TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Robert Blake, owner of financial company Blake Enterprises, in Memphis, donated $100,000 to the Crimson Tradition Fund, a $100 million fundraising campaign for University of Alabama athletic facility improvements.

Blake graduated from UA in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree from the College of Commerce and Business Administration. He said he wanted to give back to the University.

“I feel I wouldn't have been able to do what we have done without my educational background,” said Blake. Blake Enterprises began in 1966 in Memphis. There are now approximately 90 operations, including offices in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Alabama.

The Crimson Tradition Fund, chaired by Paul Bryant Jr., seeks to raise $50 million from private gifts and another $50 million from the issuance of bonds. Naming opportunities are available for gifts of $100,000 or more.

Funds for the campaign are targeted for the renovation of Paul W. Bryant Hall into an academic support center for student athletes; an expansion of the football complex to include a new weight room, revitalized dressing rooms, squad room and recruiting center; new turf for the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Area, which has already been completed; modernization of Coleman Coliseum, including a new lobby, coaches’ offices and concourse and seating areas; new tennis and soccer complexes; and expansion of the north end zone of Bryant-Denny Stadium.

For more information on the Crimson Tradition Fund Campaign, contact the Office of Athletic Development at 205/348-9727.