Aaron Donald

Donald is married to Erica Donald, whom he met while she was working for the Rams organization. Together they have a son born in 2021, named Aaric. Donald also has two older children, a daughter named Jaeda born in 2013 and a son named Aaron Jr. born in 2016, from his previous relationship with Jaelynn Blakey. With his wife, Donald established the AD99 Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting educational, athletic, and artistic opportunities for youth from underserved communities.

Donald grew up in the Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar neighborhood of Pittsburgh alongside two siblings. His older brother, Archie Donald Jr., played linebacker at the University of Toledo and spent time in the NFL as an undrafted free agent before retiring in 2012. Donald maintained a close bond with his family throughout his career, often citing the desire to help his parents retire as a primary motivation. In April 2020, Donald completed his college degree, graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor's degree in communications.

Donald played high school football at Penn Hills High School under head coach Ron Graham, earning first-team All-State Class AAAA honors in both his junior and senior seasons. As a senior, he posted 63 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks while also starting at offensive guard. Rated as a three-star recruit, he chose to stay in his hometown and play for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers over scholarship offers from schools such as Rutgers, Toledo, and Akron.

Donald played for the Panthers from 2010 to 2013, appearing in all 13 games as a reserve defensive end during his freshman year before moving into the starting lineup as a sophomore. He developed into a dominant interior force, recording 11 sacks in 2011 and earning second-team All-Big East honors. During his senior season in 2013, Donald produced one of the most decorated campaigns for a defensive lineman in college football history, compiling 59 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and four forced fumbles. He swept major national honors, winning the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award, and Bill Willis Trophy, while being named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American.

At the 2014 NFL Combine, Donald ran the 40-yard dash in 4.68 seconds, setting a record for defensive tackles. The St. Louis Rams selected him in the first round with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. He made an immediate impact as a rookie, recording 47 combined tackles, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles across 16 games. His performance earned him the 2014 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award and the first of ten consecutive Pro Bowl selections.

In 2015, Donald earned his first selection as a first-team All-Pro after recording 69 tackles and 11 sacks. Following the Rams' relocation to Los Angeles in 2016, he continued to anchor the defense, earning his third straight Pro Bowl nod. In 2017, despite missing the season opener due to a contract dispute, Donald posted 11 sacks and a career-high five forced fumbles, leading the Rams to the NFC West title and winning his first NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

Before the 2018 season, Donald signed a six-year contract extension with the Rams. He went on to stage a historic campaign, leading the NFL with 20.5 sacks, which set the single-season record for an interior defensive lineman, along with a league-best 25 tackles for loss. He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, joining Lawrence Taylor and J. J. Watt as the only players to achieve back-to-back wins, and helped Los Angeles reach Super Bowl LIII. Donald earned his third Defensive Player of the Year award in 2020 after posting 13.5 sacks and four forced fumbles.

During the 2021 postseason, Donald played a vital role in capturing a championship in Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals. In the title game, he tallied two sacks, four tackles, and generated the game-sealing fourth-down pressure on quarterback Joe Burrow in the final minute to secure a 23-20 victory for the Rams. After playing two additional seasons and earning his eighth career first-team All-Pro honor in 2023, Donald announced his retirement from professional football in March 2024 with 111 career sacks.