Nike co-Founder & Chair Emeritus PHIL KNIGHT and his wife PENNY have given $500M to the Univ. of Oregon to "create the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact." The campus will "work to take science from the laboratory to the real world." The campus is envisioned as a $1B initiative and will "raise additional private funds" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 10/17). UO officials said that the Knight gift is the "largest ever for a public flagship institution" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/18).
RIDE THE LIGHTNING: In Tampa, Ashley Kritzer profiles Lightning CEO STEVE GRIGGS, who is "friendly with a puckish sense of humor." Those who work closely with him say that the transition from former CEO TOD LEIWEKE "has been as ceaseless as possible, and that Griggs has become a leader in his own right." Now headed into his second season as CEO, Griggs is "faced with a charge almost as momentous as the initial turnaround" of the franchise. He must "continue to elevate every facet" of the club, "from the Lightning brand to the game-day experience, while developing talent that will become the next generation of sports executives" (TAMPA BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL, 10/17 issue).
GIVING BACK: Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee alum FRED SITZBERGER has pledged to give $1M to the Panther Excellence Fund -- the “single biggest donation in UWM athletics history” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 10/18)....The Predators yesterday “presented a check” for $427,144 to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Predators President & CEO SEAN HENRY said that it is the “largest donation the team has made to a single organization” (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 10/18)....Cowboys QB DAK PRESCOTT recently surprised a Boys & Girls club in Grand Prairie, Texas, and helped Buffalo Wild Wings unveil a series of renovations to a field where the kids play flag football (THE DAILY)....Cowboys RB EZEKIEL ELLIOTT yesterday "sponsored a pet adoption day at the SPCA of Texas," allowing potential new owners to "adopt a new best friend for $21 in honor of his jersey number" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/18).
THE REAL WORLD: CBS is teaming with Cardinals DE CALAIS CAMPBELL to "develop 'THE WHOLE NINE,' which is inspired by his own life." The multicamera comedy "centers on a pro football player who moves into a gated community and is surprised when his overbearing family shows up on his doorstep wanting to move in." The NFL is "not involved" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 10/14).
NAMES: JESSIE and KELLY PEGULA, daughters of Bills and Sabres co-Owners TERRY and KIM PEGULA, yesterday “launched a new organic café” inside the Shops at HarborCenter. The Healthy Scratch will “offer a variety of fresh dine-in or take-out options made as often as possible with organic ingredients” (BUFFALO NEWS, 10/18)....Pelicans C ANTHONY DAVIS yesterday posted an ad on Craigslist "seeking a personal assistant." He writes in the ad, "Someone to help me out so I can focus on getting ready for the season" (OREGONLIVE.com, 10/17)....Dodgers 1B ADRIAN GONZALEZ has “refused to stay with his team at a Chicago property” owned by DONALD TRUMP (L.A. TIMES, 10/18)....WAYNE GRETZKY yesterday launched his No. 99 Red Cask Whisky at a “private tasting in Maple Leaf Square’s LCBO” (TORONTO STAR, 10/18)....Disney Chair & CEO BOB IGER has "scored a deal with Random House to publish an as-yet-untitled book on leadership and management” (DEADLINE.com, 10/17)....Thunder G RUSSELL WESTBROOK is featured on the cover of the November issue of GQ (THE DAILY).
IN MEMORY: Longtime K.C. Star sportswriter BILL RICHARDSON, the "original media voice" of the Chiefs, died Thursday at the age of 91 (K.C. STAR, 10/18).
