FIU names fieldhouse in honor of Trustee R. Kirk Landon

MIAMI (June 12, 2009) Florida International University has named the new headquarters of its football program after FIU Trustee R. Kirk Landon, in appreciation of his $1 million donation to Golden Panthers football.

 The newly-constructed two-story, 50,000-square-foot R. Kirk Landon Football Fieldhouse will open this fall on the west end zone of FIU stadium.

 “This is just the latest example of Trustee Landon’s contributions to FIU and its athletic programs,” said FIU Director of Athletics Pete Garcia.  “His leadership and financial support have helped us take FIU to Division I status and build a successful athletics program. We thank him for helping make the fieldhouse a reality.”

 Central to the fieldhouse is a 14,000-square foot, clear-span weight room that FIU student athletes will use for strength and conditioning.  The facility also will include an equipment room, full-service athletic training facility, ticket office, merchandise area, 8,500-square-feet of locker rooms, and an Athletics Hall of Fame.

 The fieldhouse also will house coaches’ offices, a theater-style team meeting room and six breakout classrooms overlooking the field. The classrooms open to an outdoor deck that will be used for recruiting and game-day suites for FIU supporters.

 “Trustee Landon’s ongoing support is crucial as we build our athletics program at FIU,”  said FIU President Modesto A. Maidique. “Athletics will be key in helping FIU achieve national prominence.”

 Landon is the president of two charitable organizations, the Kirk Foundation and the Kirk A. and Dorothy P. Landon Foundation. He served as CEO of American Bankers Insurance Group until 1995 and chairman of its Board of the Directors until his retirement in 1999.

 He is actively involved in community philanthropy and serves on the boards of the Zoological Society of Florida, Arts for Learning and the Community Partnership for the Homeless. Landon’s involvement with FIU dates back to  when he served on the University’s 1972 advisory board and the University Founders Council.

In 2004, Mr. Landon made what was then the single largest donation from an individual in FIU’s history to create the R. Kirk Landon Undergraduate School of Business.