Phil knight goes a long, long way.
- built there Basketball Arena (named for his son who died)
- is building the stadium for the 2021 IAAF World Championships (tore down historic Hayward Field to do it)
He’s nearing $2billion ( roughly 1.5 to Oregon and $500 million he gave to Stanford Business School.)
And he ain’t the only billionaire in their booster caucus
NOTHING in the SEC compares to what Phil Knight can do - if he wants to do it. Nothing.
https://www.si.com/more-sports/2011/01/07/oregon-knight
[Q]
When Phil Knight gets to his suite at Autzen Stadium to watch his beloved Oregon Ducks, he can put on his headset and listen to the Ducks' coaches call plays. Then he can go over to the whiteboard in his suite and diagram the play for his guests -- before the Ducks run it.
Knight knows how to draw up his X's and O's, and for good reason. In the offseason, Oregon has been known to send its coaches to his office to give him a private tutorial: Offensive coaches one day, defensive coaches the next.
And Knight knows Oregon's talent, because when the Ducks get a commitment from a recruit, somebody is assigned to tell Knight. On National Signing Day, he sometimes stands around the fax machine in the Ducks' football offices, watching the letters of intent roll in.
…
Without Knight, Oregon would be ... (gasp!) Oregon State.
Knight holds the key to Oregon athletics in his wallet, and everybody there knows it. The new basketball gym -- Matthew Knight Arena, named after Phil's late son -- is his project. The school's uniforms, more than any other team's, are a billboard for his company, Nike. There is a sense that every new building and every important hire needs Knight's stamp of approval.
[/Q]