Former Dutch Bros CEO Donates $3 Million to Oregon State Basketball
1991 Oregon State graduate Joth Ricci, the former CEO of Dutch Bros Coffee, has given $3 million to the Beavers basketball program, according to The Oregonian. The generous donation, half of which will go to the men's team and half of which will go to women's, is an incredibly important influx of cash for an athletic program that has struggled financially in recent years, and struggled on the men's side to put together a consistent product.
Ricci already has a relationship with the school in his role as Executive in Residence for the Oregon State College of Business, and the money handed to the athletic department is in addition to these services. Ricci, who has served roles in many different high-value businesses across the last decade, donated the money at a time where Oregon State could really use it considering all of the financial windfall of the collapse of the old Pac-12 Conference.
With the new edition of the conference coming together after Gonzaga's announcement they would be joining the Pac-12, in addition to Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Utah State, Washington State and Oregon State, the Beavers will need to be in contention for higher-level players. Given their struggles in NIL and other areas, Ricci's donation will be used to help both Wayne Tinkle of the men's program and Scott Rueck of the women's program to be more competitive in these areas.
Though it has not been specified exactly how the money will be used, it can only mean good things for the Beavers across both men's and women's basketball. Hopefully, the rebuilding of the Pac-12 can signal more positive things for the school's athletic department going forward. Every major athletics program in the country is sponsored by donors in large part, and now the Oregon State Beavers are no different.
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Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.