Rohrman Gives Purdue $15M, Receives Naming Rights
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowWhen the Purdue Boilermakers kick off next football season, it’ll be on Rohrman Field at Ross-Ade Stadium.
The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday approved a $15 million gift from the Bob Rohrman family, who in return received naming rights. The university says the money will go toward the renovation project of Ross-Ade Stadium. Estimates on the project have run as high as $125 million.
“Bob Rohrman and the entire Rohrman family have visibly and positively impacted Lafayette-West Lafayette and all the communities they serve for the last half century,” said Mike Bobinski, Purdue vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics. “And this gift will have a similar effect on Purdue football for years to come. It is a transformative gift in support of our most ambitious and significant project.”
Purdue says a dedication ceremony for Rohrman Field is scheduled for the 2020 season home opener on September 12.
Bob Rohrman started a successful auto dealership in Lafayette in 1963. The auto group owns more than 30 dealerships in Lafayette, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Chicagoland, and Kenosha, WI, according to the company website.
“The entire family believes this gift to Purdue University is one of the best ways that we can give back to a community that has done so much for us,” said J.R. Rohrman.
The Board of Trustees approved during its August meeting the stadium renovation project. Work has already begun on the multi-year facelift of the stadium. The university says it wants to pay for the work through private donations.