Massachusetts Athletics announced a major investment from Peter ‘78 and Denise ‘79 Bloom toward the cross country and track and field programs on May 17. The gift is a combination of funds to support the Jim and Ellen Hunt Indoor Performance Center, a long-term commitment to the programs in perpetuity, a restructuring of their already established Ken O’Brien Scholarship and funding an annual alumni event. This is the third significant commitment UMass Athletics has received over the last two months in support of the cross county/track and field programs.

“UMass Cross Country and Track & Field, and particularly Coach Ken O’Brien, had a major impact on my career and life,” said Peter Bloom. “Denise and I wanted to give current and future UMass student athletes the same great opportunities to develop these life-long skills.”

Peter Bloom graduated with a political science degree and was a member of the cross county/track and field teams while at UMass. He has been involved with the university since graduation and served as a chair of the Commonwealth Honors College (CHC) Advisory Board and on the Campus Leadership Council during the UMass Rising Campus Campaign. He is currently an emeriti member of the UMass Amherst Foundation Board of Directors as well as a member of the CHC Advisor Board. Denise Bloom received her degree from the Isenberg School of Management and is an Alumni Association Lifetime Member. She is the owner of DAB Designs in Bonita Springs, Florida.

“I want to thank Peter and Denise for their ongoing commitment to Massachusetts Athletics and our cross country and track and field programs,” said Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford. “We have always been able to count on them regardless of the size, scope or scale of the project and this most recent pledge is another example in their proud history of philanthropic engagement. Their generosity will impact decades of future Minutemen/women on the track and in the classroom. We are so very grateful for all they have invested to support our programs.”

The Ken O’Brien Scholarship, established by the Blooms in 2004, will now support at least one male and one female cross country/track and field student-athlete per year. A list of previous recipients, and those awarded in the future, will be noted on a plaque in the lobby of the renovated Indoor Performance Center. The space will also recognize O’Brien, the longtime director and head coach of the track and cross country programs. As part of this effort, the couple will also fund an annual alumni and awards banquet for the programs with a goal of connecting cross country/track and field alumni with current members of the teams while honoring success in the classroom, in competition and in the community. The inaugural celebration has been scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.

“More than anything else, Peter and Denise value relationships,” said David Biancamano, deputy director of advancement for athletics. “The longstanding relationships they forged in their time at UMass, to the connections they have made with the creation of the Ken O’Brien Scholarship, are all important to them. They continue to build and enhance relationships while displaying the power of their philanthropy time and time again.”

Fundraising is still ongoing for the Indoor Performance Center. The renovated two-level facility will be managed exclusively by the athletics department and will feature a grand lobby and entrance area that will honor the history of the programs and offer an inviting area for student-athletes, alumni and recruits. The lower practice level will be covered with a track-specific surface and offer space for jumping and throwing events, along with a sprint straight-away. The second level will feature a practice track along with space for non-impact training. Currently located within the performance center are recently renovated coaches’ offices and team locker rooms.

Of the $8 million project goal, $5 million will be raised through private philanthropy. Several other stakeholders have made commitments, pushing the fundraising total to $4.5 million. The athletic department has established a target of June 30, 2023 to secure the remaining funding required to move the project forward.

For more information about this project or to support the fundraising campaign for the performance center, contact Ryan Boudway at ryan.boudway@umass.edu.