University of Connecticut Athletics
Naming Ceremony Held For Burton Family Football Complex
5/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
STORRS, CT (May 7, 2002) - Robert G. Burton, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Moore Corporation Limited of Stamford, Conn., has announced a contribution of $2.5 million to the University of Connecticut, which will be used to build the Burton Family Football Complex on the Storrs campus. A naming ceremony for the Burton Family Football Complex was held today at UConn.
The Complex will be the on-campus home of UConn football and will house coaches’ offices, team meeting rooms, locker rooms and other football-related facilities.
Burton has already established the Robert G. Burton Endowed Scholarship Fund at UConn, which is awarded to a student-athlete in the School of Business, and the Michael G. Burton Scholarship Fund, which is named for his son -- a captain on the 1999 Husky football team -- and is awarded to a football student-athlete in the School of Business.
Burton has donated in excess of $1 million to establish these scholarships and through the UConn 2000 matching gift program, the total value of the endowed scholarships was $1.5 million.
"I want to take this opportunity to thank Bob Burton and his family for making another significant contribution to the University of Connecticut athletic department," says UConn Director of Athletics Lew Perkins. "The Burton Family Football Complex will be an important part of our future as a NCAA Division I-A program. To succeed at this level, we need to be competitive in all areas and this complex will clearly help us establish our program on a national scale.
"Bob Burton has been extremely generous to the University of Connecticut through his establishment of two endowed scholarship funds and, now, the gift of the Burton Family Football Complex. The legacy of the Burton family will be felt here at UConn for many years to come by our student-athletes."
Burton is a graduate of Murray State University in Kentucky and he holds a bachelors of science in business administration. He continues to serve on its Foundation Board of Trustees and its College of Business Dean’s Advisory Board. He also holds a master’s of arts from Tennessee State University and has completed post-graduate work toward his doctorate at the University of Chicago and the University of Alabama.
While at Murray State, Burton was captain of the football team and was named an All-American in his senior year. He was a 19th-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in the 1962 National Football League Draft and later signed a free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills.
He holds honorary doctorate degrees from Murray State and the University of Connecticut, and has been honored by various universities, states and cities for his contributions to their academic, athletic and economic growth.
"Had I not been the beneficiary of a football scholarship I never would have had the opportunity to attend college or go on to achieve what I have in life," says Burton. "The scholarship I received was the foundation on which my success in business is built upon.
"When I was given the opportunity to go to school I made a promise to myself to try and return the opportunity several times over for other students who were in a similar situation. Over the years, I have lived up to that commitment several times over. Today, I am humbled to now have the opportunity to make another investment in the University of Connecticut and its student-athletes. I only ask that in return for this contribution that the beneficiaries make a similar promise of giving back for future student-athletes.
"I sincerely hope that the Burton Family Football Complex will be a driving force in allowing the University to achieve the same levels of success on the football field that it long has enjoyed in the classroom. I feel very fortunate to be able to support an athletic program that is known for winning on and off the field."
In the civic arena, Burton has served as Chairman of the American Business Press and the Magazine Publishers Association and is actively involved as a member of the Board of the Eagle Hill School in Greenwich, Conn., which provides a dedicated program to children with learning disabilities.
"The Burton Family Football Complex will play a crucial role as our program continues to make progress as a Division I-A program," says UConn head football coach Randy Edsall. "On behalf of our coaching staff and student-athletes, I want to thank Bob Burton and his family for the incredible generosity that they have shown to us. The on-campus football facilities that we are planning for the University of Connecticut will be among the finest in the nation.
"The UConn football program is very fortunate to have Bob Burton as a benefactor and his commitment to our team in terms of endowed scholarships and facilities demonstrates his value of higher education."
