New York Yankees star Curtis Granderson Jr. will donate $5 million to his alma mater, University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC), for the construction of its new baseball stadium. In exchange, the trustees voted Wednesday, to name the new stadium after Granderson.
The overall cost is estimated to be around $7 million. The open-air, brick-and-stone stadium will be built around Les Miller Field and comprise of 1,200 seats and will start operating by 2014 or 2015. The construction is set to begin late this summer.
Apart from the Flames' home baseball games, the stadium will also be used for Chicago Public Schools and youth organization events.
The UIC retired Granderson's No. 28 Flames jersey, February, when the donation announcement was initially made. Granderson, a Lynwood native, played for Flames from 2000 to 2002. He is also otherwise known as 'The Grandy Man.'
Granderson is an American Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder for the New York Yankees since 2010. Prior to Yankees, he played for the Detroit Tigers (2004-2009). Granderson is a left-handed batter who throws right-handed. He is a three-time MLB All-Star (2009, 2011-2012). He won the Silver Slugger Award, 2011, and the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, 2009, for his on-field performance and contributions to the community.
