Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is one of the best players ever to come out of the University of Pittsburgh. He was dominant for the Panthers during his college days and after seeing what he’s accomplished in the NFL, he’s easily among the greatest ever to hail from Pitt.
He was honored on Wednesday for all he’s done for the football program. The school officially opened and unveiled the Aaron Donald Football Performance Center, which is where the weight, training and locker rooms are located.
Here’s a look at Donald and his kids flipping the switch and dropping the curtain.
The renaming of the training center comes after Donald made a seven-figure donation to Pitt’s football program, the largest ever by a former member of the football team. He’s remained supportive of the team and the university, but this is by far his biggest contribution to Pitt.
Donald shared this photo of his family at the performance center, taking in the moment with his sister, who had to fight back tears.
After the official open of the newly renamed training center, Donald spoke to members of the media in attendance. He thanked those who helped him get where he is today, including his trainers, his dad and his family.
“It’s crazy. It’s surreal. I would’ve never thought in a million years that my name would be on anything like this, so to see that and see it now, you really can’t put it in words,” he said.
Donald still trains in Pittsburgh during the offseason and calls it home, frequently returning to the city where he was born and raised. He couldn’t be more proud and excited to leave a legacy behind in Pittsburgh.
“When I’m no longer around, you’re leaving a legacy behind that’s going to be here forever,” Donald said, via the Tribune-Review. “One day, 20 years down the road, they are going to see that name and say, ‘Who’s that?’ and see the history of it and that’s the thing that makes you proud.
“For it to be here at my hometown, at the university I grew up cheering for and wanting to play for and coming full circle how I did it, you can’t write that story any better than that, honestly.”
