UCLA Football Scores $10 Million Endowment from Alumnus Angelo Mazzone III
LOS ANGELES, CA — UCLA Bruins football received a landmark $10 million commitment from longtime supporter and alumnus Angelo Mazzone III to secure the program’s future and enhance resources for student-athlete success.
The Angelo M. Mazzone III UCLA Head Football Coach Endowment will create a permanent fund to sustain the head coach position, directly enhancing the Bruins’ academic development, health, performance, and the essential infrastructure needed for elite competition.
“Angelo’s extraordinary commitment reflects the deep connections so many Bruins feel to this university and to the role athletics plays in our community,” UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk said. “His generosity will help ensure that our student‑athletes have the support and resources they need to succeed — on the field, in the classroom, and in life. We are deeply grateful for his enduring belief in UCLA and its future.”
Mazzone’s devotion to UCLA spans decades. A Chicago native who arrived on campus in 1968 as the football team’s manager, he later earned both a bachelor’s degree and a J.D. from UCLA while serving as an assistant athletic director under J.D. Morgan. He became the youngest assistant director of athletics at a major Division I program and eventually rose to the position of associate athletic director, supervising 14 coaches. His first gift to UCLA came in 1977; in 2023, he pledged $1 million to the Then Now and Forever Fund.
“On behalf of UCLA Athletics, I want to extend our sincere gratitude to Angelo for this extraordinary commitment to our football program,” said Martin Jarmond, UCLA’s Director of Athletics. “Angelo has been a champion of UCLA Football and a fixture on the sidelines for nearly six decades. This generous gift strengthens the foundation of our program, not only for the Bruins of today, but also for future generations.”
Head coach Bob Chesney, who will directly benefit from the long‑term stability the endowment is intended to provide, called the gift “deeply humbling.”
“A gift of this magnitude from such a dedicated, impactful, and cherished member of the Bruin family is deeply humbling,” Chesney said. “Angelo’s commitment reflects an unwavering belief in what this program stands for. We will work every day to honor that trust. We can’t thank him enough for investing in the future of our student‑athletes and the success of UCLA football.”
Mazzone—who left UCLA in 1982—has remained a fixture at games, missing only 10 away games in nearly six decades.
“UCLA has been responsible for all the greatest things that have happened in my life,” Mazzone said. “Much of what I have accomplished is going right back there. I am indebted to the relationships I’ve enjoyed with so many very special people as part of the UCLA Football family.”
University leaders emphasize that the endowment will help attract and retain elite coaching talent while guaranteeing ongoing academic and performance support for student-athletes. The intent is to secure on-field competitiveness and off-field success for the program.
The $10 million commitment adds to a long record of Mazzone’s philanthropy and cements his legacy as one of UCLA football’s most persistent champions.
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