Dominiq Ponder’s passing left the Boulder community in disbelief. To honor him the right way, Deion Sanders called people to gather at the Glenn Miller Ballroom in the University Memorial Center (UMC) in Boulder. The most touching eulogy came from Deion Sanders’ former offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur. The Broncos’ offensive coach just couldn’t hold his tears back while giving his eulogy.

“You know, I used to sit next to Dom in all the team meetings. I’d walk in every morning, and it would be early, and there was a lot of these. A lot of you guys are not morning people, and I tap on the wrist, and I say hello, and he’d have a bright smile,” Pat Shurmur said, fighting his tears.

And if he knew I was having a tough day, he’d say, ‘Pat, how are you doing? And you know he was, he was built right from the inside out.’…I’m proud to have been asked to speak, and he made as big an impact on me as maybe I did on him.”

Even though Ponder was a fourth-string QB behind the likes of Ryan Staub last year, Pat Shurmur could talk about Dom’s bright smile and character for days.

Pat Shurmur actually flew back all the way from Denver to campus specifically for the service, even though his contract ended back in January. He even shared a personal coaching secret: he used to grade players on a scale of zero to five. Guess who hits the perfect in his books? Ponder was “all fives” in every single category, basically the perfect teammate.

Despite transitioning to the NFL’s Denver Broncos, Shurmur’s connection to Ponder remains unshaken. His return to Boulder, despite his new NFL duties, highlighted a bond that went far beyond coach and player, proving Dominiq Ponder’s impact reached far beyond his spot on the depth chart.

Shurmur’s raw emotion reflected the heartbreak felt throughout the Colorado locker room. Remembering a young athlete whose life was abruptly cut short in a tragic early-morning auto accident, the former coordinator painted a lasting picture of a player defined by his relentless optimism rather than his sudden end.

Ponder was just hours away from a massive career milestone when the accident took place. His dad, Wendell, shared that Dom had finally earned the right to wear the No. 7 jersey from the 22 or 23 jersey. He was actually supposed to debut it at spring practice the very next morning. But God had other plans.

Coach Prime didn’t hold back his emotions either. He called Dom one of his absolute favorite players. Deion told the team that he believes Dom was “chosen” to bring everyone together, regardless of their backgrounds or where they came from.

“When we’re successful, and we’re excelling, and we’re overcoming adversity, we never ask God why then. But only in our demise and the sadness of life, we challenge and ask God why,” Sanders said. “I think I got the solution. Because as I look right there and look at a young man that was so full of life, full of respect, hustle, and hard work and integrity… God, for real? And he whispered, `Dom was chosen.’ Dom was chosen to unite y’all. Dom was chosen to bring you together… Dom was chosen to override all ethnicities, social climates, backgrounds, and ideologies, and thought processes.”

Looking back, he was indeed the glue that actually held the locker room together. When Coach Prime gave the players an “out” and told them they didn’t have to practice if they weren’t feeling it, nobody took it. They decided the best way to honor him was to get to work, just like Dom would have done. Meanwhile, to keep his spirit alive all season, the Buffs are going to do something special to honour him on the field.

Deion Sanders Pays Special Tribute to Ponder

The Buff are rocking a special “DP 22” patch on their jerseys for next season. Deion actually let the players vote on the design themselves, giving them a few options like “DOM” or “DP 7,” but they ultimately chose to stick with his original number, 22, for the tribute.

Even the new offensive coordinator, Brennan Marion, mentioned how Dom was the kind of kid who had so much drive that coaches actually had to tell him to slow down during workouts. At the end of the day, it’s clear Ponder left a void in Boulder. He only played a couple of games for the Buffs after transferring from Bethune-Cookman.

Shurmur’s poignant return offered grieving teammates a masterclass in honoring a legacy. As he looked toward Dom’s family, the departed coach left them with a final comfort: an undeniable validation that the young quarterback had fundamentally changed the culture in Boulder, leaving a mark no roster shift can ever erase.