Tenner Bell’s new plush football contrasted against the faded blue of his jersey. But the worn birthday present the 9-year-old received from a neighbor still revealed the number on the jersey that mattered the most.

‘McNabb,’ he whispered. The reason why he stood on the Astroturf of the Carrier Dome.

He wasn’t the only one. The number five, printed on orange, blue, green and white littered the estimated crowd of nearly 2,000 at the Carrier Dome Tuesday night when former all-pro quarterback Donovan McNabb returned to Syracuse University for the first time since graduating in 1998.

‘In terms of popularity and public interest, I think Donovan McNabb would be our top choice to come back to Syracuse,’ said Michael Veley, director of the sport management program. ‘He’s such an icon, one of our most decorated student-athletes to play at Syracuse, so this is a big coup to have him back at the Dome.’

McNabb was at the top of the list of distinguished lecturers to bring to Syracuse, Veley said, in a process that began two weeks after last year’s charity auction.

As an annual event, students of the sport management program are challenged to raise the bar higher every year, Veley said. ‘We raised $10,000 the first year, $20,000 the last year. I think students get behind, they’re equal to the challenge.’

The items were gathered with students’ help from donations from corporations and the Syracuse community, said Kate Futrell, administrative specialist for the sport management program.

From sports memorabilia and tickets to the Belmont Stakes Horse Race, to gas and cases of 1812 beer, nearly everything went for auction with items starting as low as $10 and others that started silent bidding at $4,000.

‘The community’s support is huge, we couldn’t have raised (450 items) without the support of the community,’ Futrell said. ‘There have been a ton of businesses, restaurants and attraction that donated both sports and non-sports related items.’

Some of the more unique items went on auction on a Web site in conjunction with the charity event. Held by Steiner Sports Memorabilia, items such as a 16-room vacation home in Hilton Head to a Barry Bonds signed baseball bat went for auction online at http://www.steinermarketplace.com

To kick off the silent auction, Veley offered a football autographed by McNabb and a photo opportunity. And as the former alumnus and football star’s head turned back and forth, the final bid rang in at $1,000 dollars to Julie Raynolds, a mother of a sports management student.

Despite her win, Raynolds handed the signed item to the Perseveration in Sports winner Kyle Lograsso. The 6-year-old golf prodigy was awarded the honor after suffering four tumors in his right eye and a blood infection.

But McNabb only had words of encouragement for Lograsso.

‘I told him he’ll never beat me at golf,’ McNabb laughed.

McNabb carried the same tone throughout the rest of his speech.

Yet, his focus remained on the American Diabetes Association, as McNabb spoke about his father who was diagnosed with the disease.

Insulin was McNabb’s reminder of his father’s pain, but for his diabetic father, it was the source of pride.

‘I have diabetes, but I am proud,’ Sam McNabb said of his son’s natural heart to give back. ‘I would rather judge a person by their actions,’ he said, ‘(For Donovan) giving back is a given.’

For the students of Sports Management Club, Veley said, ‘Our whole goal in this event is to insist in our student’s social responsibility and philanthropy in sports.’

edpaik@syr.edu

Published on April 9, 2008 at 12:00 pm