Deacon Sports Xtra: Rob Knapp Pledges $100,000 for Women’s Athletics in Matching Gift for Giving Day
9/12/2023 7:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
“Today, Wake Forest is a brand you can be proud of. I enrolled at Wake Forest in 1964 and graduated in 1968, so I’ve been carrying that brand my entire life. It’s a brand that is getting better every year.” - Rob Knapp
With lifelong giving already exceeding $1.5 million, 1968 Wake Forest graduate and former Demon Deacon tennis player Rob Knapp has pledged $100,000 for Women's Athletics in a matching gift for today's Giving Day.
There's $10,000 waiting to be unlocked today for Wake Forest Field Hockey, Women's Soccer, Women's Golf, Women's Tennis, Women's Basketball, Volleyball, Women's Track & Field and Cross Country, Cheer, Dance and Student-Athlete Career Development.
"When I do something, I think of it as an investment," Knapp said. "That investment has paid off. The men's tennis team has won a national championship and the women's golf team just claimed a national championship. Wake Forest has been hitting the ball out of the park, and not just in football and basketball — we have great coaches in every sport. There's great leadership and they don't accept mediocrity. I love the commitment."
"I think these programs over the next 10 years are going to set a new standard of excellence for Wake Forest Athletics, winning championships and setting records all across the board."
As a four-year varsity tennis player at Hingham High School in Hingham, Mass., Knapp narrowed his college search toward schools in a warmer climate.
"I picked the usual suspects, including William & Mary, Virginia and Wake Forest," he said. "Fortunately I selected Wake Forest, even without visiting. My parents drove me down, unpacked me, gave me a kiss and there I was in a place I'd never been – a long way from home. It was quite an adventure."
"If I was on a tennis court, I was home. So I never felt homesick."
After serving four years on active service in the U.S. Navy (as well as seven more as a reservist), Knapp joined Merrill Lynch in 1972, where he worked until his retirement in 2006.
He hasn't exactly rested on his laurels upon retirement, founding both Supernova Consulting Group, which focused on coaching financial advisors on how to deliver a better experience, as well as Supernova Scholars.
"Supernova Scholars is an attempt to get diversity in the financial services industry," Knapp explained. "It's a lucrative industry that can change communities, if successful. I want to do that one student at a time, working with Norfolk State to provide internships and scholarships to help develop certified financial planners. When you're on a team in our industry, the probability of you being very successful is much higher than if you just try to do it on your own."
Having served on the Deacon Club Board of Directors, Knapp has been a consistent giving force for Wake Forest Athletics.
"My mantra is commitment to excellence," he said. "Plan, process and purpose. You have to play to win. There's no losing, there's learning and growing.
"I've been around long enough to see Wake Forest decide they were going to be a winner. It's about leadership. When you get somebody back to campus, they're going to be more likely to give more as they can see they're a part of doing something important."
The matching concept is a familiar one for Knapp, as in 2017 he funded 10 Wake Forest Athletics matching scholarships. He added three more in 2021.
"I like giving scholarships, because they're permanent," he said. "The thing that was the most fun was matching scholarships. We were able to start 10 of those. That gave others a chance to get involved and experience what it's like to support an athlete. That was incredibly rewarding."
"What's rewarding? Seeing Wake Forest Athletics skyrocket. When I went to Wake Forest it was a great school, but nobody knew that yet. Today, Wake Forest is a brand you can be proud of. I enrolled at Wake Forest in 1964 and graduated in 1968, so I've been carrying that brand my entire life. It's a brand that is getting better every year."
With $100,000 waiting to be unlocked, Knapp hopes this provides an impetus for a lot of first-time givers to make an impact.
"I hope it just gets one more person involved who has the money but hasn't yet seen the light," he said. "When you get involved in Wake Forest Athletics, you can really see your dollar go to work. It makes a difference and you can see those teams win. We're here to help nurture successful people who end up having an incredible experience at Wake Forest with a great life experience to follow."
Knapp believes in the power of giving, and believes he's received much more in return than he could possibly ever imagine.
"I've been very blessed in my life," he said. "Giving is a magical thing. If you give, and it comes from your heart, somehow it comes back in spades. It seems like the more I give, the more I get. It just comes. It's a virtuous circle of giving. If you're an optimist and you believe that what you're doing is good and are making good investments to help people's lives, you will be rewarded and sometimes it's monetary, which is nice. So you get it back."
"I've given away my net worth since I retired, and I'm doing fine. It's amazing how the virtuous circle has worked. Our purpose is to give and help everyone we can. I've just been so blessed."
There's $10,000 waiting to be unlocked today for Wake Forest Field Hockey, Women's Soccer, Women's Golf, Women's Tennis, Women's Basketball, Volleyball, Women's Track & Field and Cross Country, Cheer, Dance and Student-Athlete Career Development.
"When I do something, I think of it as an investment," Knapp said. "That investment has paid off. The men's tennis team has won a national championship and the women's golf team just claimed a national championship. Wake Forest has been hitting the ball out of the park, and not just in football and basketball — we have great coaches in every sport. There's great leadership and they don't accept mediocrity. I love the commitment."
"I think these programs over the next 10 years are going to set a new standard of excellence for Wake Forest Athletics, winning championships and setting records all across the board."
As a four-year varsity tennis player at Hingham High School in Hingham, Mass., Knapp narrowed his college search toward schools in a warmer climate.
"I picked the usual suspects, including William & Mary, Virginia and Wake Forest," he said. "Fortunately I selected Wake Forest, even without visiting. My parents drove me down, unpacked me, gave me a kiss and there I was in a place I'd never been – a long way from home. It was quite an adventure."
"If I was on a tennis court, I was home. So I never felt homesick."
After serving four years on active service in the U.S. Navy (as well as seven more as a reservist), Knapp joined Merrill Lynch in 1972, where he worked until his retirement in 2006.
He hasn't exactly rested on his laurels upon retirement, founding both Supernova Consulting Group, which focused on coaching financial advisors on how to deliver a better experience, as well as Supernova Scholars.
"Supernova Scholars is an attempt to get diversity in the financial services industry," Knapp explained. "It's a lucrative industry that can change communities, if successful. I want to do that one student at a time, working with Norfolk State to provide internships and scholarships to help develop certified financial planners. When you're on a team in our industry, the probability of you being very successful is much higher than if you just try to do it on your own."
Having served on the Deacon Club Board of Directors, Knapp has been a consistent giving force for Wake Forest Athletics.
"My mantra is commitment to excellence," he said. "Plan, process and purpose. You have to play to win. There's no losing, there's learning and growing.
"I've been around long enough to see Wake Forest decide they were going to be a winner. It's about leadership. When you get somebody back to campus, they're going to be more likely to give more as they can see they're a part of doing something important."
The matching concept is a familiar one for Knapp, as in 2017 he funded 10 Wake Forest Athletics matching scholarships. He added three more in 2021.
"I like giving scholarships, because they're permanent," he said. "The thing that was the most fun was matching scholarships. We were able to start 10 of those. That gave others a chance to get involved and experience what it's like to support an athlete. That was incredibly rewarding."
"What's rewarding? Seeing Wake Forest Athletics skyrocket. When I went to Wake Forest it was a great school, but nobody knew that yet. Today, Wake Forest is a brand you can be proud of. I enrolled at Wake Forest in 1964 and graduated in 1968, so I've been carrying that brand my entire life. It's a brand that is getting better every year."
With $100,000 waiting to be unlocked, Knapp hopes this provides an impetus for a lot of first-time givers to make an impact.
"I hope it just gets one more person involved who has the money but hasn't yet seen the light," he said. "When you get involved in Wake Forest Athletics, you can really see your dollar go to work. It makes a difference and you can see those teams win. We're here to help nurture successful people who end up having an incredible experience at Wake Forest with a great life experience to follow."
Knapp believes in the power of giving, and believes he's received much more in return than he could possibly ever imagine.
"I've been very blessed in my life," he said. "Giving is a magical thing. If you give, and it comes from your heart, somehow it comes back in spades. It seems like the more I give, the more I get. It just comes. It's a virtuous circle of giving. If you're an optimist and you believe that what you're doing is good and are making good investments to help people's lives, you will be rewarded and sometimes it's monetary, which is nice. So you get it back."
"I've given away my net worth since I retired, and I'm doing fine. It's amazing how the virtuous circle has worked. Our purpose is to give and help everyone we can. I've just been so blessed."
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