Spring Break
Vidas family donates $1 million to crew program
Brett Fischer
Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: Sports
Vince Vidas, a Drexel Alum and former football All-American, and his wife Judy donated $1 million to the Drexel crew in hopes of revitalizing the program.
The donation is part of a $3 million "Give Me Ten Campaign" to help bring prominence to the program and allow the team to better compete on a national level.
"I am so proud of what President Papadakis and Dr. Zillmer have accomplished with Drexel Athletics over the years," Vince said, according to a Drexel Dragons press release. "Their vision and leadership have been superb. It is a pleasure to be able to help assist them with this latest athletic endeavor."
The Vidas family isn't new to donating time and money on behalf of Drexel athletics. Both Vince and Judy were in charge of improving the athletic fields at 43rd and Powelton.
Director of Athletics Eric Zillmer said the donation should create a positive trend of donations on behalf of Drexel athletics.
"It creates a culture where other people are going to step forward," Zillmer said. "This gift motivates other people and creates momentum. It's also good for the entire University. Anytime alumni give back, it motivates other alumni to give back as well."
With this money, Head Coach Paul Savell should have better future recruiting classes, which should ultimately give his program a chance to qualify for the IRA and NCAA Championships, in addition to being a strong competitor in the Dad Vail Regatta.
"We're looking to do some major upgrades and renovations to the boathouse as well improve the equipment and recruit top athletes around the world," Savell said. "I know that Dr. Zillmer really has made crew a top priority and he thinks there's a lot of potential for improvement so being that we're right on boathouse row where it's the centerstage of rowing in Philadelphia, we see a great opportunity."
After the $1 million dollar donation was officially announced, Zillmer said the athletic department has received seven 5-figure gifts in various sports.
"It's truly unbelievable and at Drexel, it's unprecedented," Zillmer said. "It creates a sense of commitment from former alumni. For crew it's an unbelievable gift and allows them to position themselves to have great seasons in the upcoming years. It also signals for the University that alumni care about athletics. It's a complete win-win situation."
The donation is part of a $3 million "Give Me Ten Campaign" to help bring prominence to the program and allow the team to better compete on a national level.
"I am so proud of what President Papadakis and Dr. Zillmer have accomplished with Drexel Athletics over the years," Vince said, according to a Drexel Dragons press release. "Their vision and leadership have been superb. It is a pleasure to be able to help assist them with this latest athletic endeavor."
The Vidas family isn't new to donating time and money on behalf of Drexel athletics. Both Vince and Judy were in charge of improving the athletic fields at 43rd and Powelton.
Director of Athletics Eric Zillmer said the donation should create a positive trend of donations on behalf of Drexel athletics.
"It creates a culture where other people are going to step forward," Zillmer said. "This gift motivates other people and creates momentum. It's also good for the entire University. Anytime alumni give back, it motivates other alumni to give back as well."
With this money, Head Coach Paul Savell should have better future recruiting classes, which should ultimately give his program a chance to qualify for the IRA and NCAA Championships, in addition to being a strong competitor in the Dad Vail Regatta.
"We're looking to do some major upgrades and renovations to the boathouse as well improve the equipment and recruit top athletes around the world," Savell said. "I know that Dr. Zillmer really has made crew a top priority and he thinks there's a lot of potential for improvement so being that we're right on boathouse row where it's the centerstage of rowing in Philadelphia, we see a great opportunity."
After the $1 million dollar donation was officially announced, Zillmer said the athletic department has received seven 5-figure gifts in various sports.
"It's truly unbelievable and at Drexel, it's unprecedented," Zillmer said. "It creates a sense of commitment from former alumni. For crew it's an unbelievable gift and allows them to position themselves to have great seasons in the upcoming years. It also signals for the University that alumni care about athletics. It's a complete win-win situation."
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