Brian Suite Merit Citation

A student athlete who demonstrated leadership, respect and commitment to excellence, Utah State University alum Brian Suite embodied everything an Aggie should be. He graduated in 2014 with a degree from the Jon M. Huntsman of Business, and was part of the winningest football team in the history of USU. In September 2020, at the far too young age of 28, Brian lost a valiant battle to soft tissue sarcoma, a rare cancer.

During the three seasons that Brian played at Utah State – from 2012 to 2014 – the USU Football team won 30 games, including the last-ever Western Athletic Conference Championship in 2012, the first-ever Mountain Division Championship in the Mountain West Conference in 2013 and three bowl games.

A native of Makiki, Hawaii, Brian came to USU after excelling in high school sports by helping his teams win three state championships in three different sports: football, baseball and track and field. At USU, Brian quickly became an integral member of the football team and Aggie Nation, where during his career he started 40 of 41 games he played in, posted 226 tackles, eight interceptions and 21 pass breakups. He started every game of his senior year in 2014, when he amassed 76 tackles, a tackle for a loss and three interceptions. A team captain and member of USU Football’s Leadership Committee, Brian was name Academic All-Conference each year that he played. In 2013, he was the only player from the Mountain West Conference named to the 25-player SI.com All-Bowl Team and one of only two players listed on the All-Bowl Team by CBSSports.com.

In 2015, a year after he earned a degree in business administration from USU, Brian had an outstanding Pro Day performance and was invited to work out with the Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. He later became an undrafted free agent who signed with the Lions and played in four NFL Preseason games.

Brian made the most of his time in Cache Valley where he enjoyed hiking, hunting and fishing. He treasured USU traditions including lighting the A atop Old Main tower blue and eating Aggie Ice Cream. Brian made an impact on everyone who came into his life, and his positivity in the face of adversity will forever give credit to his memory. An Aggie in both name and spirit, Brian’s legacy will continue at USU thanks to a scholarship established by the Suite family. The scholarship is awarded every year to a student athlete who embodies Brian’s qualities of commitment, leadership and respect both on and off the field.

Whether in the classroom, on the field or in the community, Brian embodied the Aggie spirit and, as such, the Utah State University Alumni Association is proud to bestow upon Brian Suite the Alumni Merit Citation Award.