Kathleen (Kathy) McKay’s ties to her hometown of Fairfax, Virginia, have deep roots. Her parents, James “Smilin’ Jim” and Ruth Averill McKay, were pioneers in the Fairfax business community; her father opened Jim McKay Chevrolet in 1956, becoming one of the first car dealers in the area.
Kathy grew up alongside George Mason University’s evolving Fairfax Campus. “I went to Woodson High School, and I played field hockey, I played softball, and I was a swimmer,” she said. Much of that swim experience took place at a neighborhood club, where her own daughters still hold records from the 1990s. After graduation from James Madison University, she returned to Fairfax to continue her family’s community ties, including those with George Mason.
McKay is now the president of Jim McKay Chevrolet, a sponsor for many student activities and sports at George Mason, and Intercollegiate Athletics have been at the heart of her personal connection with the university. From the mid-1990s, the avid fan attended men’s and women’s basketball games, often with her daughters, and soon added out-of-town events to her itinerary.
In 2007, McKay traveled with the men’s basketball team to the ESPN Events Invitational Thanksgiving tournament in Orlando, Florida. She was warmly welcomed by the team, including then-coach Jim Larrañaga and his wife, Liz. The experience deepened her connection and led her to attend more games away from Fairfax, including several Atlantic-10 Conference (A-10) Tournaments at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. “I’ve been every year,” she said. “Even after we got sent home after winning our first game – during COVID, in March of 2020.”
McKay was in the front rows at the Robins Center in Richmond when the men’s basketball team defeated the University of Richmond to claim the 2025 A-10 regular season title, the team’s first. That same season saw Patriots Head Coach Tony Skinn, whom McKay had known since his undergraduate days, named A-10 Coach of the Year. “Tony was my pick from day one when we were searching for a coach,” she said.
With a grandson in tow, McKay traveled in March 2025 with the women’s basketball team to Richmond for the A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship, where George Mason defeated St. Joseph’s to claim the title for the first time. “I couldn’t not go, and they win this thing—because I really thought they could,” she said. She joined the women’s team for the España 2025 cultural and athletic expedition, where the Patriots played international opponents in Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona. With her on the trip was her eldest granddaughter, who has been attending games with McKay since she was six months old. “Riley and I had a time together that neither one of us will ever forget!” she recalled.
“I’ve always been a sports person,” McKay said. “I love college athletics; it’s the excitement. This is something that the athletes really, really want to do, and so few make it.” Even more, she appreciates the role of college sports in bringing a community together. “It’s everything. No matter what your preference is, we offer every sport to allow a fan to be involved.”
McKay’s support extends beyond fandom. She has been a generous donor to George Mason for nearly twenty years, serving as a member of the Patriot Club Advisory Board and in the Green Coat Society, which recognizes generous, multi-year donors. In 2017, she made a leadership gift to the university’s basketball fundraising campaign, resulting in the naming of the K. McKay Court at the Basketball Practice Facility. Her philanthropy has included substantial gifts—in conjunction with the family-linked Richard W. Averill Foundation and Jim McKay Chevrolet—to a variety of George Mason’s teams, including a pledge that touched all 22 sports teams during an annual Mason Vision Day. She has also made gifts to the College of Visual and Supporting Arts’ premier student showcase, ARTS by George! and to the Green Machine ensembles.
“Kathy McKay embodies the spirit of George Mason and the Northern Virginia community,” said Marvin Lewis, assistant vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics. “Her loyalty and generosity have touched every corner of our program—from cheering courtside to investing in opportunities that enrich the student-athlete experience. Kathy’s passion, rooted in family and community, reflects the very best of what it means to be a Patriot, and we’re incredibly fortunate to have her in our corner.”
McKay carries a family tradition of philanthropy and community service; George Mason’s natatorium, a community resource beyond its home for George Mason’s swim and dive teams, bears the name of Jim McKay. She is continuing that tradition and is encouraging a culture of connected philanthropy through her own children: her daughter, April, and son-in-law, Matt, are also active supporters of George Mason Athletics.
And she will continue to enjoy as many games and team activities as she can fit into her schedule. “I love it, because I have to be busy,” she said. “I’m always trying to look at the schedule to see who’s playing what.”
Story by Anne Reynolds