DALLAS (SMU) – A $3 million commitment from Trustee Richard Ware '68 advances SMU Athletics' mission by supporting the Garry Weber End Zone Complex at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.

This marks the latest in a series of recent gifts to the project, including a $2 million commitment from Richard's son, William Ware '01, made in December. The drive for the end zone complex was launched in January 2022 with a $50 million gift from the Garry Weber Foundation, established by former Mustang football letterman Garry A. Weber '58. Since 2013, SMU Athletics has invested over $250 million in championship-caliber facilities across campus. Construction on the expansion and improvement project began in January.

"SMU is a special place, and since my time as a student, I've always believed in the potential of SMU," said Ware. "My son William and I are proud to give to the Weber End Zone Complex because we all want to be on Garry's team with this transformative project. Garry is such a great guy and has positively impacted SMU Student Life for five decades."

"Richard Ware has given back to SMU in so many ways – with his time, with his energy and with his financial resources," said Director of Athletics Rick Hart. "We are grateful to see him join several others who have made principal and major gifts to the Weber End Zone Complex. This priority project accelerates the progress and momentum of SMU Athletics. It's an exciting time to be a Mustang!"
 
The Garry Weber End Zone Complex will connect the stadium's existing east and west gate entries. Its three levels will include new locker rooms, a weight room, meeting rooms, a full-team auditorium and a kitchen and training table to support all 484 SMU student-athletes. The new facility will also house football coaches, support staff, and video and recruiting services. Read more about the complex here.
 
The gift to the Garry Weber End Zone Complex supports one of the major goals of SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow the University's multiyear $1.5 billion campaign for impact.
 
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It's a new era of Athletics at SMU. In the classroom and on the field, SMU is driving excellence and growth to be among the best athletics programs in the country. We are bringing the highest level of collegiate competition to Dallas, which was recently named the No. 1 city for sports business by the Sports Business Journal, and will extend our recent history of all 17 programs reaching the postseason and 13 programs winning conference championships in the last 13 years. SMU is the only NCAA FBS program in Dallas, and has claimed eight overall national championships, over 100 individual national champions, more than 150 NCAA top 10 finishes, nearly 2,000 All-American honors and over 150 Olympic appearances. Since 2010, SMU has invested over $250 million to develop and enhance championship-caliber facilities.