For more than 100 years thousands of student-athletes have brought pride to Wichita State University and the community. You may recognize such legendary performers such as Joe Carter, Antoine Carr, Xavier McDaniel, Darren Dreifort and Dave Stallworth but many student-athletes have competed in virtual obscurity. Regardless of individual or team achievement, all of these men and women are part of the proud tradition of Shocker Athletics.
Keeping the tradition strong, the Shocker Athletic Scholarship Organization, often referred to as SASO, provides the foundation of financial support that sustains our student-athletes dreams of competing at the highest level while pursuing an education.
The Shocker Athletic Scholarship Organization (SASO) has been ensuring excellence for WSU Athletics since 1977. Through financial support, the dreams of student-athletes to achieve success on the athletic field and in the classroom are realized. While SASO’s goal is to meet all of the annual scholarship expenses and student-athlete support, gifts currently cover most but not all of the expenditures needed.
As the cost of education continues to soar, the need to increase donations through SASO serves to help keep the athletic department strong and competitive. To provide our student-athletes with the best educational opportunities, the athletic department must raise more than three million dollars annually.
Over the last several years, academic support needs have increased faster than donor contributions creating a funding shortfall. In order to cover this shortfall, revenue from operational budgets must be used which results in the department’s inability to grow our programs.