UM grad donates $1 million to Hurricanes football team

Scott C. Mueller, a University of Miami graduate and CEO of a national tire firm, on Tuesday became the fifth person in the past year to make a donation of at least $1 million to the Hurricanes’ athletic department.

His $1 million donation creates The Scott C. Mueller Endowed Football Scholarship and will help fund a scholarship in perpetuity for a student on the UM football team.

Mueller, who was born and lives in the Cleveland area, attended UM on an academic scholarship, graduating in 1985.

“I was fortunate enough to earn a scholarship while attending the University of Miami,” Mueller said. “I always thought it was a great honor and a tremendous break in my life and I want to make sure that I pay back that generosity by helping another student.

The hard work and commitment of Miami’s students- athletes is very inspiring to me and I want to ensure the University is positioned for future success.”

Mueller has been a UM football fan since the early 1980s, when the Hurricanes won their first national title.

Mueller runs Dealer Tire, which he co-founded in 2001 with his brother, Dean, and father, Walter, after selling the 84-year-old family business, Mueller Tire & Brake. Dealer Tire supplies tires and accessories to car dealers and manufacturers and is one of the nation’s largest tire distributors.

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 10:37 AM with the headline "UM grad donates $1 million to Hurricanes football team."