Generous Gift To SJSU Will Help Build Football Center

SAN JOSE, CA -- San Jose State University announced Friday that it has received a $2 million gift from alumnus John Hopkirk and his wife Anne Murphy. Their gift will be used to help build a new state-of-the-art football operations center on the east side of CEFCU Stadium, Home of the San Jose Spartans.

“John and Anne have been long-time Spartan supporters, and their gift to the football operations center demonstrates their love for San Jose State University,” SJSU Athletics Director Marie Tuite said. “They understand and support the priority of investing in football to provide Coach Brennan and his staff the tools they need to build a championship program. We are so grateful for their generosity.”

The football operations center will include locker rooms, offices, a student-athlete lounge, an auditorium and premium seating options on the 50-yard line. The project will rebuild the stadium’s east side. The gift will add to improvements underway throughout South Campus, including the recently completed soccer, tennis, golf, and softball facilities.

Hopkirk worked his way through school at San Jose State while pursuing a degree in business accounting. Hopkirk’s love for SJSU athletics took off after he graduated and began his professional career as a certified public accountant. As an avid supporter of SJSU football and basketball, Hopkirk believes he may be the only fan who has seen every SJSU men’s post-season basketball game since he first enrolled at San Jose State in the late 1960s.

In 1987, Hopkirk met his wife, Anne Murphy, a University of San Francisco graduate. She has embraced his passion for SJSU athletics. The couple travels all over the country to watch the Spartans compete.

“This critical project will have a major impact on Spartan football and our entire athletics program, as well as the game day experience for our students and all who attend our games,” said Paul Lanning, vice president for university advancement and Tower Foundation chief. “Building a modern football operations center that revitalizes CEFCU Stadium is our most urgent fundraising priorities, and we’re thrilled to see two of our greatest fans make such a generous commitment to this project.”

For more information: https://go.sjsu.edu/hopkirk-gift.

--Image courtesy of San Jose State University