MINNEAPOLIS, MN - April 27, 2015 - The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation has announced David and Janis Larson as the recipients of the 2015 Bud Grant Distinguished Minnesotan Award. Janis will accept the award at the 8th Annual Minnesota Football Honors. The event is set for May 3, 2015 at the Hilton Minneapolis.
The Larsons’ philanthropic endeavors have made a lasting impact in the state of Minnesota. Although David passed away in October 2014, his influence lives on through his generosity and through his wife, Janis. Their giving has benefited the realms of athletics, academics and the wider community.
One of the Larsons’ recent major gifts will help the University of Minnesota football program achieve its facilities goals. The university announced in January that the Larsons pledged $15 million toward the Golden Gophers’ Football Performance Center. Some of the facility’s features will include staff offices, meeting rooms, locker rooms, a sports medicine area, strength and conditioning space and a recruiting room. The Football Performance Center is part of a larger facilities campaign intended to enhance all Gopher student-athletes’ athletic and academic experiences and help them prepare to achieve greatness later in life.
The Larsons’ love for the state’s flagship university is in no way limited to athletics. David Larson, who earned a degree in political science from the University in 1966, was elected to the Board of Regents in 2005. He and Janis endowed a scholarship in 2008 because of their concern about the rising cost of education for middle class families. The U has admitted 350 Larson Scholars since the program began.
“Dave and Janis’ commitment to the University of Minnesota and it’s students is remarkable and we cannot thank them enough for sharing their lives and legacy with Dave’s alma mater,” said University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler. “Dave loved Gopher football and Gopher Athletics so it’s fitting that they be honored in this way.”
David Larson, a retired Cargill executive who spent 44 years with the company, also volunteered his time with the College of Liberal Arts Dean’s Advisory Board and the boards of the Minnesota Historical Society, Admission Possible and National History Day. He served as chair of the American Feed Industry Association’s board.
The 8th Annual Minnesota Football Honors, presented by the Minnesota Vikings, will take place Sunday, May 3, 2015 at Hilton Minneapolis. College and professional football Hall of Fame inductees are scheduled to attend the event, and WCCO-TV news personality Frank Vascellaro will return for his eighth year as Master of Ceremonies. The event is open to the public. To register or for additional information about this year’s Minnesota Football Honors, please visit www.minnesotafootballhonors.com. For sponsorship information, please email lindsay@nffmn.org.