Class of 1990 alumnus John Baumer and his wife Mollie — a Saint Mary’s class of 1990 alumna and former varsity soccer player — have made a $3 million donation to the University to endow the men’s lacrosse head coaching position, the University announced Wednesday.
Junior attack Matt Kavanaugh protects the ball from a North
Carolina defender. Kavanaugh had four goals in the Irish win.
Carolina defender. Kavanaugh had four goals in the Irish win.
The Baumers’ gift will underwrite the salary of head coach Kevin Corrigan, currently in his 27th season with the Irish. The Baumer Family Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach, as the position will be called, is the second endowed coaching position at the University. Former women’s basketball player Karen Keyes and her husband Kevin made a $5 million gift that endowed the women’s basketball head coach position earlier this year.
“I want to thank John and Mollie Baumer for their wonderful gift and their generous support of Notre Dame and our lacrosse program,” Corrigan said in the press release. “This is extremely meaningful to me, because I know that the Baumer family, like the Corrigan family, shares a great love for Notre Dame and for the value of the extraordinary experience that student-athletes have here.”
John Baumer, who earned a degree in finance from the Mendoza College of Business, serves as a member of the University’s Advisory Council for Student-Athletes, Campaign Cabinet and Wall Street Leadership Committee, according to the press release.
Originally from South Bend, John Baumer and his wife currently live in Manhattan Beach, California, where he serves as a senior partner at Leonard Green & Partners of Los Angeles, a private equity firm with more than $15 billion of private equity capital raised in its history, according to the press release.
Baumer cited Corrigan’s character and success with the men’s lacrosse team as important aspects of his and his wife’s gift.
“We have known the Corrigan family for over 30 years and have tremendous respect and admiration for the success that Kevin has achieved in building the Notre Dame lacrosse program from virtually scratch into one of the preeminent programs in the country,” Baumer said in the press release. “The success on the field combined with the 100 percent graduation rate for the lacrosse student-athletes is a remarkable testament to Kevin’s coaching and leadership skills combined with his embracing of the core Notre Dame values.”
The top-ranked Irish will play in the NCAA semifinals against No. 4 Denver in Philadelphia this Saturday.
