Mark Richardson ‘83, along with his wife Kathryn Richardson, announced their gift of $10 million to support scholarships for Clemson students.

The Richardson are “particularly passionate about having a path for future generations to have access to educational opportunities at the University,” according to Clemson News.

Mark Richardson is a former 1981 National Championship Football team athlete, University trustee, businessman and co-founder of the Carolina Panthers. The Richardsons created the Champions 4 Access to Education challenge, where they will be matching gifts dollar-for-dollar up to $4 million to the Clemson University General Scholarship Endowment and the College-level General Scholarship Endowments. 

As stated by Clemson News, “For every student we are helping today, there are many more who need our financial support. We are committed to making those resources available and recruiting others to join us in an effort to provide access to education for all,” Mark Richardson said. “There are many intelligent and hardworking students who aspire to attend Clemson, and the only obstacles that are holding them back are opportunity and financial resources. We believe we can remove those obstacles and open the door to a future they may not have believed was possible.”

Their challenge donations will supply a total of $8 million in scholarships for Clemson students, making it the largest gift to Clemson University from a former student-athlete.

The funds will support general scholarships, the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, programs within the College of Education to strengthen teacher retention and several crucial programs across Clemson that increase access to education and enhance students’ Clemson Experience. These include Emerging Scholars, Call Me MiSTER® and ClemsonLIFE. 

To be a part of the Champions 4 Access to Education challenge, go to the Clemson News website to accept the challenge.