When Jerry Azumah '99 came to UNH to play football, he knew he had talent, but he also knew that talent alone would not be enough to accomplish his goals. So he hit the weight room two hours a day, four days a week in an effort to become, he says now, "faster and more explosive on the football field." His hard work paid off: Azumah set numerous records at UNH, including the Division I-AA record for rushing, and his senior year he won the Walter Payton Award as the best offensive player in the United States. Now a starting cornerback with the Chicago Bears, Azumah set a new record in June when, at the age of 25, he became the youngest alum to donate more than $100,000 to UNH.

Azumah's gift has enabled the university to renovate and overhaul its strength and conditioning facility with state-of-the-art equipment. Azumah says it was a natural way for him to give back to the university. Says the weight-room warrior: "A weight room attracts a lot of high-end athletes, but it is also a place where every single athlete is going to go in four years of college. I hope it will increase not only the UNH football program, but the whole athletic program."