CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Pro Bowl linebacker Jonathan Vilma is giving $450,000 to his alma mater, Miami.
The New Orleans Saints star announced the donation Tuesday, two days before his club opens training camp for the 2011 season. Vilma is a Coral Gables native and played for the Hurricanes from 2000 through 2003, helping Miami win one national championship and play for another.
Vilma’s gift will go toward construction of Miami’s planned Schwartz Center for Athletic Excellence. It will be an expansion and renovation of the current Hecht Athletic Center, and his name will be on the football players’ lounge at the new complex.
Vilma led Miami in tackles in three of his four college seasons. He says his gift “is about the future” of the Hurricanes’ program.
