Aaron Rodgers Makes Major Donation to Cal's Football Program For New Locker Room
The Cal football program received a seven-figure donation from alumnus Aaron Rodgers, the school announced Tuesday.
The Packers quarterback's gift will be used to renovate the locker room and create the Aaron Rodgers Football Scholarship. The locker room renovation will be completed before the start of the 2019 season and will be renamed the Aaron Rodgers Team Locker Room.
"I'm pleased and proud to make this gift to support Cal football," Rodgers said in a statement. "My years at Cal were among the best years of my life. My time in Berkeley created lasting, unforgettable memories. Coach [Justin] Wilcox was on the coaching staff when I was a Bear, and I am excited about the team's direction with Justin pointing the way. He is a tremendous football coach and an even better role model for his players. I hope that my contribution can help him move this program forward."
The scholarship will be awarded each year to a junior college transfer; Rodgers himself transferred to Cal after one season at Butte College in 2002. Rodgers played two seasons at Cal, and in 2004 he led the Bears to a 10–2 record. The lone regular-season loss came to No. 1 USC, and Cal also lost in the Holiday Bowl.
He was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft by the Packers.