Greenwich millionaire Robert G. Burton has received plenty of publicity lately for seeking the return of $3 million that he gave to the University of Connecticut's football team.
In a blistering letter that hammered UConn athletic director Jeff Hathaway, Burton also asked for his family's name to be removed from the Burton Family Football Complex because he believes he was not consulted properly by Hathaway when a new football coach was chosen.
While Burton has found his name in the headlines, it turns out that most of the money for the Burton complex and the adjoining Mark R. Shenkman Training Center came from Connecticut taxpayers.
The two football buildings cost $48 million to construct, and taxpayers paid $31 million from the 21st Century UConn construction program - meaning more than 60 percent of the total.
Burton and Shenkman each initially contributed $2.5 million each and got their names on the buildings - within walking distance of Gampel Pavilion and across the street from the old football stadium. The buildings were projected to cost $40 million when UConn officials were talking about them in 2004, but the total eventually increased to $48 million by the time the doors opened.