Suzy Merchant gives MSU $125K gift for women's sports

EAST LANSING – Michigan State women’s basketball coach Suzy Merchant has donated $125,000 to the school’s women’s athletic programs.

The university announced Thursday that Merchant and her husband, Gary Rakan, gave the gift to the Spartan Fund, continuing a recent trend of MSU athletic department officials giving back to school.

"We know how important this campaign is to the future of Michigan State and to Spartan Athletics. Being part of Team MSU is a privilege and this is an opportunity to show our appreciation and gratitude to a University which has done so much for our family,” Merchant said in a statement. “We view the gift as a way to help provide resources to tremendous women's coaches in their pursuit of excellence."

In 2012, athletic director Mark Hollis and his wife, Nancy, donated $1 million toward academic scholarships and arts programs at both the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum and the Wharton Center. Men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo and his wife, Lupe, donated $1 million for the athletic department’s scholarship endowments in 2011 – predominantly for the football program – and another $500,000 in 2014 for the Tom & Lupe Izzo Media Room in Spartan Stadium’s north end zone complex.

Merchant’s donation is part of MSU’s $1.5 billion, university-wide Empower Extraordinary capital campaign that began in 2014. The goal for the athletic department is to raise $262 million for facilities and endowments.

MSU sponsors 13 varsity women’s sports and has about 400 student-athletes.

“Coach Merchant has shown since she came to campus that she cares about much more than just winning basketball games,” Hollis said in a statement. “She has been a great teammate to her fellow coaches and generous of her time in the community.  We’re so grateful and proud she and Gary have made this campaign commitment to impact Spartan student-athletes today and tomorrow.”

Merchant finished her ninth season with the Spartans in March. The Traverse City native is 405-216 in her coaching career and 204-96 at MSU with Big Ten titles in 2011 and 2014.