NORMAL, Ill. – The excitement surrounding the Illinois State football program is immense, following the program's second appearance in the FCS National Championship game and now because of a 3-0 start to the 2026 season that featured a big FBS road win over in-state foe Northern Illinois. Redbird pride has led to several transformative gifts for the program, and the Illinois State Athletics Department is announcing a new commitment of $2 million from an anonymous former Redbird Football quarterback that will go towards enhancing the football program in the future and its quest to recruit and retain first-class student-athletes.
"We are blown away by the support for our Redbird Football program and the trust in Redbird Athletics to help ensure its success for years to come," ISU Director of Athletics Dr. Jeri Beggs said. "We had a history-making year in 2025 and are off to a tremendous start in 2026. The future of our football program is very bright, and this new investment will help us maintain the momentum for years to come."
The former Redbird quarterback who generously made this commitment wishes to remain anonymous at this time, but couldn't be prouder of what Coach Spack, his staff, and the student-athletes are achieving on the field and in the classroom. Last spring, the Redbird football team followed up a trip to the National Championship game by setting a program record GPA of 3.25 in the Spring 2026 semester.
This marks the fourth seven-figure commitment (May 2023 to present day) under the leadership of Beggs. Illinois State Athletics is coming off a banner fundraising year hat saw the department raise $10.9 million for FY26 (July 1 – June 30). That was a part of the $52 million raised by the Illinois State University Foundation during the fiscal year. The revenue generation has continued on the football side, as suites at Hancock Stadium currently have a wait list and club seats within the Aaron Leetch Club were up nearly 30 percent from last year.
" Continued investments like this in our program are key to the future success of our team on a national scale," ISU Football Head Coach Brock Spack said. "Support like this from former Redbird Football players shows a true enthusiasm for and pride in a program that gave them so much when they were on campus. This commitment, along with the others we have received since our appearance in the National Championship game will not only help us recruit and keep some of the best players in the country in town, but it will also help our program stay in the national spotlight consistently into the future."
Investments into the football program have paid big dividends in the recent future. Following the Hancock Stadium renovations in 2013, the Redbirds started a run that included playoff appearances in three-straight seasons from 2014-16 and a National Championship game berth in 2014. Then, after opening the OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center in 2023, the Redbirds have strung together two-straight playoff runs and a berth in the 2025 title game. With continued support, future projects could become a reality quickly that will transform the program.
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