Twenty-five days before its first game, Northwestern‘s 2026 football season is off to a fine start.
The university has received a three-year, $35 million commitment from the Uihlein family to “support the continued growth and success of its football program,” the school announced on Tuesday, August 11.
Advertisement
According to a release, the funding will be used for athlete development, operational priorities, recruiting and strategic investments “designed to position Northwestern Football for sustained success in the Big Ten and on the national stage.”
REQUIRED READING: College football hot seat list: 11 coaches facing heat, with Bill Belichick on fire
“We are deeply grateful to the Uihlein family for their extraordinary generosity and commitment to Northwestern University,” Northwestern athletic director Mark Jackson said in a statement. “Their support will help us continue building a program that delivers an exceptional student-athlete experience while competing at the highest level of college football.”
The donation from Liz and Dick Uihlein comes as the Wildcats are preparing to play their first season in Ryan Field after an $862 million, privately funded renovation that shrunk capacity, and completely overhauled and modernized the aging venue.
Advertisement
The Uihleins are the billionaire owners of Uline, a business supply company, and are heirs to the Schlitz Brewing Company fortune. The couple lives in the Chicago area.
Northwestern is entering its fourth season under coach David Braun, who has led the program to bowl games in two of his first three seasons after taking over for Pat Fitzgerald in 2023. Last season, the Wildcats went 7-6 and won the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
In the years since college sports have been dramatically reshaped by NIL and the transfer portal, Northwestern has struggled at times, going 23-39 overall and 13-32 in the Big Ten since 2021. The donation it received should help in its efforts to stay financially competitive in the Big Ten, a league in which it has by far the smallest undergraduate enrollment.
“We are so grateful for Pat and Shirley Ryan’s contributions to Northwestern and Chicago and want to follow their lead. Northwestern is one of the nation’s premier institutions, developing future leaders through its world-class academic programs, including the Kellogg School of Management,” Liz and Dick Uihlein said in a statement. “As multigenerational Chicagoans, we love this city and want to see it thrive. To us, Northwestern University is Chicago. Chicago loves sports and we need Wildcat Football to be competitive. We are pleased to support the university as it enters an exciting new era.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Northwestern football receives $35M donation from Uihlein family
