CU community remembers Dominiq Ponder
Hundreds of students, teammates and family members filled the Glenn Miller Ballroom on Saturday, March 7, for a memorial honoring University of Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder. Standing shoulder to shoulder, they joined hands as Pastor Steven Cartwright addressed the room.
“Tomorrow is not promised,” Cartwright said. “We have to do something with what we have left.”
The service honored Ponder, who died in a single-car crash in Boulder early in the morning of March 1. He was 23 years old.
Ponder’s family attended the memorial, including his mother Catrina who read a tribute written by his sister Monroe.
“My brother was one of the funniest, most outgoing people you could ever meet,” Catrina Ponder read. “He laughed at everything. He made jokes about everything.”
She described how football shaped much of his life and how determined he remained as he moved through different programs before arriving in Boulder.
“He never stopped pushing,” his sister wrote. “He never stopped believing in himself. I just wanted to be like my big brother.”
Ponder’s father Wendell thanked Colorado coaches, teammates and the Boulder community for their support.
“When you think of Dom, think of love,” he told the audience.
Former quarterback coach Pat Shurmur recalled meeting Ponder and his family during the recruiting process.
“When you see love and respect for a family like he had, you know you have the right players,” Shurmur said.
Ponder, a 6-foot-5 quarterback from Opa-locka, Florida, joined the Colorado Buffaloes in 2024 after attending Bethune-Cookman and Georgia Tech. He appeared in two games during the 2025 season and was preparing to enter spring practices with the Buffs the day after the crash.
In the days following his death, students and athletes across campus have been navigating grief. Jessica Ladd-Webert is a grief counselor with the University of Colorado’s Office of Victim Assistance.
“What’s really important to know about grief and loss is that it varies,” she said. “The impact can vary, how people find out can vary and how people respond can vary.”
Dean of Students and Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Life Devin Cramer said those reactions are normal, even for students who may not have personally known Ponder.
“There’s no one way that someone experiences grief,” Cramer said. “Your friend may be very much in tears. You may feel numb, or you may not be experiencing much at all. I want to normalize all of those different experiences.”
In a campus environment where students share classrooms, residence halls and campus spaces, loss can ripple beyond immediate circles.
Within the football program, the loss was the most direct. Players gathered the evening of March 1 after learning of Ponder’s death. Coaches gave the team the option to take time away or return to practice the following morning. Many returned to the field.
“Dom wouldn’t have missed the day,” defensive back Ben Finneseth said during a March 2 press conference.
Some athletes returned to football while processing the shock and grief, relying on the routine and structure the sport provides.
“Football is an escape,” running back DeKalon Taylor said during the same press conference. “You get on the field, you’re with your brothers, and for a little bit you don’t have to think about everything else.”
Ladd-Webert said returning to familiar routines can sometimes help people manage grief, particularly in the days immediately following a sudden loss.
“Some people want to talk about it. Some people want to keep busy,” she said. “Both of those things can be healthy responses.”
The memorial ended with a final reflection from Cartwright, who encouraged those gathered not to remain in the heaviness of the moment but to honor Ponder by continuing forward.
“Those moments are moments of grief and loss,” Cartwright said. “But they are also reflections for ourselves about the life we still have.”
Attendees once again joined hands across the ballroom as the service came to a close.
“Every moment matters,” Cartwright said.
