IOWA CITY, Iowa — The couple who own a massive Interstate 80 travel center in eastern Iowa have donated $10 million to fund the Iowa football program and other athletics projects, the school announced Monday.
The Will and Renee Moon Excellence Fund will endow the head football coaching position in perpetuity, and Kirk Ferentz and those who follow him will hold the formal title of Moon Family Head Football Coach.
The Moons’ gift has three components: $5 million for the endowment fund that will support the football program, $3 million to support for football and other athletics initiatives as determined by the athletic director and $2 million for the revitalization of Kinnick Stadium’s north end zone seating and concourse.
Will Moon’s family opened the Iowa 80 Truckstop in the 1960s near Walcott. Now called “World’s Largest Truckstop,” the travel center has eight restaurants, gift shop, convenience store, movie theater and museum, among other features.
Will Moon is a 1979 Iowa graduate. Renee Moon received her undergraduate degree from Iowa in 1984 and graduated from the school’s College of Dentistry in 1988. The Moons are longtime donors to the athletic program.
“As we have become better acquainted with Will and Renee, it has become very clear they embody a true spirit of generosity,” Ferentz said. “Their commitment in making this gift, in the midst of a pandemic, is a remarkable commitment to their belief in our programs and student-athletes.”