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When former Nittany Lion All-American quarterback Kerry Collins contributed $250,000 to Penn State's athletic department in 1996 to permanently endow the quarterback position, those who knew him were not the least bit surprised that he possessed a philanthropic spirit.
The surprising aspect of the announcement was that the donation by Collins was the first in a brand new program which permitted donors to fully endow a position on the football team, or any other athletic squad.
Only two years before, Collins was a linchpin of the undefeated Rose Bowl team.
Here he was again, still in his early 20s, leading by example at Penn State. Only this time, he was at the point for an entire program that was already fabled for top draft picks and Super Bowl participants.
The motivation behind the gift was classic Collins, who played 17 seasons in the NFL and quarterbacked the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV.
"My years at Penn State were meaningful to me, not only for the impact on my future as an athlete but also on preparation for a productive life when my football career is over," Collins was quoted in the gift announcement. "Penn State always will be very much a part of anything I do and this gift is a demonstration of my respect for the university and its athletic program."
Collins made his historic gift a quarter century ago. In terms of mega-contracts, that was like the Ice Age compared to today.
Yet, it seems easier to spot a falling star on a cloudy night than to locate stories about professional athletes donating major gifts to their alma mater.
One who did was Troy Aikman. Twice.
Like Collins, Aikman had played only two seasons in the NFL, with the Dallas Cowboys, when he donated $75,000 to UCLA in 1991 for a permanently endowed scholarship.
Twenty-four years later, he made a gift of one million dollars toward the Wasserman Football Center project at UCLA.
The desire to give back to one's alma mater through philanthropy is not as universal among professional athletes as might be expected.
Clearly-defined internet searches of professional athletes who have made major gifts to colleges and universities consistently produce articles that are several years old.
"Been trying to crack that code, as we all have in intercollegiate athletics, for decades," said Wood Selig, athletic director at Old Dominion University after former guard Kent Bazemore made a major gift in 2015 to help build a new basketball facility at ODU. "I'm not going to call it a problem, but it's a challenge. It's a big-time challenge. That's why when any former student-athlete steps up in a significant way, you really promote it, you sell it. You hope they model the way."
Only weeks after signing a five-year, $82 million contract extension with Golden State in 2015, Draymond Green made a $3.1 million contribution in support of the men's basketball program at Michigan State.
He said the gift reflected his appreciation to the university. That is modeling, with class.
Now that NCAA athletes are permitted to sign endorsement deals and earn money from their name, image and likeness, it will be interesting to see how much of that income is transformed into acts of philanthropy directed to the institutions which provide the platform.
Surely, athletic department fundraisers are hoping that history is not an accurate barometer.
Jim Caltagirone resides in Altoona. He is an occasional contributor to Voice of the Fan.