$20 million gift to university wrestling program from Dave Pottruck former student-athlete

The University of Pennsylvania has launched an ambitious $34 million fundraising initiative to elevate its wrestling program to national prominence—and a transformative $20 million gift is leading it from one of its most devoted champions.

Pottruck, a Penn alumnus, former student-athlete, and longtime trustee, is making the most significant known single gift in the history of Penn Athletics Wrestling, a gesture that underscores both his deep personal ties to the sport and his enduring commitment to the university’s future.

He is the chairman of HighTower Advisors and serves on the board of directors of Intel Corporation.

He was formerly a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania and chair of the San Francisco Committee on Jobs. Mr. Pottruck was the president and chief executive officer of The Charles Schwab Corporation until 2004.

Mr. Pottruck has received accolades and recognition from numerous organizations and publications. He has been named one of the “Top 15 CEOs” by Worth, “CEO of the Year” by Information Week, “Executive of the Year” by the San Francisco Business Times, and “CEO of the Year” by Morningstar.

Mr. Pottruck has been a frequent guest on CNBC and has been quoted, interviewed, and profiled by virtually every financial publication of note.

Smart Money named him as one of the three most influential executives in the world of investing, and Institutional Investor named him the single most influential executive in online finance.

Mr. Pottruck is the co-author with Terry Pearce of CLICKS AND MORTAR: Passion Driven Growth in an Internet Driven World.

In 1999, he was appointed by Congress and then-President Clinton to serve as one of 19 commissioners on the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce. Mr. Pottruck has taught change leadership to hundreds of executives from around the world.

He is a senior fellow and adjunct faculty member at the Wharton School’s Center for Leadership and Change Management. In 2010 and again in 2012, he was Wharton San Francisco’s highest-rated faculty member and received the school’s “Outstanding Teaching Award” for his class, “Leading Bold Transformational Change.”

Mr. Pottruck graduated with a BA from the University of Pennsylvania in 1970, and earned his MBA with honors from Wharton in 1972.

Pottruck’s philanthropy will serve as the cornerstone of The Penn Wrestling Lasting Legacy of Excellence Campaign, a comprehensive effort to strengthen and secure the program’s competitive future.

At the heart of this campaign is the dramatic renovation of Weightman Hall Gymnasium, which will be reimagined and reborn as the Pottruck-Reina Wrestling Center—a state-of-the-art facility spanning 13,000 square feet and anchored by an expansive 8,900-square-foot wrestling room.

The center is named in recognition of both Pottruck and Roger Reina, Penn’s head coach and a central figure in the program’s evolution.

With a $9 million endowment goal as part of the overall campaign, Pottruck’s gift allocates $1 million specifically to help seed long-term sustainability.

An operational endowment challenge will allow other donors to match their contributions, up to $4 million, multiplying the impact and helping ensure that the wrestling program is financially self-sufficient for years to come.

For Pottruck, the donation is as personal as it is strategic.

A 1970 graduate who wrestled for the Quakers, he credits his experience on the mat with shaping his leadership and character.

His gift is a tribute not only to his alma mater but also to the formative role that athletics played in his life. By creating a space that nurtures both athletic excellence and personal growth, Pottruck hopes to empower future generations of Penn wrestlers with the same opportunities that once shaped his path.

The Pottruck-Reina Wrestling Center is expected to open in Spring 2028. Between now and then, the campaign will continue its efforts to raise the necessary funding to realize the project’s vision fully.

More than just a facility upgrade, the initiative represents a decisive step in Penn Wrestling’s bid to compete among the elite Division 1 programs in the country.

Pottruck’s landmark gift is more than just an investment in bricks and mortar—it is a bold vote of confidence in the program’s trajectory and a powerful example of how alumni giving can directly shape the future of collegiate athletics.

With this new center and endowment, Penn Wrestling is poised for a new era—rooted in legacy, driven by excellence, and sustained by one of its most loyal sons.