$10 million gift to Duke football
Former Duke All-America halfback Bob Pascal and a friend and fellow alumnus, Steve Brooks, have donated a combined $10 million to the football program. The money will be used to upgrade the visiting locker room, add practice fields and build a fieldhouse with a full-length practice field.
“We believe this is the perfect time to invest further in Duke football,” Brooks said in a prepared statement. “We have the right coach in David Cutcliffe, the right athletic director in Kevin White, great student-athletes and strong support from the school’s administration and Board of Trustees.”
Pascal, an All-American in 1955 and two-time all-ACC player, helped lead the Blue Devils to three straight ACC championships and an Orange Bowl victory over Nebraska on Jan. 1, 1955. A developer and the owner of a resort, Pascal recently retired from the Board of Directors of Intergy, a propane marketing and distribution company.
Books, a 1966 Duke graduate and Vietnam veteran, is president and chief executive officer of the Phoenix American Insurance Group. His son, Matt, was a kicker on Duke’s football team from 2001-04.
– Roger van der Horst