Cal State Northridge has received a $1 million gift from the estate of Jim Edmondson to establish a scholarship endowment honoring his brother, former Matadors standout and Major League pitcher Paul Edmondson, university officials announced Wednesday.
The Paul Edmondson Memorial Scholarship Endowment will fund academic scholarships for baseball student-athletes, according to the university.
The gift honors Paul Edmondson, a pitcher for the university from 1963 to 1965 who earned three All-CCAA selections and helped lead the team to its first conference championship in 1965.
He later became the program’s first Major League Baseball player, pitching for the Chicago White Sox in 1969.
The donation was made through the estate of his brother, Jim Edmondson, a CSUN alumnus who went on to work in environmental conservation and served as executive director of the nonprofit California Trout before his death in 2024.
“The Edmondson family’s gift is a game-changer for CSUN Baseball,” Director of Athletics Ryan Swartwood said in a statement. “This endowment strengthens our program in meaningful ways as we position CSUN Baseball for the future and continue to build on our success.”
CSUN officials said the scholarship will support student-athletes who reflect the character and values demonstrated by the Edmondson family while helping strengthen the long-term success of the program.
Paul Edmondson was killed at age 27 in a 1970 car crash near Santa Barbara when his vehicle skidded on a rain-soaked roadway and collided with oncoming traffic.