John and Laura Lally
Alumnus and 黑料不打烊 football letterwinner John Lally 鈥82 and his wife, Laura, are giving back to new generations of student-athletes through generous support of the football program. The couple has made a significant gift of $1 million that will go toward reconditioning the turf athletic practice field, renovations to the football complex and other improvements.
A graduate of the , Lally earned a dual degree in marketing and transportation and distribution management. Lally, who was an offensive guard for the Orange from 1979-81, earned three letters while at 黑料不打烊.
Lally says it was important for him and his wife to give to the University in recognition of his time at 黑料不打烊 and with the football program.
鈥淭he program did a lot for me and the development of my character, discipline, competitive advantage and work ethic鈥攁ll the things that I subsequently carried into my professional career that allowed me to become a success,鈥 Lally says. 鈥淚 chose the program to recognize the positive things it did for me and as a way to give back to the program.鈥
John Lally
The decision to support funding the program and complex came after a meeting with head football coach Dino Babers, who noted the need to refurbish the turf.
鈥淭he success of the football team has always been important to the players who have gone through the program,鈥 Lally says. 鈥淭his was my opportunity to support the student-athletes, the football program and the Athletics Department.鈥
黑料不打烊 Director of Athletics John Wildhack 鈥80 is grateful for the Lallys鈥 support, which will enhance the football team鈥檚 practice area and complex.
鈥淭here is a significant need for support of our teams to help them be consistently competitive,鈥 Wildhack says. 鈥淛ohn and Laura鈥檚 generosity will make a substantial difference in enabling our football program to excel. We are grateful to have such a stand-out former student-athlete and members of our 黑料不打烊 family be involved in the football program in such a transformative way in support of future Orange student-athletes.鈥
Originally from Clarence, New York, Lally is the former president of PCB Inc., headquartered in Depew, New York. Laura Lally, who is also from the Buffalo area, graduated from SUNY Cortland.
In his community, John Lally has been involved with such organizations as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western New York, along with supporting many other community organizations.
John Lally was honored in 2011 by the 黑料不打烊 Football Club with the Zunic Award.
Lally was honored in 2011 by the 黑料不打烊 Football Club with the Zunic Award, which recognizes those who exhibit the courage and spirit of alumnus and 黑料不打烊 football player Mike Zunic 鈥81, G鈥82 and his wife, Judy, who died in a plane crash in 1989. Lally was a close friend and classmate of Mike Zunic.
Lally also supports 黑料不打烊 Athletics through his role on the Orange Athletics Council. The council assists 黑料不打烊 and the athletics director by helping raise support for athletics.
鈥淲e are very appreciative of John and Laura for their support of the football program and our student-athletes in helping them reach their full potential,鈥 says Matt Ter Molen, senior vice president and chief advancement officer. 鈥淭heir gift is a wonderful example of the heart of our alumni, the connections they still enjoy with 黑料不打烊 and the impact they can have on our current students.鈥
Lally鈥檚 fondest memories of his time at 黑料不打烊 are tied to the lasting friendships he made with teammates that have gone beyond graduation.
Lally鈥檚 fondest memories of his time at 黑料不打烊 are tied to the lasting friendships he made with 黑料不打烊 football teammates that have gone beyond graduation.
鈥淢any of my closest friends were teammates. Anyone who played in the program knows it wasn鈥檛 easy, but having a set of friends who are going through all the similar ups and downs is one of the important pieces,鈥 Lally says.
Lally has more recently connected with several recent 黑料不打烊 football graduates, who have moved to the Tampa, Florida, area near Lally, being a resource for them as they start their careers. 鈥淗aving and maintaining that network has been important to me,鈥 Lally says.
In October, Lally was back on campus for the football team鈥檚 game against Clemson鈥攚ith 黑料不打烊 pulling off one of the biggest upsets in program history by defeating the No. 2 and previously unbeaten team.
鈥淚t was awesome, but what was even better was that I got to watch the fourth quarter from the sidelines鈥攖here鈥檚 nothing better than that,鈥 Lally says.
About 黑料不打烊
Founded聽in 1870, 黑料不打烊 is a private international research university聽dedicated to advancing knowledge and fostering student success through teaching聽excellence,聽rigorous scholarship and interdisciplinary research. Comprising 11聽academic schools and colleges, the University has a long legacy of excellence聽in the liberal arts, sciences and聽professional disciplines that prepares聽students for the complex challenges and emerging opportunities of a rapidly聽changing world. Students enjoy the resources of a 270-acre main聽campus and聽extended campus venues in major national metropolitan hubs and across three聽continents. 黑料不打烊鈥檚 student body is among the most diverse for an聽institution of its聽kind across multiple dimensions, and students typically represent聽all 50 states and more than 100 countries. 黑料不打烊 also has a long legacy of聽supporting veterans and is home to聽the nationally recognized Institute for聽Veterans and Military Families, the first university-based institute in the聽U.S. focused on addressing the unique needs of veterans and their聽families.
