August 3, 2021
SWOSU Press Release
Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) has announced the receipt of a major gift from Vance T. Nye of Edmond.
Nye, a 1990 SWOSU alumnus from Weatherford, has made a generous contribution to the SWOSU Football Legacy Fund. The SWOSU Football Legacy Fund was established in 2015 to provide private support to the SWOSU football program.
“We are so thankful to Vance Nye for his continued investment in and involvement with SWOSU football,” said SWOSU Athletic Director Todd Helton. “Private gifts are crucial to our success, and donors like Vance who give back to our programs make it possible for our student-athletes to reach higher.”
Following his undergraduate work at SWOSU—where he excelled as a two-year letterman on the SWOSU football team including being a two-time NAIA Academic All-District 9 selection—Nye attended the University of Tulsa School of Law. He graduated from law school with honors in 1993. Today, Nye is a shareholder, director and officer at Gungoll, Jackson, Box, & Devoll, P.C., where he practices in the areas of oil and gas, real estate, banking, estate planning, commercial, transactional and corporate law.
Nye currently serves as a member of the Executive Council of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. There, he serves on both the Auction/Fundraising Committee as well as the Jim Thorpe Award Committee, which selects the winner of the Jim Thorpe Award recognizing the best defensive back in college football each year. Nye also has previously served on the booster club board at Oklahoma Bible Academy as well as board member of Enid Habitat for Humanity, New Horizons Counseling Center, Inc., Northwest Oklahoma United Way Budget Allocation Subcommittee, Grace World Outreach Church, Inc., and Macedonia Missions Network, Inc.
“The things I learned as a member of the SWOSU football team continue to positively influence me today,” Nye said. “I am proud to give back through charitable giving, and I urge my fellow former SWOSU student-athletes to do the same.”
Nye was born and raised in Weatherford. He is the son of two SWOSU emeriti: the late Dr. Jerry G. Nye and Juanita Nye. His wife, Lena J. (Stucky) Nye, is a 1991 SWOSU pharmacy school graduate. Nye’s daughter, LaurieBeth (Nye) Whatley, graduated from SWOSU in 2017 with a degree in athletic training. Nye and his wife also have a son, Christopher, and a grandson, Dreyden.
The SWOSU Football Legacy Fund is stewarded by the SWOSU Foundation, Inc. The Foundation was established in 1977 to promote philanthropy, award scholarships and to support the activities and programs of SWOSU. Located on the Weatherford campus in the historic Burton House, the Foundation currently manages nearly $30 million in assets for the benefit of SWOSU. For more information, please call 580-774-3267 or visit www.SWOSUFoundation.com.
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