Dairy Queen gives $2.5 million to Gopher stadium

Gopher stadium design
A rendering of the new University of Minnesota football stadium, which will be built on campus. The stadium will have a brick facade, with arched portals reminiscent of the old Memorial Stadium.
Image by HOK, courtesy of the University of Minnesota

The announcement confirms Dairy Queen's previous pledge, and doesn't draw down the remaining $12.5 million the university must raise privately for the project.

The deal gives the Edina-based company advertising rights to the stadium's scoreboard and electronic signs. The club room will also be named for Dairy Queen. Gopher football coach Tim Brewster welcomed the sponsorship agreement.

Maturi and Mooty
U of M Athletics Director Joel Maturi, left, eating a Dairy Queen Dilly Bar with DQ CEO, Chuck Mooty. Mooty announced Tuesday that DQ is donating $2.5 million for construction of a new Gopher football stadium.
MPR Photo/Art Hughes

"To be able to form a partnership with such a tremendous organization -- I think about apple pie, lemonade and Dairy Queen. Is there anything more American that Dairy Queen?" said Brewster.

Dairy Queen is also giving $250,000 to the U of M's Carlson School of Management.

The university's private fundraising goal for the staidum is $86 million by the end of 2008. The total cost of the stadium is $288 million.

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