August 3, 2018

Buell Establishes Men’s Basketball Head Coaching Endowment

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Dick Buell has been a Purdue men’s basketball fan since his days as an undergraduate student watching the Boilermakers play at Lambert Fieldhouse.

Now, as the result of a $10 million gift — the single-largest commitment to Purdue Athletics — Buell has established the L. Dick Buell Endowed Head Men’s Basketball Coaching position. The gift will ensure Purdue’s ability to attract and retain the best head coach for its men’s basketball program. 

“Against the backdrop of a historically generous John Purdue Club membership, this significant commitment from Dick Buell establishes a new high-water mark for Purdue Athletics,” said Mike Bobinski, Purdue vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics. “We are profoundly honored that Dick has combined his passion for the Boilermakers and his lifetime of business success to establish this endowment.

“Dick’s appreciation for Matt Painter’s principled leadership and his recognition of the positive impact a successful men’s basketball program has across the entire Purdue community reinforced his decision to commit a gift of this magnitude. We offer a heartfelt thank you to Dick for his game-changing commitment.”

Buell earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from Purdue in 1972 and his MBA from the University of Chicago. Like many boys growing up in Southern Indiana (Clay City), he developed a passion for the game of basketball, which was reinforced through his Beta Theta Pi fraternity brothers who played during a highly successful period for the Boilermakers.

“Considering the national culture of intercollegiate athletics, specifically men’s basketball, it has been a point of pride for me to observe a leader like Matt Painter and to witness what his teams have accomplished,” Buell said. “I recognize and appreciate the value of integrity in Matt’s leadership, and I am proud to have the opportunity to reinforce Purdue Athletics’ core values through the establishment of a head-coaching endowment.”

Buell has enjoyed a distinguished professional career in the consumer packaged goods industry, with a focus on executive management, strategic development and marketing. He served as chief executive officer at Catalina Marketing Corporation from 2004 to 2011. Additionally, he was chief executive officer/chief operations officer for 28 years for four different corporations, including WS Brands, Foodbrands America and Griffith Laboratories, and served as vice president of Kraft Foods Group Marketing. Buell presently serves on numerous corporate boards for food charities, private equity and venture capital companies.

“Dick Buell is in a class by himself with a gift of this magnitude,” Purdue head men’s basketball coach Matt Painter said. “We are humbled that he has elected to share his many resources to help ensure that all our student-athletes who come to Purdue to earn degrees from this world-class university will have the opportunity to play basketball and be supported at the absolute highest level. As the current leader of Purdue’s basketball program, we are grateful for Dick’s tremendous generosity and commitment.”

The L. Dick Buell Endowed Head Men’s Basketball Coaching position is the second of its kind for Purdue Athletics, following the establishment of the Art and Connie Euler Head Volleyball Coaching position in September of 2017. 

Sources: Amy Noah, arnoah@purdue.edu

Mike Bobinski, 765-494-3189, mbobinski@purdue.edu

Purdue University, 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (765) 494-4600

© 2015-22 Purdue University | An equal access/equal opportunity university | Copyright Complaints | Maintained by Office of Strategic Communications

Trouble with this page? Disability-related accessibility issue? Please contact News Service at purduenews@purdue.edu.