MINNEAPOLIS -- University of Minnesota alumnus T. Denny Sanford's name will be part of the new football stadium after all.
Sanford's $6 million donation, announced Thursday as the completion of the school's initial goal to raise $86 million in private money for the on-campus, open-air facility, will put his name on a hall of fame for Gophers sports to be built inside the stadium.
Sanford failed six years ago to land naming rights for entire facility with a $35 million pledge that broke down when the South Dakota banking executive and the school couldn't agree on the terms of his offer. TCF later paid $35 million to put the bank's name on the building and receive other business-boosting benefits around campus.
Sanford, a 1958 graduate of the school who grew up in St. Paul and built a fortune in the banking industry, has become an active philanthropist in his later years - mostly in healthcare and higher education.
Sanford, whose donation is the largest individual gift for TCF Bank Stadium, mentioned at a news conference Thursday his gratitude to the University for accepting him as a borderline student and providing the education he used for a successful career.
Though money is still being solicited, the school's goal was to raise $86 million toward the $288.5 million stadium. It will cost almost $40 million more than originally planned, because officials didn't want to cut corners.
The state is paying about $136 million, or 55 percent of the original price. Students have also been charged a $25-per-year fee. Neither of those contributions went up with the revised cost. The gap has been made up by fundraising and anticipated revenue from the new stadium, which officially opens on Sept. 12 when the Gophers host Air Force.
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