UA renames Razorbacks basketball practice facility for donors following $5M gift
by January 26, 2023 10:48 am 3,249 views
The nonprofit Razorback Foundation announced Thursday (Jan. 26) a $5 million donation from the Marty and Marsha Martin family of Little Rock. That donation will secure naming rights to the University of Arkansas’ Basketball Performance Center on the Fayetteville campus.
UA athletics officials will officially unveil the Marsha and Marty Martin Family Basketball Performance Center on March 4 before the Arkansas-Kentucky men’s basketball game at Bud Walton Arena. According to a news release, the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees approved the name change at Thursday’s regular meeting.
“We are humbled by the generosity of the Martin family for this extraordinary gift,” UA Athletics Director Hunter Yurachek said in a statement. “For more than four decades, the Martins have displayed their passion for our program in numerous ways, including in investing their time and energy into cheering on our teams while also providing the support to help ensure our student-athletes and coaches are positioned for success. Our men’s and women’s basketball teams are fortunate to train and compete in one of the best basketball performance centers in the nation. It is certainly appropriate that this spectacular day-to-day Home of Razorback Basketball will now also honor this special family of Razorback fans.”
According to the release, Marsha and Marty Martin are native Arkansans and lifelong Razorback fans. In 1990, they founded Onyx Brands, a cosmetic products manufacturer and distributor based in central Arkansas.
As a woman-owned business, it’s grown to become a multinational manufacturer and distributor, servicing mass drug and beauty retailers worldwide.
“On behalf of the Razorback Foundation, we are most grateful to the Marsha and Marty Martin Family for their years of steadfast support, and this amazing gift which will benefit Razorback Athletics in numerous ways,” Razorback Foundation Executive Director Scott Varady said.
The Razorback Foundation is the private fundraising arm that raises millions of dollars in support of the University of Arkansas athletics department.
The Marsha and Marty Martin Family Basketball Performance Center is home to Razorback men’s and women’s basketball teams. The 66,000 square-foot facility opened in 2015 on Nolan Richardson Drive across the street from Bud Walton Arena. It includes two full-court gymnasiums, locker rooms, a weight room, an athletic training room, coaches’ offices, team meeting rooms, student-athlete lounges, study areas and an equipment room.