Tribe looks to build on momentum with $55M fundraising campaign

The paradigm has shifted for William & Mary athletics in the seven months since the decision, later reversed, to eliminate seven of 23 teams.

“All In,” a three-year, $55 million fundraising campaign announced Wednesday, underscores the growing partnership between the athletic department and the W&M community to ensure the full slate of programs is funded as needed to survive and excel.

“We know the magnitude of the challenges we face, but we also know the William & Mary community has said they want to support a broad-based (athletic) program,” interim athletic director Jeremy Martin said. “So this campaign really allows us to demonstrate the communities’ commitment and to ensure we can provide for the future while still recognizing the challenges we face.”

The campaign’s goals include raising $33 million to supplement the building of a new Sports Performance Center and renovation of Kaplan Arena. Enhanced strength and conditioning, sports medicine and practice facilities will be among the upgrades.

About $41 million has already been pledged for the project, most by the Boehly and Mackesy families. But Martin said a “gap” of $7.5 million must be met quickly to begin the design phase, possibly as early as the end of 2021.

Almost one-third of the money raised by All In, $17 million, will be designated as expendable, immediate-use funds to sustain athletic department operations. About $5 million — the average deficit W&M athletics faces annually — is needed to support scholarships, equitable partici

“I’d be talking about it every day,” he said. “I would’ve talked about it twice in the last week, right? And that’s kind of a sad state of affairs on many, many levels. In my opinion, obviously, we need to have some serious conversations about gun laws in this country. But I think even more importantly, we need to have some serious conversations about mental health issues in this country.”

Rahne was a freshman at Cornell on April 20, 1999, when some somber-faced fraternity brothers who knew where he grew up directed his attention to the television and what was unfolding at Columbine. Rahne surmised that his father was indeed working.

After a fruitless call to his sister, Rahne finally learned that night that his dad was OK.

A Vietnam veteran, Ray Rahne was no stranger to trauma. Ricky Rahne hopes his children and his players don’t become numb to it.

“These things aren’t destiny,” he said. “Obviously, as a country, we need to find a way to work past this and figure out a solution for them. And when I say that, I know this is not something where one football coach can figure out the solution to this, and it’s an easy solution. This is years in the making. But I do think, obviously, we’ve got to start going down some sort of path to protect our future, protect our children.”