Nothing but net

Alumnus and former Mustang basketball player pays it forward

In a display of generosity and team spirit, Jay Hollyman ’75 is giving back to the very programs that once supported his time at SMU through a planned gift.

A former Mustang basketball player, Hollyman’s love of the game came from his father, whose mentor and Sunday school teacher was basketball inventor James Naismith, who developed the game in Canada in the late 1800s.

Honoring his lifelong passion and enduring ties to SMU, Hollyman has chosen to leave a portion of his estate to support the men’s basketball program. In addition to SMU, Hollyman’s estate will benefit The Rotary Foundation, Parkinson’s Foundation, American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society.

When asked what motivated him to make a gift of this kind to SMU, Hollyman said, “SMU provided me with the academic and athletic opportunities which have been of great benefit to me. I played on the SMU freshmen basketball team from 1971–1972 and want to give back to that wonderful program.”