Gift to provide new athletic complex for BGSU

10/16/2004

BOWLING GREEN - The second-largest financial gift in Bowling Green State University history will be announced today when a member of the school's board of trustees pledges $3.5 million for a multipurpose athletic complex to be built on the north end of Perry Stadium.

J. Robert Sebo has pledged the money for the facility that will house the athletic department's training rooms, weight-training rooms, an athletic awards room, as well as football coaches' offices and team meeting rooms.

The facility also will have an outdoor pavilion that overlooks the playing field.

Scheduled to be completed in June of 2006, the facility will be called the Sebo Student Athlete Center. University official sexpect to cover the remaining $7 million cost through private donations.

BG's board of trustees officially approved receiving the gift during a meeting yesterday afternoon.

The board approved the naming of the Sebo Student Athlete Center but kept discussion about the donation to a minimum.

"On behalf of the board of trustees, Mr. Sebo, many, many, many thanks," board chairman Ed Ferkany said.

Sebo declined to comment yesterday. The school will officially announce the gift before today's 4 p.m. homecoming football game against Ball State at Perry Stadium.

The gift is the largest gift earmarked for athletics in school history.

Sebo, a 1958 BG graduate, is a retired senior vice president for Paychex Inc., of Rochester, N.Y. He was appointed to the board of trustees in May of 2002 for a term that expires in 2011.

Sebo's gift is the 13th of $1 million or more in school history, and nine of those $1 million gifts have been given since October, 2003. The largest donation to BGSU - $6.7 million - was announced in January.

- John Wagner and Kim Bates