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'We are Rattler Strong': 220 Quarterback Club launches $1 million initiative for FAMU Athletics
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- 'We are Rattler Strong': 220 Quarterback Club launches $1 million initiative for FAMU Athletics
The 220 Quarterback Club's call to action has been to raise money for Florida A&M Athletics .
However, the 15-year-old organization is looking to raise the ante.
On Wednesday, 220 Quarterback Club President Eddie Jackson announced the details of a $1 million initiative to donate to Rattlers athletics .
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With a target date set for Dec. 1, Jackson says the campaign is kicking off with $30,000 already pledged to the club's fundraiser.
Virtual donations can be made on the 220 Quarterback Club's new website and by texting 'THEBIGGIVE' to 71777.
Those who sponsor at least $1,000 will be spotlighted on the website.
"It might be even more than that," Jackson said of the existing donations. "It's a good start because we got a long way to go. We will keep bringing in more people who haven't contributed before. There's much excitement about it, and people want to contribute.
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"I feel strongly about it and feel good that we'll be able to announce we got a million dollars by December 1."
The 220 Quarterback Club presented Florida A&M Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tiffani-Dawn Sykes a $50,000 dollar check towards the Women's Athletic Fund at the Old West Enrichment in Tallahassee, Florida, Wednesday, March 27, 2024.
Of the $1 million, $500,000 will be split apiece for FAMU men's and women's sports.
On the women's side, $200,000 will be used to build a statue for tennis legend and FAMU alumna Althea Gibson .
Gibson, a 1953 FAMU graduate, was the first Black person to compete in the US Nationals and the first Black to win the French Championships, Wimbledon, and the US Nationals.
The FAMU Athletics Department will decide where to place Gibson's on-campus statue.
For men's sports, $100,000 will be reserved for Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities for FAMU athletes.
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NIL allows college athletes to earn compensation for marketing and promoting businesses. NIL is not affiliated with college athletic departments.
Other implementations of the 220 Quarterback Club's $1 million initiative may go towards is coaches' salaries, a similar tactic FAMU's National Alumni Association adopted last December when it raised $140,248 in efforts to retain former Rattlers head football coach Willie Simmons and compensate his assistants.
However, after six years, Simmons departed to be Duke's running backs coach on Jan 1. His resignation from FAMU came two weeks after coaching the Rattlers to their first-ever Southwestern Athletic Conference title and two weeks following the program's first appearance and victory in the Celebration Bowl , recognized as the outright Black College Football National Championship game
Simmons' assistant, James Colzie III, was promoted to FAMU's new head football coach on Jan. 27.
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"FAMU now needs to think on a higher level to remain competitive because some HBCUs are going to break through," Jackson said. "We must improve the quality of life for our athletes and coaches. That's what we're all about.
"We can't relax with the national championship. We have coaches who want to be competitive for higher-level positions in the Power Five divisions. We're going to have to be able to pay them at the level to keep them here, at least for a while."
The beginning of 220 Quarterback Club's $1 million initiative comes two weeks after the organization made a $50,000 donation to FAMU women's athletics .
Additionally, over the years, the 220 Quarterback Club has contributed a cooling station and nutrition station for the FAMU football team.
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A history of giving by the 220 Quarterback Club gives Jackson hope that his organization will aim for $1 million in less than eight months.
"This goal is possible," Jackson said. "We need to get the majority of our alumni to think about larger sums and greater participation throughout Rattler Nation for these fundraisers.
"Right now, it seems it may be a bridge too far for some people. But, we are Rattler Strong. We are Rattler Strong.
"We don't shrink from a great challenge."
Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee .
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Athletics: 220 QB looks to donate $1 million to Rattlers sports
