It is shaping up to be a busy week for Jeremiah Allison. 

That is the norm for Allison, who relishes his work as Merger and Acquisitions attorney at Medtronic in Minneapolis along with the time he devotes to his foundation, the Allison H.O.P.E. Foundation. 

"It fills my cup," Allison said.

And though his schedule is full, Allison is apologetic as he delays the interview to finish a task at Medtronic during a Monday afternoon.

He is eager to discuss another topic close to his heart.

Literally.

"I have on a Washington State jacket right now." Allison said, speaking on a phone call from Minneapolis, where he points out it's 28 degrees. "I wear the Cougar logo proudly.

"The university means a lot to me, and it gave me a lot, too," he added. "A small token of my appreciation is being able to donate to the locker room where I spent a lot of my time at Washington State." 

As linebacker for the Cougars from 2012 to 2015, Allison played 48 games for the Cougars and, throughout his WSU career, he found sanctuary in the locker room.

"The locker room is the place of comfort," Allison explained. "It's a place where you spend time with your brothers that you go out and battle with.

"For a lot of people, football is just a game, but football is a very dangerous sport," he continued. "You put your body on the line not just on Saturdays but throughout the week. You have another person with you trying to shoot for the same goal."

Allison was part of the program's resurgence under coach Mike Leach. During his freshman year, 2012, and Leach's first season as head coach, Allison experienced a 3-9 season. However, the program reached two bowl games in the next three seasons. 

The run of success coincided with the team's move of locker rooms, from Bohler Gym to the Cougar Football Complex, which opened in 2014.

The bowl games appearances marked the beginning of a run of eight postseason games in a 10-year stretch.

"To be where we were when I first arrived, from doormats of the Pac-12 to competing year-in and year-out for a bowl game, not only speaks volumes to what the coaching staff did but also the locker room," explained Allison, who registered six tackles in a win against Miami at the 2015 Sun Bowl, finishing his career with 184 tackles.

"The locker room keeps the team together and gels the guys," Allison continued. "You have a good solid locker room and a good solid core of guys who run the locker room, then the sky is the limit for the football program."

Allison wants to maintain the winning ways in the program and hopes his donation, which will name a locker in the renovated space, serves as motivation for past athletes and Cougars everywhere to join him. 

"Ultimately it comes down to winning," he said. ""Even though we can't suit up and put on the Crimson and Gray anymore, this is one way we can make a difference."

It has been a decade since the opening of Cougar Football Complex and, as Coach Jake Dickert said in a recent message to Cougar fans, "renovating the football locker room is a key component in reaching our program goals and providing state-of-the-art amenities for current and future Cougs. 

"A football locker room is a sacred space for our team to build culture, strengthen unity, and create lifelong bonds with teammates," Dickert continued. "This modernization will provide space for our team to do just that."

"I hate losing more than I love winning, and we have to be able to compete with other universities around the country," said Allison. "You need that 'IT' factor about your facility to attract the eyes of 16–17-year-old kids."

Giving back is important for Allison, whether it is to WSU or through his work at his Foundation. Amid the holiday season, he is preparing for a visit to a local high school later in the week to give out toys to a special needs class.

As he discusses his week ahead, Allison turns his attention back to the logo he is currently wearing on his heart, and why giving back to WSU is important to him.

"Washington State is one of those places where we're everywhere," he said. "We give because that logo means something."

Then Allison pauses for a moment.

"I get emotionally speaking about it," he said. "Washington State has always been in my corner. It's more than just a football program. It is a family. I continue to appreciate everything Washington State does for me. You can't put a price tag on it. I was able to grow from a 17-year-old boy who walked on campus to a 21-year-old man when I ultimately graduated. 

"This is just a small token of my appreciation."

Note: To donate to the football locker room project click HERE, or for information about how to support the football locker room project, contact the Cougar Athletic Fund at 509-335-0220 or email at athletics.caf@wsu.edu.