It may not be a Super Bowl ring, but former NIU offensive lineman Ryan Diem was excited to be named NIU’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award winner for 2008.

“I was absolutely surprised and very honored to receive this award,” Diem said. “I really appreciated the chance to play football and the education that I received at NIU.”

The award is given annually to an individual who has exhibited outstanding accomplishments within 10 years of earning his or her undergraduate degree from NIU.

Diem played football under former NIU football coach Joe Novak from 1997-2000. In 2001, he was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the No. 118 pick in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.

As a member of the Colts, the Carol Stream native participated in many programs to improve the community. This includes active participation in the Colts’ Community Tuesdays program, hosting an annual reading contest in Chicago and starting the Ryan Diem’s Allie and Friends Golf Classic. Working with his wife Julie, Diem has raised over $300,000 for cancer research through the golf tournament.

“I feel very fortunate to be able to give back,” Diem said. “I look at it as a gift and it is something that is important to me and to my family.”

Since that draft, Diem has also had a productive career in the NFL. He has served as a starting offensive lineman for the Colts and was a member of the team that won Super Bowl XLI against the Chicago Bears.

While at NIU, Diem proved to be a star on and off the field. The guard started 35 consecutive games and did not allow a sack in his junior or senior campaigns.

In the classroom, the student-athlete was named to the academic honor roll every semester of his NIU career. Diem graduated from NIU with a degree in engineering and engineering technology.

The former offensive lineman accepted the award at the Northern Illinois Alumni Association Awards Dinner on April 24 at the Barsema Alumni and Visitor Center in DeKalb.