NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Athletics will officially dedicate the Aaron Leetch Stadium Club prior to the Redbirds' first home football game on Saturday, September 10. The event will take place at the Hancock Stadium Club gate entrance at 4:30 p.m. and will include a ribbon cutting. Supporters and fans wanting to be a part of the celebration can gather outside Hancock Stadium at the gate and watch the ceremony.
Illinois State University received $1.5 million in combined gift commitments for the Indoor Practice Facility from an anonymous pair of donors, with the intent of the gifts to honor the legacy of former Deputy Director of Athletics Aaron Leetch by renaming the club in Hancock Stadium the Aaron Leetch Stadium Club.
Original commitments were made to benefit the Indoor Practice Facility, with additional commitments made at a later time to specifically find a way to honor Leetch's legacy at Illinois State. The Illinois State University Board of Trustees officially authorized the Athletics Department to proceed with the naming of the Aaron Leetch Stadium Club in a meeting on February 18, 2022.
Leetch first worked at Illinois State from 2005 to 2011, before returning to serve as Deputy Director of Athletics in June of 2013. A gifted administrator, Aaron was a driving force behind the fundraising for the Hancock Stadium Renovation and in the construction of the club space. His passion was to make a difference in the lives of student-athletes and their collegiate experience. Aaron was a humble leader with a gift of understanding and lifting others up, who made a lifelong impact on Illinois State University. Leetch was one of seven men who lost their lives in an airplane crash on April 7, 2015, as the group was coming back from the NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis.
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