Morgan State University was good to Willie Lanier. Now Mr. Lanier is being good to Morgan State.

The historically black university in Baltimore announced that Mr. Lanier has given a $500,000 gift to establish the Willie E. Lanier Sr. Endowed Lectureship in Business Ethics.

Starting in 2016, the lectureship will provide a two-year award to a selected faculty member in the university’s Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management who conducts research in business ethics, according to Dr. Fikru Boghossian, dean of the school.

Mr. Lanier is a 1967 graduate of Morgan State who went on to become a Hall of Fame linebacker with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. He made his mark in business as president and CEO of Virginia-based Lanier Group LLC, an investment firm.

He also serves as chair of the Morgan State University Foundation.

“Life provides you with opportunities to reflect upon the values and principles that have come to define who you are, and allows you the space to determine what is important,” said Mr. Lanier.

“I attended Morgan for the education and to cultivate a relationship with the university. Athletics provided the means for my education.

“Committing to this lectureship allows me to build upon the things I learned as a student in the business school and to make a positive contribution to an area that touches all aspects of what we do in life — ethics.”

Morgan State President David Wilson expressed appreciation for the gift, noting that Mr. Lanier “provides an exceptional example of how Morgan State University graduates continue to make great contributions in their post-collegiate careers while also recognizing and supporting the foundation of their success.”

Mr. Lanier grew up in Richmond and was a star football player at Maggie L. Walker High School under Coach Fred “Cannonball” Cooper. That earned him an athletic scholarship to Morgan State, then an HBCU football powerhouse under Coach Earl “Papa Bear” Banks. 

After earning a degree in business administration from Morgan State, Mr. Lanier joined the Kansas City Chiefs and helped them win Super Bowl IV in 1971.

As a Chiefs middle linebacker, he was an eight-time All-Pro pick and a six-time Pro Bowl selectee. His No. 63 jersey has been retired by Kansas City.

Mr. Lanier was named to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1996 and to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.