CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics today announced a gift of $3.1 million from Illinois alumnus and agriculture businessman, Greg Heckman. Heckman's gift pledges $3 million toward the completion of the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center, which will feature the naming of the main entrance as the Heckman Lobby. The additional $100,000 will be dedicated to student-athlete scholarships through the I FUND.

The gift officially helps the DIA reach its announced fundraising goal of $30 million for the football project, bringing the total announced pledges to $31.175 million. Despite meeting the $30 million mark, fundraising will continue for the $79.2 million project.  

"The experiences I had at the University of Illinois opened up the world and provided me the foundation and opportunity to achieve many of my goals and dreams," Heckman said. "As a long time Illini supporter and fan I am so pleased to be part of such a phenomenal project and to give back to the university that gave me so much. I have always been proud to be from Illinois, the University of Illinois and the hard working Midwest.  I hope it helps everyone who walks through the lobby of this facility achieve their athletic and academic goals and dreams."

"It has been a pleasure getting to know Greg and learning about his passion for our Fighting Illini," Director of Athletics Josh Whitman said. "I greatly appreciate his commitment to our vision for Illinois Football. His gift pushes us past the benchmark we set for the building, which will stand for generations as a testament to the generosity of our Illini family. Greg is a natural leader, and his leadership has never been more evident than in his support of this transformative effort."

Heckman has more than 30 years of experience in the agriculture, energy and food processing industries, most recently, as CEO of The Gavilon Group, LLC. During his time at Gavilon, Heckman led the company through a period of considerable growth in both the agriculture and energy industries prior to the eventual sale of the agriculture business to Marubeni Corporation and the energy business to NGL Energy Partners. He not only set the vision and direction for the company, but was the key leader in the formation of Gavilon and the spin-off of ConAgra Trade Group from ConAgra Foods in 2008.  

Prior to Gavilon, Heckman was Chief Operating Officer of ConAgra Foods Commercial Products and President and COO of ConAgra Trade Group.

Heckman holds a Bachelor of Science in agriculture economics and marketing from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is on the Board of Directors of OCI NV, a global producer of fertilizer and chemicals. He is an Advisory Board Member for JBS USA and has also been appointed to the Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Campaign Steering Committee.

"Greg has been a winner in all that he does, and has made it clear that he only invests in worthwhile organizations," Senior Associate Athletics Director Howard Milton said. "He, like many others who have made generous contributions, sees the enormous potential of Illini Athletics. Thanks to Greg and others who have helped us reach our goal."

The Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center will be a 107,650-square-foot facility adjoining the south end of the Irwin Indoor Practice Facility. The facility will feature new and expanded strength and conditioning and sports medicine space, coaches' offices, position meeting rooms, player development areas, locker rooms, and other areas for recruiting and prospect hosting. Construction of the new $80 million football performance center will be completed prior to the 2019 season.

The Heckman's $3 million gift counts toward the $300 million fundraising goal for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, which is part of "With Illinois," the recently announced $2.25 billion University-wide fundraising campaign.