UWF Mourns Loss Of Hall Of Fame Member, Supporter Darrell Gooden

July 10, 2026

The University of West Florida is mourning the loss of Charles “Darrell” Gooden, a proud alumnus, local business leader, and the largest donor in the history of UWF Athletics. Gooden passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, with his wife, Deborah “Debbie” Gooden, by his side following a battle with metastatic adenocarcinoma. He was 74.

His passing comes at a historic juncture for his alma mater. This fall, UWF Athletics officially elevates to NCAA Division I competition, joining the Atlantic Sun Conference as a multi-sport member and the United Athletic Conference (UAC) for football. Anchoring this new era is the construction of the $50 million Darrell Gooden Stadium on campus, a state-of-the-art multi-use venue made possible by his monumental lead gift of more than $10 million. While the full 7,500-seat facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2027, fans will get their first taste of the upgrade this fall with a new 85-foot-by-30-foot HD LED video board in the end zone, which will be operational for the inaugural Division I season while construction continues around PenAir Field.

In a statement, the university expressed profound gratitude for his lasting legacy: “UWF mourns the loss of Darrell Gooden, a proud alumnus and supporter whose extraordinary generosity has helped transform UWF Athletics and fund numerous student scholarships. Our thoughts go out to the Gooden family and all those who had the privilege to know him.”

“Darrell’s extraordinary generosity and commitment to UWF has created opportunities for generations of students and has transformed our campus through investments in scholarships, athletics and student success,” remarked  Manny Diaz Jr., UWF president.

A Pensacola native, Gooden graduated from UWF in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He channeled his business acumen into the local housing market, founding Gooden Homes, Inc. in 1980. Under his leadership as CEO, the company built more than 3,000 homes across the Pensacola area, earning numerous Parade of Homes awards—including multiple honors for Outstanding Home—and culminating in Gooden being named Builder of the Year by the Home Builders Association of West Florida in 2009.

While his business footprint shaped the local landscape, his philanthropy transformed the university campus. Gooden was a member of the Sword & Shield Council and the UWF Foundation Board of Directors, becoming a Platinum UWF Football Founder in 2016 when he joined the initial push to launch the university’s football program. He also established an endowed scholarship to support UWF Football student-athletes.

His financial contributions completely reshaped the campus sports infrastructure. His initial lead gift funded the construction of the Darrell Gooden Center, which opened in 2018 to provide a home locker room for the football team and a sports performance center for all student-athletes. Gooden later helped spearhead fundraising for an expansion to the facility, adding the Sandy Sansing Sports Medicine Center and a new football coaches’ suite. In recognition of his extraordinary contributions, Gooden was inducted into the UWF Athletics Hall of Fame in November 2025.

Gooden was able to attend the official stadium groundbreaking ceremony on February 11, 2026, celebrating a venue designed to host not only Division I football but also concerts, high school championships, and major community events.

Gooden is survived by his beloved wife of 17 years, Debbie Gooden; his sister, Debra Axley (John); nephews John Charles Axley (Page), Jason Christopher Axley (Amy), and Nicholas Gooden Woosley (Brittany); alongside several grandnieces, grandnephews, extended family members, and close friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Theodore Gooden and Cornelia Hassebrock Gooden.

In accordance with Gooden’s wishes, no formal services will be held. The family has expressed deep gratitude for the community’s influx of love, prayers, and support. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Valerie’s House.

Photo courtesy UWF for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments





Have a comment on this story?

We welcome your comments on this story, but there are some rules to follow::

(1) Be Nice. No comments that slander another, no racism, no sexism, no personal attacks.

(2) No Harrassing Comments. If someone says something bad about you, don't respond. That's childish.

(3) No Libel. That's saying something is not true about someone. Don't do it.

(4) Keep it clean. Nothing vulgar, obscene or sexually related. No profanity or obvious substitutions. Period.

(5) NorthEscambia.com reserves the right to remove any comments that violate our rules or we think to be inappropriate. We are not responsible for what is posted. Comments may not appear right away until they are approved by a moderator.

(6) Limit your comments to the subject in this story only, and limit comments to 300 words or less. Do not post copyrighted material. Comments will not be added to stories that are over 30 days old.

(7) No posts may advertise a commercial business, political candidate or political group, or link to another commercial web site or political site of any kind.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FRONT FEATURE, Sports, TOP sports