T. Denny Sanford, a Minnesota alumnus, recently committed $6 million toward the construction of TCF Bank Stadium, allowing the athletics department to meet its $86 million fund-raising goal for the project.

The contribution will support construction and pay for an athletics hall of fame within the stadium named for Sanford and his family.

The donation is the largest personal gift to the stadium project, which has received contributions from 2,100 people.

“The U of M and Gopher athletics have been close to my heart since I attended my first Gopher football game with my dad at the age of eight,” Sanford said. “The golden age of Gopher football occurred on this campus, and I look forward to seeing this program once again achieve great heights.”

The stadium will open its doors September 12 for the Gophers home opener against Air Force. It will be the first game on campus since 1981. For the last 28 years, Minnesota has played at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis.