UO athletic department highest-grossing in country

Published 12:00 am Saturday, May 30, 2015

EUGENE — Move over, Bevo.

The University of Oregon had the nation’s top-grossing athletic department in 2013-14, ending a five-year streak for the University of Texas. USA Today, which publishes an annual database of athletics finances, listed the Ducks with $196 million in revenue, $35 million more than any other school.

The number includes $95 million to account for the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex, a gift from Nike co-founder Phil Knight. The in-kind donation appears as revenue on Oregon’s financial statements, though it was not received in the form of a cash contribution.

“The building was a gift to the University of Oregon Foundation, and the University of Oregon Foundation gifted it to the athletic department,” spokesman Craig Pintens said.

With $110 million in athletics expenses, the Ducks also ranked among the NCAA’s biggest spenders. The Ducks were 10th on the USA Today list, trailing four schools from the Big Ten, three from the SEC and two from the Big 12.

Oregon was one of 24 schools that met the NCAA’s benchmark for self-sufficiency, which means breaking even after student fees and state funds are subtracted. Oregon showed $2.15 million in athletics subsidies for 2013-14, which included $1.7 million in student fees assessed for tickets and $440,000 in state funding.

Oregon’s subsidy figure does not include operating expenses for the Jaqua Center, an academic facility for athletes operated by the university.

Because of the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex, Oregon’s revenue spiked by more than $80 million from the previous year. The school projects $98 million in revenue and expenses for 2014-15.

— The (Eugene) Register-Guard

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