Brown Wrestling Receives $1.2M Gift
3/31/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Endowment for Head Coaching Chair to be named in honor of Marvin Wilenzik '56, P'89, P'91, P'96
Brown University Athletics is pleased to announce two gifts totaling $1.2 million in support of the Brown Wrestling program. The donations were made by two former Brown wrestlers who wish to remain anonymous. The first, for $1 million, establishes an endowment for the head coach's position. The second gift, for $200K, funds the complete renovation to the team's locker room at the Pizzitola Sports Center. The coaching chair will be named for Marvin Wilenzik '56, P'89, P'91, P'96 to honor Marvin's seven decades of service to Brown Athletics.
"These gifts will impact the program immediately," said Director of Athletics Jack Hayes. "The new locker room helps with recruiting, team dynamics, program pride and competitiveness, and the new endowment adds substantial resources to assist Head Coach Todd Beckerman and his staff to continue the growth of the program."
Brown Wrestling began informally in 1898 and has been a varsity sport at Brown since the early 1900s, and its roots pre-date the formation of the Ivy League. Brown's first intercollegiate match was held on March 14, 1912 against MIT. In 2012, Brown Wrestling marked its centennial with a gala celebration and dinner with more than 300 alumni, parents and student-athletes in attendance.
Davies Bisset '85, Executive Director of the Brown Sports Foundation said, "The funding for the new locker room allows us to start and complete construction this summer, and the news of the newly-created endowment has already inspired other alumni and parents to give." Alumni supporters of Brown Wrestling plan to double the endowment from $1M to $2M over the next year. The two gifts were announced to alumni, parents and friends last month at the team's annual parent-alumni reception. The formal dedication ceremonies for the locker room and coaching chair will take place in the fall.
"Words cannot describe the impact Marvin Wilenzik had on this program and the wrestlers that have come through the University," remarked Robert Hill '88 a former Brown wrestler and the Co-President of the Friends of Brown Wrestling. "He's one of the great mentors of my life, and that statement applies to hundreds of fellow Brown men and women."
Marvin has been an active volunteer and donor to Brown since his graduation in 1956 and is a former member of the Brown Sports Foundation Board of Directors. He helped recruit and mentor countless student-athletes over the years and supported several sports, but he had a particular love for Brown Wrestling, Football and Softball.
Todd Beckerman was named head coach in 2013, and since that time Brown has produced one All-American and five NCAA Championship qualifiers and eight EIWA conference place-winners. Ophir Bernstein '15 (now a Brown Assistant Coach) placed eighth at the 2014 NCAA Championship at 184-pounds to claim the program's fourth All-America honor and the first since 1998.
"I'm incredibly grateful for this gift to our program," said Beckerman. "I can't think of a more deserving person to receive this great honor. Marv has been a constant figure with Brown Wrestling since the 50's and is a true Brown legend. I'm honored and humbled to serve as the Marvin Wilenzik Head Coach of Brown Wrestling."
To support the Marvin Wilenzik Head Coaching Chair for Brown Wrestling with a gift, please contact the Brown University Sports Foundation at 401-863-1900 or visit gifts.brown.edu.
