Key Takeaways
- Ndamukong Suh was just a college student when he met Warren Buffett for the first time.
- After asking for a meeting, Suh arrived at Buffett’s office hours ahead of schedule.
- Over the past 17 years, Buffett has taught Suh some valuable lessons, such as learning to have patience and forming relationships with quality people.
Ndamukong Suh’s relationship with Warren Buffett began in 2009, well before Suh became one of the NFL’s most recognizable defensive players. At the time, Suh was still playing football at the University of Nebraska. He was beginning to take a serious interest in business and investing.
Buffett, a devoted Nebraska supporter, asked to meet Suh ahead of a rivalry game against Oklahoma. The encounter was brief, but it made an impression on Suh. Afterward, a friend urged him to follow up and seek a more formal conversation with the Berkshire Hathaway chairman. Suh initially dismissed the idea.
“I was like, ‘There’s no way he wants to sit down with me, I’m just a young kid,’” Suh recently told Business Insider.
Suh ultimately decided that the potential benefits of meeting with Buffett outweighed his hesitation. He asked himself, Why not? What do I have to lose? and reached out for a meeting.
Buffett agreed to meet. Determined not to squander the opportunity or risk making a poor impression, Suh told Business Insider that he arrived at Buffett’s office two to three hours ahead of schedule.
The conversation ultimately lasted for hours. Suh has said the two quickly developed a rapport, and before the meeting ended, Buffett agreed to serve as Suh’s mentor. The two have remained in contact for 17 years.
Buffett’s advice
Suh learned the following personal finance lesson from Buffett: Don’t be complacent.
“When you look at people who have created great wealth and even Warren Buffett himself, he’s made the majority of his money after he was 50,” Suh told CNBC in the 2018 documentary, Warren Buffett: Investor. Teacher. Icon. “And we’re so young. I think that’s where guys gotta understand that you’re afforded a great opportunity, but it also takes great responsibility.”
Suh built his reputation first as a formidable NFL player, but he has spent just as much intention developing a life in business beyond football. Across 13 seasons, Suh played for the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles. He appeared in three Super Bowls and won his first with Tampa Bay in February 2021, when the Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs.
Throughout the years, Buffett taught Suh about stocks and company values. During his playing career, Suh said he used NFL offseasons to spend time with Buffett in person and also spoke with him by phone. Their connection has continued after football: Suh said they now try to catch up about once a quarter.
For Suh, the most unexpected lesson was not about identifying the next deal or chasing a market trend. It was about resisting the pressure to act quickly. “Great things come to you with patience,” he recently told Business Insider, recalling Buffett’s words.
Another piece of advice Buffett gave him centers on judgment about people. “If you can learn to have patience and stick to quality people and identifying that, those two things will serve you right,” Suh said of Buffett’s words.
Key Takeaways
- Ndamukong Suh was just a college student when he met Warren Buffett for the first time.
- After asking for a meeting, Suh arrived at Buffett’s office hours ahead of schedule.
- Over the past 17 years, Buffett has taught Suh some valuable lessons, such as learning to have patience and forming relationships with quality people.
Ndamukong Suh’s relationship with Warren Buffett began in 2009, well before Suh became one of the NFL’s most recognizable defensive players. At the time, Suh was still playing football at the University of Nebraska. He was beginning to take a serious interest in business and investing.
Buffett, a devoted Nebraska supporter, asked to meet Suh ahead of a rivalry game against Oklahoma. The encounter was brief, but it made an impression on Suh. Afterward, a friend urged him to follow up and seek a more formal conversation with the Berkshire Hathaway chairman. Suh initially dismissed the idea.
“I was like, ‘There’s no way he wants to sit down with me, I’m just a young kid,’” Suh recently told Business Insider.