In An Ideal World

In an ideal world, more athletes would be like Ndamukong Suh. More people in general would be like this mountain of a man with an oversized heart. The overwhelming choice for best collegiate player in the country has pledged to do something that most, if not all, draft eligible college kids would never even dream of doing. If you haven't heard yet, here's the story:


"Only moments before kickoff of the Nebraska Red-White Spring Game on Saturday, Ndamukong Suh inconspicuously entered the field from a side entrance.

He looked different from when he was last at Memorial Stadium, this time wearing jeans and a casual shirt. Still, it took fans in the front rows of the north end zone less than 30 seconds to notice Suh, and they began yelling his name.

Indeed, Suh is a superstar here, and the ovation was much louder when the game came to a complete halt in the first quarter and, in a prerecorded video message, Suh announced he will donate $2 million to the Nebraska athletic department and another $600,000 to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering to endow a scholarship. It is the largest single gift ever from a former football player.

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Ndamunkong Suh and Bo Pelini wave to the Red-White game crowd after the announcement that Suh will donate $2 million to the Husker athletic department and $600,000 to the NU Foundation for an engineering scholarship. (Jacob Hannah / Lincoln Journal Star)

Suh graduated with a degree in construction management from the College of Engineering. He asked that students from his high school, Grant High School in Portland, Ore., be given first preference for the scholarship he is creating. Suh hopes to help out-of-state students, who pay more to attend UNL.  "The unprecedented gift from any student-athlete who has yet to be drafted will arrive after Suh signs his NFL contract. At his request, the money will be used for renovations in the North Stadium strength and conditioning center, where Suh spent countless hours training.

The Nebraska players circled Suh at midfield on Saturday, and coaches Bo and Carl Pelini flanked him. After the announcement, Suh hugged the Pelinis and athletic director Tom Osborne.

Suh won a long list of awards following his senior season as a defensive tackle, was a Heisman Trophy finalist and is expected to be a top-3 pick during the NFL Draft on Thursday.

The reception he received from the crowd of nearly 78,000 fans Saturday sent a chill up his back, Suh said, much like when he played his final game against Kansas State on Nov. 21.

It also was special to have the team surrounding him, Suh said, because it’s those and future players that will benefit from his gift. The gift was also a thank-you to his coaches and teachers.

“I didn’t feel like I had to, but I definitely wanted to give back to the university that gave me so much,” Suh said. “I graduated, just like me and Coach Bo talked about a year ago when he came to my house, and he and the rest of the defensive staff put me in position to possibly go No. 1 overall.”

After briefly meeting with reporters following the announcement, Suh signed a handful of autographs for youngsters and was led out of the stadium. He was headed back to New York to rejoin friends and family before the draft.

Many former players were at the game and were impressed by Suh’s donation. Barrett Ruud noted that his teammate with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, cornerback Ronde Barber, made a large donation to Virginia, but he’s never heard of such a donation being made so quickly after graduation.

“It just shows how much the university meant to him, especially for a guy that’s not from Nebraska,” Ruud said. “He’s from Portland and came across the country, and to take to the state and university like he has is a pretty neat deal.”


Ndamukong Suh, you make me proud. You make me feel like there are some athletes out there who actually get it. And really I'm not restricting this to just athletes but people in general. If you have money, donate some. If you don't have money to donate, then give your time. Do something to make the world a better place and don't always think selfishly of what is best for only you. In an ideal world, we would all make sure that people who couldn't care for themselves had others they could count on. In an ideal world, more people would be like Ndamukong Suh.