Brian Kelly is now the Corbett Family Head Football Coach. That comes after alumnus Richard Corbett gifted Notre Dame $35 million, including $10 million that’ll serve as an endowment of the head football coaching position.
The majority of Corbett’s gift—$25 million—will go to underwrite the construction of the 280,000-square-foot building that’ll be along the east side of Notre Dame Stadium. The Corbett Family Hall will house the Anthropology and Psychology Departments, along with a digital media center.
“For many generations of Notre Dame faculty and students to come, Corbett Family Hall will represent a full integration of teaching, research and advanced technology on our campus,” Notre Dame president Rev. John Jenkins said in a statement. “Likewise, the endowment of the head football coaching position will underwrite salary, provide stability and resources for the long term and create funds for use within the department and across campus.
“We are humbled by and tremendously grateful for these extraordinary gifts from Dick.”
The top three levels of the Corbett Family Hall will serve as additional viewing locations for Notre Dame Stadium. They’ll including club and premium seating options, open-air terraces, additional concessions stands and the top level will be the new media press box.
Corbett’s endowment for the football coaching job is the third at Notre Dame, following women’s basketball and men’s lacrosse. The move is part of a growing trend at major football programs to endow the head coaching position, following universities like Stanford and Michigan.
Corbett graduated from Notre Dame in 1960, serving as class president. He worked on John F. Kennedy’s presidential election campaign and then served in the White House. He earned a master’s degree from Harvard, served as a financial manager for the Kennedy family and as the business manager for Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign. He’s currently the CEO and president of Concorde Companies, a real estate venture in Florida.
“My father, brother and I have proudly and boldly worn our blue and gold in all that we have done,” Corbett said in the release. “We have sought to support the tradition of excellence in academic, athletic, personal and professional performance. We are very pleased to help further build Notre Dame’s commitment to the dynamic blend of academic and athletic enrichment that continues to be a beacon of this nation’s values and sustainability.”