$1M donation for MSU's handball program made in honor of late founder Tommy Burnett

A $1 million donation has been made to support the handball program at Missouri State University in honor of the late founder Tommy Burnett.

The donation was from the Randolph Foundation for Higher Education Inc.

“We want to thank Missouri State for this opportunity to establish this endowment for Tommy Burnett,” said Doug Randolph, of the Texas-based Randolph Foundation for Higher Education, in a news release. “It’s our honor to do so. Tommy Burnett, in our opinion, has been one of the great leaders in promoting and supporting the game of handball for more than three decades.”

Jeni Hopkins, faculty team adviser and Burnett daughter, said Randolph is a devoted handball player and among the sport’s most passionate supporters. Burnett died in July 2021.

“Handball has been a source of fun, friendship and fitness for much of Doug’s adult life,” said Hopkins, the assistant director at Greenwood Laboratory School. “Doug believes that finding handball — a physical activity he loves — was life-enhancing and, perhaps, even lifesaving.”

The MSU Handball program will honor Randolph at their annual Bear Bash handball tournament Nov. 8-10, with a special reception Nov. 9.

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Christian Madsen, current head coach of the handball program, said the donation will secure the longevity of the program.

“There’s such a value to club sports and what they do for students on campus. Handball has impacted hundreds of Missouri State University alumni and will continue to impact students in the future," Madsen said in the release.

In 1987, Burnett started what one of the nation's most successful collegiate handball programs. Missouri State has captured eight men’s team titles, 18 women’s team titles and the combined team has won the National Collegiate Championships 15 times since 1993.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State handball program receives $1M donation honoring founder