Ray ‘72 and Carolyn Connell of Wichita, Kansas, have made a significant gift to the University of Notre Dame to endow the General Manager position for Notre Dame Football. The endowment will help underwrite the salary of the general manager, provide stability and resources for the long term and create funds for use within the athletics department.
The General Manager (GM) position for Notre Dame Football is a high-level executive role designed to professionalize the program's "front office" operations. While the coaching staff focuses on winning games and developing players on the field, the GM acts as the architect of the roster. Mike Martin has held the GM position since February of 2025 and will now assume the title of the Ray and Carolyn Connell General Manager.
Martin came to Notre Dame following a successful career in NFL scouting, most recently with the Detroit Lions. Martin has already left his mark on the Notre Dame program through his extraordinary work in recruiting and roster-building. Martin and the Fighting Irish staff have compiled a roster that is one of the best in the nation and has the Fighting Irish as a top-five ranked team entering the 2026 season.
“Ray and Carolyn Connell’s decision to endow the general manager position speaks to a belief not just in where this program stands today, but in where we’re headed,” said Martin. “Championship programs are built through vision, discipline, and sustained investment, and their generosity reflects a genuine partnership in that mission. Every day in my role as general manager, I’m grateful for and reminded of Ray and Carolyn’s support and longstanding commitment toward the future of Notre Dame Football.”
For Ray and Carolyn Connell, supporting Notre Dame Athletics has always been about developing the person behind the play. Longtime champions of the Fighting Irish, the Connells are deeply passionate about preparing student-athletes for life after graduation, dedicating their support to impactful career guidance, mentorship, and off-field leadership development. Their devotion to Notre Dame’s tradition of excellence spans both athletics and academics: they are active members of the Badin Guild and the Friends of Ted & Ned through the Rockne Athletics Fund’s Jesse Harper Council, and they established the Mary K. Connell Scholarship to provide critical, need-based financial aid for Notre Dame students. Ray’s mother would always encourage, “If you are invited to be of assistance, the appropriate response is ‘I would be glad to help.’”
"Notre Dame is a deeply special place to us, and my mother’s advice to always offer a helping hand has guided Carolyn and me every step of the way”, said Connell. “What Mike Martin and his staff are doing to identify, recruit, and retain the right young men for this program goes far beyond football - it’s about bringing in student-athletes who truly fit the Notre Dame tradition and setting them up to succeed for life. Carolyn and I are thrilled to support that effort, and we hope others are inspired to do the same."
Ray graduated from Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters in 1972. He is an attorney at his family practice, Connell and Connell, in El Dorado, Kansas. He also serves as general counsel to BG Products, an automotive supply company. Carolyn, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, brings that same commitment to leadership and service, having served on numerous community boards and foundation leadership teams across the regions she has called home.
