CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington wide receiver Nolan Ulm doesn’t own a TV.
He reads or listens to a book and a half a week. And he’s trained and certified by life coach Tony Robbins and his team.
“I’m definitely a little different, you could ask anyone around here," Ulm said. "I feel like I'm called to make a huge difference in this world. Like, football is going to be a small sliver of my life. But I really want to do things bigger than just catching a ball of air between white lines.”
“Nolan’s definitely a special dude," Eastern Washington quarterback Jared Taylor added. "He is the boss of his life, he completely controls his mindset, what he does, who he talks to, the way he works. Really, (he's) the most disciplined guy I’ve ever met.”
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Ulm, a redshirt senior, was recently selected to the Good Works Team, honoring 22 nationwide college football players for community building.
"It's a celebration of all of us and the work that we've done together," said Ulm, who became the first player in Eastern Washington history to earn the Good Works Team distinction. "I wish it could be a bunch of other names up there, too, but I think it was really cool to get some recognition for the really good work that we had done as a team.”
Volunteering with multiple charities, Ulm said the project closest to his heart is the Make It Happen camp. Hosted in his hometown of Kelowna, British Columbia, it raises money for the Mamas for Mamas charity, supporting single mothers.
“I was born to a single mother, so it really hits home," Ulm said. "We had nothing. ... We had suitcases for tables. She worked three jobs. She always made sure that for me, I was taken care of.”
Her vision helped Ulm elevate from low-income Canadian housing to budding pro prospect — whether in the NFL or CFL.
But his ultimate vision extends beyond football.
“I just want to constantly be growing so that I can make the world a better place, because I believe life's all about who you become and the people that you impact," Ulm said. "Trophies, all that stuff goes away. ... I'm just obsessed, like a hungry dog in the back of a meat truck, trying to get better every day to help others.”
