Over 1100 Cal fans raise $1.2 million for the California Legends NIL following the ACC invite

Many thanks to the Cal community who showed up and supported their California Golden Bear athletes in providing them with the suppoort they need.

Photo credit: Cal Athletics

In one of the most inspiring efforts in years, the California Golden Bears nation stepped up after getting into the ACC. 1100 Cal fans everywhere stepped up and contributed $1.2 million to our California Legends Collective NIL. That money will eventually be dispersed among the athletes of many athletic programs and be used for various recruiting causes in the coming years.

Ron Rivera gave word this morning:

Thank you Cal alums and community for a successful #milliondollarchallenge We recorded 1100 donations in 72 hours and surpassed our goal by raising 1.2 million for 21 sports. The ACC is now Bear Territory! #GoBears #theBearwillnotquit

Stephanie Rivera confirmed donations came to all 21 sports.

Thanks to the matching donation of Ron and Stephanie Rivera of $500,000, that meant over $700,000 was raised by Cal fans over the long Labor Day weekend. That means that an average donation of around $600-700 was made by the Cal fan in support of the program. We know some big checks were written, so that means many Cal donors chipped in with smaller amounts.

Kevin Kennedy, Cal Legends NIL president, went into the details of how the leaders of the Cal NIL stood up this weekend and put this all into action.

“Partially as the result of the chaos surrounding the ACC admission process and partially just because the Riveras, Lance Cooper and myself were inspired to come together to do this somewhat at the last minute, we didn’t have a single dime in donations lined up before launch,” Kennedy said in a letter obtained by On3. “In fact, we weren’t sure if we were going to raise any money at all.

“… Many of our most generous donors who have been instrumental in helping to fund our efforts to date coming in yet again with new major contributions. And several five-figure checks from individuals who not only have not given to the collective before but really have not donated to Cal athletics in any capacity before. It is so amazing and gratifying to start tapping into this large portion of our alumni base, who clearly has the means but until recently has lacked the impetus to get involved. We are now seeing that change.”

Strong on the road in getting fundraising supporrt was Cal men’s basketball coach Mark Madsen, who went to Texas primarily not to watch a Cal football game, but engage donors and get them to chip into the cause.

This is a huge step to show that many Cal fans of all types are willing to step up and support the athletic program and its players in times of need. There’s a lot that we still have to get better at to sustain our programs long-term and make football and men’s basketball true standards of revenue excellence, but for now it’s safe to say it was a great week to be a Cal fan.

If you want to keep contributing, on either a one-time or recurring basis, or to any particular sports rather than the general NIL fund, go to the California Legends site and learn how to make donations there.

Justin Wilcox and Mark Madsen have continuously stressed NIL contributions are the best way to support the athletic program in the years to come. If you’re reading this and you’re a Cal fan, your best way to support the program outside of buying Cal tickets and Cal Student Store merchandise is to come to games.

Cal fans, thank you so much for stepping up in our time of greatest need. I wish I could say this is the last time we will be in this much need, but I’d have to venture more days are like this ahead. Go Bears.