Crawford Family Provides CU Athletics With Largest One-Time Gift Ever
August 02, 2021 | General, Buff Club, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Earlier this summer, University of Colorado Athletic Director Rick George made clear what he believes the future holds for the Buffaloes.
"We have to think big if we're going to do big things and we're going to think big," George told the media. "There's a bright future ahead for us. I'm hopeful in the next five or six years we can accomplish a lot of the things that will make this department and this university elite."
The message has been heard. One of Colorado's most generous donors, Jeff Crawford (CU Class of 1990) and his wife, Orsi, through the Crawford Family Foundation, have again stepped up to the plate in a very big way with a new gift of $5.5 million, the largest one-time gift in CU Athletics history.
"This is a transformational gift," George said. "It allows us to provide world-class programs for our student-athletes that will help them succeed athletically and academically, and make them life ready when they leave the University of Colorado. It also allows us to focus on other needs throughout our department, and that's going to help us make all of our sports programs elite."
This is the second major gift by Jeff and Orsi, steadfast supporters of the Buffs. An earlier gift, that resulted in the naming of the Crawford Club at the CU Champions Center, was instrumental in helping make the Buffaloes' nutrition program for our athletes one of the best in the nation. Jeff and Orsi's cumulative gifts now exceed $10 million. Jeff and Orsi hope these gifts will motivate other CU supporters to answer the call as well.
"If there's one message our family really wants to convey, it is that we hope our gift inspires others to give whatever they can to help the University's athletic department not only be successful on the field, but off the field as well," Jeff Crawford said. "We need people willing to support the CU athletic department so that it is set up for a future where it can thrive, compete for championships, and take care of and maximize the talents of all our wonderful student athletes."
The gift also comes at a crucial juncture for the Buffaloes, a time when the convergence of a number of factors has opened up a window of opportunity for CU.
Crawford believes Colorado must now take advantage of that opportunity in the critical years ahead.
"There are a lot of great things happening with CU and the Pac-12 right now," Crawford said. "We have this great upswing in basketball. We have a great coach in Tad Boyle who wants to stay here. Our football team just went to a bowl game. Karl (Dorrell) loves Colorado, loves the school and loves the area. The Pac-12 has a new commissioner (George Kliavkoff), who I think is ready to do some great things, and the conference has a new media deal coming up for renewal.
"This is our chance to be on the upswing. These next few years are going to be critical, and we need to capitalize on all the good things that are happening for CU and the conference. It's a great window of opportunity we have to take advantage of."
But windows of opportunity don't stay open forever. It is essential that CU seize the opportunity now in order to create a foundation for long-term success.
 Thanks to George's leadership, CU has emerged from the coronavirus pandemic in a much better position than many of its peers. The Buffs actually managed to take some significant steps forward over the last year, even while other programs struggled.
In the competitive arena, the Buffs' athletic performances are trending upward, as are their academic endeavors. A new commissioner has revived spirits in the Pac-12 and new media rights deals are on the horizon. Add to the equation the ever-changing landscape of college athletics at the national level, and it becomes imperative that CU take advantage of the opportunities ahead. The Buffs need to be a nationally elite and nationally relevant program when changes come about.
That is a message Crawford stresses must be emphasized.
"We can't be complacent," he said. "It is a competitive landscape in college athletics today, and it's only going to become more competitive. We need other people that have the means to give to Colorado to continually give to keep CU at a high level or we're going to lose this opportunity. I hope when people see other families supporting CU, they'll want to do the same thing."
Much of the gift will help support what will now be known as the Crawford Family WHOLE Student-Athlete program. A comprehensive approach centered on Wellness, Health and Optimal Life Experience, the program is believed to be the only of its kind in intercollegiate athletics, making it a foundational cornerstone of CU's long-term success.
Jeff and Orsi are excited to be part of the WHOLE program, a groundbreaking endeavor spearheaded by George. The program ties together CU's individual student-athlete support services into a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy aimed at optimizing data to produce success at the individual, team and department levels.
"This is exactly the type of thing we want to support," Crawford said. "This is a way to help student-athletes achieve success when they are at Colorado, and also help prepare them to become future leaders when their careers in sports are over. It is a way to maximize all the opportunities they have at CU — and I think it is something that parents will want their kids to be part of."
CU psychology and neuroscience professor Dr. Theresa Hernández, who currently serves as Associate Dean for Research in the College of Arts and Sciences, played an integral role in designing the WHOLE program. Also integral to the program design was Miguel Rueda, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Health and Performance.
The project has enlisted the collaboration of a long list of CU resources, from research professors to medical professionals — and of course, key members of the Athletic Department who head individual programs dedicated to student-athletes physical, psychological, academic and career health.Â
Other schools around the nation also have individual programs dedicated to such areas as nutrition, psychological health, career and leadership development and academic support.
But along with the help of Kitman Labs, an internationally known athlete management system, the Crawford WHOLE Student-Athlete program can gather data from each program, then produce individual, team and overall dashboards.
The collection of that data can then help CU's team maximize performance and outcomes at every level.
  "The WHOLE Student-Athlete program is really unique," Hernández said. "With this sort of approach, CU-Boulder is leading the Pac-12 — actually the country — in terms of the way the Athletic Department is in collaboration and partnership with academic units. That just doesn't happen routinely in a lot of places."
Rueda said the evidence-based approach to collecting, analyzing and then optimizing all the data is critical to helping create optimal performance plans for every student-athlete. CU can then tailor each of its programs to meet individual needs.
"We want to know what works, what doesn't work, understand the evidence behind it, and then implement those programs," Rueda said. "While other institutions may offer some of the programs we offer, we are unique in the fact that all the programs work together to make this WHOLE Student-Athlete program."
That process will not only help CU's student-athletes achieve success in the competitive and academic arenas, but will also establish a foundation for long-term success when they graduate.
"This gift shows what CU is doing in terms of the WHOLE Student-Athlete is not just something we see as important, but others are seeing its importance as well," Hernández said. "The Crawford family being willing to invest in it is a huge win. It allows the university to continue with really great programming that is working. We can evaluate it with evidence-based methods and results, and now we can expand the programming where there is need. This type of investment will make it possible to grow and refine the program and support our student-athletes even more."
The impacts are immediate and long-term.
"One, it will give us a competitive advantage," George said. "All the areas that touch our student-athletes are involved, and we can use that data to help them achieve their maximum potential in every area. It will help us win.
"Two, it will allow us to go into recruits' homes and say, 'Here's what we're doing and here's how it has improved what we're doing.' This is going to be a very valuable piece when it comes to showing families what we are going to be able to do for their sons and daughters."
Lauren Unrein, assistant director of CU's Scripps Leadership and Career Development Program, said the Crawford family's support will be critical as the program moves into the Name, Image and Likeness era.
"That support gives us the ability to invest in resources long term that will provide student-athletes with the support they need for as long as they are at CU," Unrein said. "We are able to give them world-class opportunities. That includes Name, Image and Likeness workshops and education around their brands. It will help our student-athletes understand how to leverage their time here to be successful in the future, and that will produce a generational impact. They will be successful and have the opportunity to give back when they graduate to help the next generation of student-athletes."
The Crawfords hope their gift will provide a springboard for other donors who see the opportunities at hand for the Buffaloes.
"I'd like to be on the upswing so when the new media deal comes in, we are in a position of power," Crawford said. "When realignment happens, you want to be a program that's attractive. You want to be part of that equation by maximizing the opportunities ahead."
No doubt, the Crawford family gift will help in that regard. Along with strengthening one of CU's signature programs, it will allow the Athletic Department to allocate resources to other areas.
"Our goal is to be an elite athletic department," George said. "This gift, and the inspiration we believe it provides for our other great supporters, is a big step in helping us achieve that goal."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu