UCLA alumnus Angelo Mazzone III has committed $10 million to UCLA’s football program to endow the head coach position and support student-athlete success, according to an April 1 announcement from the university.
The planned gift will create the Angelo M. Mazzone III UCLA Head Football Coach Endowment, which aims to provide lasting resources for the football program and strengthen areas that impact academics, health, and performance for student-athletes.
“Angelo’s extraordinary commitment reflects the deep connections so many Bruins feel to this university and to the role athletics plays in our community,” UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk said. “His generosity will help ensure that our student-athletes have the support and resources they need to succeed — on the field, in the classroom, and in life. We are deeply grateful for his enduring belief in UCLA and its future.”
Martin Jarmond, UCLA’s Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics, said: “On behalf of UCLA Athletics, I want to extend our sincere gratitude to Angelo for this extraordinary commitment to our football program. Angelo has been a champion of UCLA Football and a fixture on the sidelines for nearly six decades. This generous gift strengthens the foundation of our program, not only for the Bruins of today, but also for future generations.”
Mazzone first joined UCLA as a football manager in 1968 before serving as assistant athletic director while attending law school at UCLA. He later became associate athletic director supervising 14 coaches before leaving in 1982 for business ventures. He has remained closely connected with Bruin athletics since then.
Bob Chesney, who holds the newly endowed coaching position as Angelo M. Mazzone III UCLA Head Football Coach, said: “A gift of this magnitude from such a dedicated, impactful and cherished member of the Bruin family is deeply humbling. Angelo’s commitment reflects an unwavering belief in what this program stands for. We will work every day to honor that trust. We can’t thank him enough for investing in the future of our student-athletes and the success of UCLA football.”
Reflecting on his long association with campus sports programs after almost six decades without missing a home game — or more than ten away games — Mazzone said: “UCLA has been responsible for all the greatest things that have happened in my life. Much of what I have accomplished is going right back there. I am indebted to the relationships I’ve enjoyed with so many very special people as part of the UCLA Football family.”
