Arizona Cardinals’ Calais Campbell donates record $1.6 million to University of Miami

If you’ve ever seen the ESPN 30 for 30 documentaries “The U” and “The U: Part 2” by director Billy Corben, you know how devoted former University of Miami football players are to their alma mater.

Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell, who played at Miami from 2004 to 2008, is taking that devotion to another level.

Campbell is donating $1.6 million to the university to fund The Calais Campbell Football Defensive Lineman Endowed Scholarship. It is the largest gift ever given to the University of Miami by a former athlete.

“Calais’ generosity will create opportunities for young men for years to come and on behalf of the University, I want to express our gratitude for his commitment to Miami,” said Director of Athletics Blake James. “Calais is an incredible man and along with his family, understands the importance of education and the impact a positive environment can have on a student-athlete. We are excited by the benchmarks set by Ken Hunt and now Calais, which will serve as catalysts for former student-athlete giving in the future.”

Campbell, who is set to make his first Pro Bowl appearance Sunday in Glendale, just finished his seventh season with the Cardinals, helping them to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth.

“While running through the smoke as a Miami Hurricane will always be one of the great honors of my life, I am equally as proud of the education I received while a Hurricane student-athlete” Campbell said, via the University’s official athletic website. “Through my parents, I learned the value of earning a degree and through the University of Miami I was able to achieve it. The University of Miami continues to strive for the best in both academics and athletics, and it’s my honor to be a small part of that effort.”

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