July 14, 2008

The University of Memphis Athletic Director R.C. Johnson announced that a record $6 million in unrestricted monies was donated to Tiger athletics during the 2007-08 fiscal year. TSF is the athletic department organization charged with raising scholarship dollars for U of M student-athletes.

"This is certainly a tribute to our fans, supporters, the Memphis coaches and the staff of the Tiger Scholarship Fund," said athletic director R.C. Johnson. "The communities support for our program has been overwhelming."

In 1996, the Memphis athletic department received donations of less than $1 million annually. A fund-raising goal was set to increase annual giving to $5 million. That figure has been surpassed for three consecutive years but must continue to increase in order to keep pace with the rising cost of higher education.

"I would like to thank all of our Tiger Ambassadors and our fans for their generous gifts and commend the efforts of Bill Lansden and his entire staff for the job they did this year," Johnson continued. "The Tiger Scholarship Fund is faced with the task of raising donations each year, while growing our donor base."

This year, associate athletic director Bill Lansden and his staff, have raised the total donation figure to $6.02 million in unrestricted dollars, marking the first time that donation levels have surpassed $6 million. Monies raised by the Tiger Scholarship Fund are used to offset the cost of scholarships for the over 350 Tiger student-athletes. During the 2006-07 fiscal year the Tiger Scholarship Fund raised a then record $5.6 million in unrestricted donations.