Nick Hohnbaum

In the fall of 2000, when Nick Hohnbaum moved into Cochise's third-floor west wing, he met several young men who, during the next three years, would change his life.

He would also forever change theirs.

Returning from Lake Havasu City Saturday afternoon, the 21-year-old marketing junior was headed eastbound on I-10 outside Phoenix when one of the rear tires on his Bronco blew out, causing the vehicle to roll over three to four times. Nick broke his neck during the accident and was airlifted to the hospital, where he died around 11:30 p.m.

Eddie Jackson was Hohnbaum's randomly selected roommate that first fall, and the two befriended Faham Zakariaei, one of their neighbors.

Vicki Hohnbaum said Zakariaei was like a mentor to her son, and he was the one who helped him decide to join the Eller College of Business and Public Administration.

"I saw it as completely the opposite way," Zakariaei said. "He had a huge impact on my life."

The two bonded over what Zakariaei called "the same passion for sports."

"The kid loved sports. He knew everything about every single sport," Jackson said.

Hohnbaum's parents said he had been passionate about sports his entire life.

Nick just loved people. That would be what he would want people to remember. - Jim Hohnbaum Nick's father

When Hohnbaum was a little boy, his father Jim recalled, even running errands involved sports.

"Every time we went to the grocery store, we had to buy a ball," Jim Hohnbaum said.

"He would watch any sport," said his mother Vicki, who added that his favorite sports were baseball and basketball. "He was sports obsessive."

But aside from being passionate about sports, Hohnbaum was also passionate about his family and friends.

"The one thing that stands out about was how caring he was for both his family and his friends," said friend Andrea O'Hare.

"Nick just loved people," Jim Hohnbaum said. "That would be what he would want people to remember."

He was an inspiration to me," Zakariaei said. "He's probably the only person I can honestly say that truly did not have one flaw in them."

O'Hare agreed.

He was always concerned about whether they were happy, sad or upset, she said. "He was very involved with how they felt."

Hohnbaum also talked often about how proud he was of his parents and his younger sister, Jackson said.

"He was just so willing to just be helpful and there, O'Hare said.

In a document entitled "Interview" that Hohnbaum had left on his computer before his death, he described himself as "humble, honest and hard-working" and said his ethics revolved around "doing what's right and moral, even if it is not what is best for you."

In the same document Hohnbaum also discussed his goals for the future:

"Minor league baseball really interests me, but (I) would ultimately like to work for a major league baseball team, and I will give my full effort to accomplishing this goal."

Hohnbaum was recently admitted to the business college for the fall.

He was also involved in the sports marketing association and Eller School Alumni Association.

A memorial service will be held Friday 10:30 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, 4102 W. Union Hills, Glendale, Ariz. At 1:30 p.m. his ashes will be interred at All Saints Episcopal Church, 6300 N. Central Ave., Phoenix.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations that will be given to a sports-related children's charity, Zakariaei said.

Zakariaei is also trying to create a bi-annual scholarship in Nick's name for members of the Sports Marketing Association who demonstrate leadership and service in the club. For more information contact Zakariaei at faham@email.arizona.edu.