Short answers, pulled from the story.
Gonzaga University was founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, a Sicilian-born Jesuit priest and missionary who had arrived in the Pacific Northwest in 1865. Cataldo originally came to serve Native American communities, and the university is named after the Jesuit saint Aloysius Gonzaga.
Gonzaga University is located in Spokane, Washington, in the Logan Neighborhood. Its main campus covers 152 acres alongside the Spokane River, roughly a half-mile from downtown Spokane.
The Jesuits purchased 320 acres of land in Spokane's central business district for $936. The land had been held in reserve by the Northern Pacific Railway, and Jesuit founder Joseph Cataldo personally persuaded railroad executive John W. Sprague to allow the sale.
Gonzaga's men's basketball team made its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1995, more than a decade after alumnus John Stockton graduated. The team has appeared in every tournament since 1999, reaching the national championship game in 2017 and 2021.
In 2018, the Center for Investigative Reporting published evidence that the Cardinal Bea House, a Jesuit-owned property next to the Gonzaga campus, was used from the 1970s through 2016 as a de facto retirement home for Catholic priests with histories of sexual abuse from across the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The arrangement shielded those priests from legal accountability.
Gonzaga alumni include Academy Award-winning actor and singer Bing Crosby, NBA Hall of Fame player John Stockton, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Tom Foley, and former Washington Governor Christine Gregoire. The university's football program also produced Pro Football Hall of Famers Tony Canadeo and Ray Flaherty.