The Colorado Buffaloes are set to hold a memorial service for late quarterback Dominiq Ponder after his heartbreaking death last week.
Ponder, a 23-year-old sophomore, tragically died in the early hours of Sunday morning in Boulder after losing control of his 2023 Tesla Model 3.
The devastated team will host a celebration of life on Saturday, March 7, on the college’s Boulder campus, with Ponder’s family, friends, teammates, coaches and fellow students invited to remember him.
Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders, who earlier this week consoled his heartbroken players, will close the proceedings with an emotional final tribute, according to an order of service shared by the family.
Other members of the Colorado coaching family are also set to honor their late player. Coach James Chaney, the Director of Player Development, has been tasked with reading from the Scripture following the opening prayer.
Offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and tight ends coach Josh Niblett will also lead ‘football family tributes’ ahead of Coach Prime’s final address.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is set to deliver the final tribute to Dominiq Ponder
Quarterback Ponder died on Sunday at the age of 23 after losing control of his car
The Colorado Buffaloes are set to host a memorial service for the late signal caller
Ahead of the ceremony, Ponder’s family expressed their ‘heartfelt gratitude for the love, prayers, and support shown during this incredibly difficult time.’
They added: ‘Your kindness, encouragement, and presence have brought comfort and strength to our family.
‘We are deeply thankful to everyone who has reached out, offered words of compassion, and joined us in celebrating Dominiq’s life and legacy. Your support means more to us than words can truly express.
‘Thank you for honoring Dominiq’s life and keeping his memory alive in your hearts.’
In a separate statement, the family thanked Sanders individually, writing: ‘We would like to extend a very special thank you to Coach Deion Sanders for his unwavering generosity, support, and love shown to our family.’
In the wake of his death, a GoFundMe page has been set up to support Ponder’s grieving parents, Catrina and Wendell, and his siblings, Carl and Monroe, as they walk through these next steps.
All proceeds will go directly to his parents to help with funeral expenses and to support them during this incredibly difficult time.
Earlier this week, Sanders called an emergency team meeting as the Buffaloes embarked on their spring training after the program was left devastated by the news of the quarterback’s sudden passing.
Ponder’s devastated family thanked fans and the Colorado community for their support
Ponder, 23, was a backup quarterback at Colorado who played twice for the team in 2025
In a video shared by Thee Pregame Show on social media, members of the Colorado team were captured in tears, holding their heads in their hands or covering their faces with their shirts as they gathered to remember Ponder.
The 58-year-old Sanders, whose own sons Shedeur and Shilo previously played for the Buffaloes, was seen comforting his players, embracing them as they processed their grief.
The NFL legend then emotionally addressed the team, telling them to remember their teammate in heartbreaking scenes.
‘The good man that he was. His character, humor, work ethic, tenacity. It’s something that I want us to remember,’ Sanders told his players.
Assistant coach George Hegamin also offered some touching words as the coaching staff attempted to support their young players through their grief.
‘One thing I can remember about Dom […] is he was all about his “today.” Understand how important your “today” is. That goes for everybody in this room,’ Hegamin said.
‘Today is the most important thing that we have, and the best way to honor that is to do all you can with the time that you have.’
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Sanders emotionally addressed his players on Monday
Sanders also announced on social media how the team intends to honor the young signal caller in the wake of his death.
He revealed that the players chose how they wanted to remember Ponder, settling on a special tribute patch dedicated to the late quarterback to be worn on their jerseys during the 2026-27 season.
The options included ‘DOM,’ ‘DP 7,’ ‘Dom,’ and ‘DP 22,’ before the players appeared to collectively pick ‘DP 22.’
‘The team gets to choose how we honor Dom,’ Sanders wrote.
