Alabama A&M Director of Athletics, Betty Austin, had a nice surprise waiting for her and the Bulldogs at the annual Bulldog Club breakfast, held last week on the A&M campus. The breakfast itself was a gathering of true maroon and white supporters and the coaches and staff from the athletics department, and the fellowship would have been enough as a great way to start the day. However, the members of the Bulldog Club then presented Austin with a donation to the department of $40,000 that club members had raised in support of Alabama A&M Athletics.

“Needless to say, this is a huge boost for our department,” Austin said. “These are tough times for everyone, and for the Bulldog Club to show this level of support to our student-athletes really shows you how committed they are to helping us succeed, and it shows that their hearts are truly with the spirit of Alabama A&M University.”

The gift will be used to help offset costs, but most importantly, will provide scholarship opportunities for Bulldog student-athletes and future recruits that will help grow the Athletics department as we head into the 2009-10 season.