Oct. 18, 2002

Prominent attorney and MBC Chairman & CEO Willie E. Gary presented a $100,000 gift to the Florida Atlantic University football program during a ceremony held today at FAU's John D. MacArthur campus in Jupiter.

The funds will help pay for scholarships and other expenses related to the Owls football team, which is currently in its second season of NCAA play. FAU Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger said the generous gift will help the program attract outstanding student athletes, as the team continues to grow in stature and strives toward its goal of advancing to NCAA Division I-A in the near future.

"Today, Willie Gary has pledged his support and shares the vision we have of developing a football program that Florida Atlantic University and all of Florida can be proud of," said Schnellenberger. "Through the generous support of our friends - like Mr. Gary - FAU will continue to develop our football program and produce outstanding students and athletes that will in turn make our university proud. We owe Mr. Gary a debt of gratitude and welcome him to the FAU family."

Gary is best known for taking on some of this nation's most powerful corporate giants and coming away with more than 150 verdicts and settlements valued at more than $1 million each. He helped to bring football back to two Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Edward Waters College in Jacksonville and his alma mater, Shaw University, in Raleigh, N.C. - in recent years.

"There has always been a soft spot in my heart for college football because that is where I got my start," Gary said. "I believe that all sports should be used as part of the educational process of any young boy or girl because it is through athletics that they will learn about teamwork and discipline. They develop the desire and determination to succeed and when they fail, they learn how to bounce back from defeat, which is most important because in life you're going to have some bumps and curves." Gary's cable TV network (MBC) is also the nation's top provider of Black College Sports, televising football games such as the recent Willie E. Gary Football Classic between Edward Waters College and Shaw University at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville, home of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars.

Gary is also well known for giving back. He has pledged $100,000 each to more than a dozen Historically Black Colleges and Universities in an effort to keep their doors open.