OT: Jim Mora Personally Helps Fund UCLA's New Football Training Center

Submitted by MGoVoldemort on
@gregbeacham: UCLA says Jim Mora made a "major personal financial commitment" to the new football training center. Biggest donation ever by sitting coach. Can anyone recall a coach doing this? Seems weird at a school with the athletic budget that UCLA has.

Dawkins

August 13th, 2015 at 12:58 PM ^

Good. It's the least these guys can do for their players given the millions they make off the backs of these kids. 

JHendo

August 14th, 2015 at 9:07 AM ^

That is horribly unfair to indirectly lump coaches in with the NCAA and money hungry ADs.  Coaches work their asses off every damn day for their teams.  It's not their fault that the system allows their hard work to get recognized in the form of an impressive bank account while their equally hardworking players can't even get cream cheese on their bagels.

baorao

August 13th, 2015 at 1:06 PM ^

Unless he is reimbursing for something that is already finished. otherwise if this is the normal "will be ready 2 seasons from now" type of deal he could easily be fired or quit by then.

Gentleman Squirrels

August 13th, 2015 at 1:09 PM ^

I don't think Mora will be fired for performance. He could go for greener pastures, but right now he's building something big in UCLA. 10-3 season for 2 years now and a ridiculous recruiting class coming in with Josh Rosen, KLS, and countless other prospects that Michigan wanted. They'll be a powerhouse in the PAC-12 soon.

Rabbit21

August 13th, 2015 at 1:18 PM ^

UCLA's athletic budget really is not all that great and they have held off on facility upgrades for years, part of Mora's contract was a promise to upgrade the facilities and I guess he decided to help accelerate the process.  This goes along with some other things he has done like pay for buses to the Rose Bowl so students could watch the Spring Game.  

UCLA's AD is fairly ineffective and lucked into hiring Mora, it'll be interesting to see what will happen if UCLA can get someone a bit more energetic and engaged.

TheFugitive

August 13th, 2015 at 1:20 PM ^

Did he purchase more kettle bells for Sean P Puffy Puff Daddy Diddy Combs to try to kill people with?

Crisler 71

August 13th, 2015 at 1:22 PM ^

Two things come to mind.

 

First, it could be an exchange for a future raise or new contract.

Second, UCLA could have started the facility to keep Mora from leaving (like RichRod at WV) and he just decided to contribute.  

Coaches giving back to the school is not uncommon.  Michigan coaches usually contribute to the library or the hospital or some scholarship fund for the general student body.  

Everyone Murders

August 13th, 2015 at 1:25 PM ^

But Joe Paterno made significant financial contributions to Penn State over his tenure as coach.  It doesn't come close to making up for papering over and enabling the Sandusky atrocities (not even the same galaxy), but he did give back to the school financially.

Mr. Yost

August 13th, 2015 at 5:15 PM ^

Donations over time and refusing to take pay raises even though the market dictated that he should've been making 3-4 times as much (at least).