It was nice to read recently that Denver Nuggets point guard Andre Miller didn’t make all of his assists on the basketball court. He saved one for his alma mater, the University of Utah. And it was a big one.

Miller announced recently he planned to give $500,000 to the school for which he played in the NCAA title game in 1998.

Academically ineligible as a freshman, Miller graduated with his class in ’98. Obviously, the degree means a great deal to him, even though he’s set for life financially.

Too often, athletes who grow up during their college years and go on to prosper forget who helped them reach their goals. Count neither Miller nor Kansas University’s all-time greatest football player among that crowd.

Gale Sayers will be back in town this week for the 13th annual golf tournament that bears his name and benefits his passion, his alma mater’s School of Education. The tourney and ensuing social and benefit auction, Friday at Alvamar Country Club, is expected to raise $20,000 for the School of Education, from which Sayers received his undergraduate and master’s degrees.

Sayers has donated money for computers and other education department causes. His presence lends far more than the money.

Assistant education dean Mike Neal expressed a belief that if Sayers didn’t attend the Saturday morning advisory board meeting that centers on where the School of Education should be headed, many others also would find an excuse to miss it.

“People are motivated by his leadership,” Neal said. “Some would assume he’d show up here with a Chicago Bear jersey and be here just as a draw. In fact, he’s here to work. He sets a good leadership tone for all of us.”

This year, the scholarship money will be earmarked for multicultural students, Neal said.

“One of our primary goals is to attract, recruit and maintain minority students and faculty into the field,” Neal said.

Sayers, who owns a computer-related business and lives in the Chicago area, is consistent with his message to college football players.

“I’ve always said, if you prepare to play, you have to prepare to quit,” Sayers said. “How do you prepare to quit? Get your college degree. … Less than 1 percent of college football players ever get a chance to play pro football. The gap between college and pro is Grand-Canyon wide. You better get your education.”

He tells of how, when his Hall of Fame career was cut short by a knee injury, he realized he hadn’t prepared himself. Sayers didn’t receive his two degrees until continuing his education while working in KU’s athletic department.

“Gale Sayers is a fantastic person,” KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway said. “His support for KU and the education department is of long standing. Gale’s a winner in everything that he does. He was a winner on the football field. He’s a winner as a business man, and he’s certainly a winner as an alumnus. The world should have more Gale Sayers.”