John Arrillaga, the philanthropist who passed away Jan. 24 at age 84, made his first great contribution to Stanford on Dec. 17, 1957, in the smoke-filled air of the gritty Cow Palace arena near San Francisco.
Taking on No. 4 University of San Francisco in the nightcap of a West Coast college basketball doubleheader, Stanford fell behind the Dons, two seasons removed from the second of back-to-back national titles, by 12 points.
But late in the game, Arrillaga, a 6-foot-3 sophomore guard, got hot. Twice in the final minutes he pulled Stanford within two, and then scored from the corner with 20 seconds left to make it a one-point game. USF, leading 49-48, had only to run out the clock, but Paul Neumann stole the ball at midcourt and fired a pass to Arrillaga, who planted himself in the left corner and nailed the winner with three seconds left for a stunning 50-49 Stanford victory.
The game was named as the Outstanding Stanford Sports Event of 1957-58 by the Stanford Daily and would be the first of many outstanding moments in a Stanford uniform for the sharpshooter out of Morningside High in Inglewood, who arrived on campus in 1955 on a basketball scholarship while balancing six jobs, and still excelled both in the classroom and on the court.
Arrillaga capped his collegiate career as team captain, first-team All-Athletic Association of Western Universities (forerunner of the Pac-12), Northern California co-player of the year, and third-team All-American and was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame. He averaged 12.2 points in three varsity seasons and completed his career No. 9 on the school's all-time scoring list, with 894 points.
Following his Stanford graduation in 1960, Arrillaga was successful as a commercial real estate developer, but never forgot his roots. He excelled on rec basketball teams well into his 50s, played annually in Stanford alumni games and was eager to share his appreciation for how Stanford changed his life, from his blue-collar upbringing to his financial success in helping create Silicon Valley.
"When I played at Stanford, he would come in and speak to us about taking advantage of our Stanford education," said former basketball player and current longtime football and basketball radio analyst John Platz '84, MBA '89, JD '89. "You could tell he loved Stanford Athletics and loved what it did for him, and he wanted that to happen to us."
Arrillaga played an instrumental role not only in fundraising but also in planning and constructing dozens of Stanford facilities, from athletics to astrophysics. The Arrillaga name graces the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center in honor of his late first wife, the Arrillaga Family Sports Center that houses Stanford Athletics, two recreation complexes and a basketball/volleyball practice facility and weight room, among his many projects. In addition, Arrillaga family scholarships currently support 30-plus student-athletes each year. More than 300 students have attended Stanford supported by the need-based athletics scholarships established by the Arrillaga family.
One of Arrillaga's greatest Stanford achievements was a facility that does not bear his name. Moments after the 2005 football season ended, construction began on a new Stanford Stadium, transforming the dusty bowl into a modern stadium. With Arrillaga the key figure in a $100 million engineering project that took less than nine months through round-the-clock work, the project was completed in time for the 2006 home opener without a game missed.
Arrillaga, a good friend to coaches and administrators, loved the beauty, simplicity and functionality of his creations, often walking around the buildings picking up any trash he spotted along the way.
"Throughout more than five decades of involvement and generosity, John Arrillaga has been a foundational pillar of Stanford Athletics and the Cardinal community is deeply saddened to hear the news of his passing," said Bernard Muir, Stanford's Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics.
"John believed in college sports, and he believed in Stanford," Muir said. "Through his unmatched passion and transformational impact, he has laid a foundation for Stanford to achieve remarkable things, and we will do our very best to live up to his legacy. It is a sad day on The Farm. John will be missed often and remembered fondly."
John Arrillaga will be remembered as perhaps the most influential individual in the history of Stanford Athletics, and it all began with a jump shot from the corner.
