Jay Leno auctioning off garage tour to benefit UMass Lowell scholarship named after his Andover gym teacher

Comedian Jay Leno is auctioning off a tour of his famous garage to benefit a UMass Lowell scholarship that's named after his Andover, Massachusetts high school gym teacher.

The winning bidder will get to meet Leno and tour his "Big Dog Garage" in Burbank, California, which is home to more than 250 rare and specialty cars and over 150 motorcycles.

All proceeds from the auction will benefit the Professor Joseph Dorsey Memorial Scholarship, supporting UMass Lowell physical therapy students "who demonstrate strong academic performance, leadership and dedication to serving others."

Dorsey, who founded the college's physical therapy program, was Leno's gym teacher at Andover High School.

"He was my gym teacher ... actually more than a gym teacher," Leno said in a video promoting the auction. "Just a wonderful man ... he took young men and gave them a bit of purpose."

The former "Tonight Show" host also reflected on how "fortunate" he was to go to school in Massachusetts. He said a creative writing teacher at Andover High encouraged him to go into comedy writing, despite his struggle with dyslexia. 

"Massachusetts has always been at the forefront of education, it's always been the number one state in higher learning," Leno said. "I had wonderful teachers."

Leno has been giving garage tours for nearly 30 years to support charitable causes, most of which are education-focused.

"I have to say I get embarrassed when I realize I live in the richest country in the world and yet we graduate students that owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans," he said. "That just seems unacceptable to me."

The online auction is being held from June 8 to June 12 at www.uml.edu/lenogarage.