Dominiq Ponder’s death shook Colorado and head coach Deion Sanders to the core. Almost a week after the tragedy, a public memorial service was announced to celebrate the life of the former Buffs’ quarterback. Coach Prime took to social media to share the details of the event on the CU Boulder campus.

“We Love the Ponder family 2 Life!” Sanders wrote. “Thank u to all the @big12conference coaches and teams that reached out to us and the @cubuffsfootball.”

The memorial service was held today from noon to 2:00 p.m. at the UMC Glenn Miller Ballroom on the Colorado campus. The Ponder family had extended an open invitation to all who wished to pay their respects. Hundreds of people gathered at the venue to remember Ponder.

Coach Prime closed the service with a powerful speech, during which Ponder’s friends, family, and coaches also shared their experiences with the former quarterback.

“Dom was chosen,” Coach Prine said. “That’s why we’re here. Who else represents God’s kingdom like him? Always smiling, always caring, and always working. How else could a walk-on quarterback lead the quarterback room?”

Former Colorado offensive coordinator also echoed the sentiment expressed by his previous boss.

“Who were you as a human being?” Pat Shurmur said. “And Dom, we used to grade the players five through zero, and he’s all fives. He could throw, he could run, and he would have had a bright future if he was given the opportunity, but he’s all A’s and all fives, and you as a family should be very, very proud.”

The Colorado players will be wearing number 7 patches on their jerseys in honor of Ponder this season. A few days ago, Coach Prime had shared how he had told Ponder to fight for a lower jersey number, and ahead of the Buffs’ spring practices, he had won that fight. He was going to wear No. 7 next season. Tragically, he’ll never get the chance to wear it on the field.

The Ponder family flew in from Florida to Boulder to meet with their son’s teammates. Even though Ponder didn’t see much action on the field, he made it pretty clear to his father, Wendell Ponder, that Boulder is home.

“He was home over break, and he said, ‘Dad, Boulder is going to be my home.’ He loved it that much,” Wendell Ponder said. “They embraced him, and he loved it, and he embraced them.”

Colorado was home to the QB

For Dominiq Ponder, Boulder was love. That’s why even after getting as good as no action, he didn’t try to transfer. Dominiq’s classmates talked about a person who had a presence about him.

“His kindness meant more to me than I can properly explain. He was warm, he was easy to talk to, and he made me feel seen during tough days,” Argov said. “He didn’t know this though, he was just being himself.”

Dominiq’s father, Wendell Ponder, also addressed the Colorado players at the service, saying they’ll always have his son’s support.

“To the team, I want you to go play for Dom,” Wendell Ponder said. “This opponent will have 11 players, you will have 12.”