Irv Brown Endowment Fund

The mission of the Irv Brown Endowment Fund (IBEF) is to provide an accelerated and affordable educational learning pathway for low-income and traditionally underrepresented students. The IBEF plays a big role in encouraging them to attend MSU Denver and pursue studies within the university's sports business programs of Management, Journalism/Media Production and Sports Sciences. Working in tandem with the Metropolitan State University Denver Foundation, Inc., the school's sports business programs and Write On Sports Denver, Inc, the IBEF plays a leadership role in the “Roadrunner Pathway." It provides a pathway through middle school, high school and on to MSU Denver with free concurrent enrollment, scholarships and sports industry networking opportunities for high school students interested in a sports business career. Operating under the auspices of the MSU Denver Foundation, the IBEF has three major roles in the pathway: Raise money for scholarships (Irv Brown Scholars), underwrite an annual "Irv Brown Sports Business Conference" connecting Roadrunner Pathway students with potential internships and jobs within the sports industry. Third, be chief recruiter through its "Speaker Series" where we invite sports business industry leaders to speak to high school kids while we educate these young minds to the opportunities this pathway presents. The IBEF commemorates the life and legacy of Irv Brown. His career is the epitome of the “business side” of sports and will serve to inspire students to follow in his footsteps. Irv was MSU Denver's first baseball coach and was inducted into the Roadrunner athletic HOF in 2012. The Denver North High school athletic standout was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. He also spent nine years coaching baseball at the University of Colorado and 15 years as an NCAA basketball referee, officiating six NCAA Final Fours. Irv was a legendary radio broadcaster in Denver for 40 years.