinguished and iconic as America’s Stadium and a National Historic Landmark.
The Rose Bowl Stadium was built in 1922 to host the increasingly popular East-West college bowl game that followed the annual Rose Parade. It was to be a grand venue that would showcase Pasadena to the entire country and, ultimately, the world. For more information, visit rosebowllegacyfoundation.org.

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