ASHEVILLE—There are professional athletes who remember their early years, and one of them is Leonard Little.

       Little, a former star at Asheville High School who went on to become a standout in the National Football League,  attended an Asheville High basketball game last month where he made a $50,000 donation to the school’s athletic department during a special ceremony, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times.

       Little graduated from Asheville and was a star at the University of Tennessee before playing for the St. Louis Rams in the NFL for 12 years.

       The Asheville Citizen-Times quoted Asheville athletic director Rex Wells, noting, “It’s tremendous when somebody gives back to their community. He’s a tremendous individual. He said it’s just something he wanted to do.”