College football preview: Amir Pinnix is not all ball

Amir Pinnix added a new tattoo to his left biceps this summer, a permanent reminder of the daily life he strives to lead. The body art features a man holding the world on his shoulders with this inscription: "Character not the circumstance makes the man."

Pinnix loves that saying. It's powerful, he says.

"No matter what you go through in life, it's not the circumstance, it's how you handle yourself as a man," he said. "That's how you're defined."

Followers of Gophers football might define Pinnix as a senior tailback who has a chance to become the next addition to Minnesota's recent run of star running backs. Coming off a season in which he rushed for 1,272 yards and 10 touchdowns, Pinnix is expected to be among the Big Ten's top running backs this season. He is an every-down back who coaches believe can crack 1,500 yards rushing.

But that is only half the story. Pinnix never should be solely defined by what he accomplishes on the football field. His greatest gift, school officials say, can be found in the way he conducts himself when he's not wearing his helmet and shoulder pads.

Raised an only child to a single mother in Newark, N.J., Pinnix has made a profound impact on his campus and broader community with his commitment to service. He already is a college graduate who helped start an organization focused on bringing campus groups together and has served as an ambassador for the university in many capacities.

While college athletes often are in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, university officials say Pinnix, without any fanfare, represents all the ideals they strive to cultivate in college athletics.

"Amir truly represents what is best about college athletics -- a good person, an outstanding student, great leader and one very good athlete," athletic director Joel Maturi said.

Said Gophers coach Tim Brewster: "He exemplifies everything that a NCAA Division I student-athlete should be."

Serving in several ways

A deeply spiritual person, Pinnix always has maintained a thoughtful, even-keel approach in every facet of his life. He didn't fume or pout when playing time was scarce early in his career. Instead, he talked about patience and how he came to college to earn his degree.

He earned his bachelor's degree in business marketing education with a minor in leadership and is working on his master's degree. He also is one of the most active Gophers athletes in the community, according to Peyton Owens and Anissa Lightner of the athletic department's Life Skills program.

Among his roles, Pinnix has served on the executive board of the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Board. He was chair of a community outreach group, organized a hat and mitten drive for underprivileged children, promoted a Black History Month essay contest at an elementary school, aided in an emergency food drive and is a regular on goodwill trips to area schools. Those are only the events that Minnesota officials know about.

"We know he does things even when we're not around," Lightner said. "We'll hear about different things he's involved in."

Pinnix was one of only 300 student-athletes from all three divisions invited to participate in the NCAA Leadership Conference in Orlando last spring. The school also uses Pinnix to make public service announcements. The Life Skills coordinators still marvel at the time Pinnix, during a meeting, pulled out his own personal business cards, which have the words "Building Bridges" at the top.

"Sometimes our student-athletes will say, 'My education is my fallback,'" Owens said. "With Amir, football will be his fallback."

Pinnix enjoys performing on the big stage in football, but he prefers to handle his community work in the background. He said his faith and strong family network fostered his desire to help others. It's never been about receiving attention but rather something that gives him "balance."You have to be much more than just an athlete," he said. "I want to do things the right way and live up to my responsibilities and grow from a boy into a man."

Forming a bond

Perhaps not surprisingly, Pinnix's closest college friend is not an athlete but a graduate of Blaine High School whom he met in an entry-level leadership class four years ago. Pinnix and Blake Hogan found an immediate connection and became driving forces behind an organization called SCOPE (Student Committee On Public Engagement) that tries to connect campus groups that might not otherwise mingle.

They helped start SCOPE two years ago and have worked to create chapters at a handful of campuses nationally. The organization has a budget of $15,000 this year and receives guidance from Dennis Donovan of the Humphrey Institute's Center for Democracy.

"Amir had a spark about him that caught my attention," Donovan said.

The core members of SCOPE meet regularly to discuss ways to bring groups together to address their similarities and differences. They have made the front porch a symbol of their ambition.

"The front porch historically has been a place to congregate," Hogan said. "We want to bring back the front porch."

SCOPE members organized a conference last spring that included state legislators, school administrators, faculty, business leaders and students. About 100 people attended, and Pinnix was a featured speaker.

"I asked Amir if he was going to be OK," Donovan said. "He said, 'Dennis, don't worry. I've been in front of 7 million people on the football field.' He got up there, and it was almost like he was a Baptist preacher. He talked about his grandmother in Alabama sitting on the front porch and how we all have to come together to get to know each other. I knew right then that he was a young man I wanted to work with."

Pinnix hopes to see SCOPE spread to campuses across the country. He also is interested in urban development and becoming a motivational speaker. His dream is to play in the NFL, which could become a reality with a strong senior season.

"I try to play with a chip on my shoulder, like I'm the underdog," Pinnix said.

He portrays a different image off the field, one of faith and humility and public service. Regardless of the circumstance.

Owens and Lightner were on campus one evening recently when they noticed Pinnix on his way home after the second practice that day. They figured Pinnix, clearly exhausted, might just wave and keep walking. Instead, he doubled back and began asking about future community events.

"Amir is just an amazing man," Lightner said. "He is the total package."

Chip Scoggins • ascoggins@startribune.com