PITTSBURGH _ The entryway at the gleaming facility features frosted glass doors beneath stylized lettering.
"AARON DONALD FOOTBALL PERFORMANCE CENTER" is spelled out in capital letters, flanked by a photo of its namesake. A plaque that reads "Hard Work Pays Off" accents an image of the Rams star defensive tackle, a proud product of the city and a university that keeps calling him home.
Donald, a two-time NFL defensive player of the year, signed a $135 million contract extension before last season. Eight months later, the University of Pittsburgh announced Donald had made a "seven-figure financial commitment" to the football program, the largest donation in school history by a former player.
Now his name adorns the ground floor on the Pitt side of a facility it shares with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
Donald, 28, still comes here often, to train in the weight room or neighboring indoor practice facility, to say hello to Pitt athletics administrators and staff, and to continue humbly building on an NFL career that appears likely to end with his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"His name's on the building," Dave Andrews, Pitt's strength and conditioning coach, says in his weight room office, "and he's asking for permission to work out."
On Sunday, Donald returns to his hometown to play against his favorite team other than the Rams. Donald grew up a huge fan of the Steelers _ or "Stillers" as he and proper Pittsburghers pronounce the name of their beloved six-time Super Bowl champions.
Donald might be a game-wrecking star for the opposition, but the Heinz Field crowd is expected to embrace and perhaps cheer a local kid who willed himself to stardom and wealth _ and has never forgotten where he came from.
"This is a guy that's Pittsburgh born and raised and went to Pitt and is still very active in our community, and a big-time inspiration to the young people," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says during a teleconference Wednesday.
"He is a beacon of everything good about this place," says Pat Bostick, a former Pitt teammate and associate athletic director for major gifts.
In a city that features more than 400 bridges, Donald continues building his own.
His donation to Pitt football grabbed the most attention, but Donald prefers quieter acts of charity. He never turns down autograph requests from kids, invites aspiring local players to work out with him and his trainer, conducts a free football camp at his high school alma mater and launched the "AD99 Solutions Foundation" to provide opportunity for Pittsburgh youths.
"Leaving a legacy behind," Donald says, "is huge."
