Nate Solder (2023) - CU Athletic Hall of Fame - University of Colorado Athletics

Nate Solder

Induction:
2023
Class:
2010

Earned four letters (2007-10) under head coach Dan Hawkins, first starting out as a tight end before shifting to offensive tackle the spring prior to his sophomore year … That move paid off, as he became the first offensive tackle at Colorado to earn All-America honors since 1979 (Stan Brock), and the first Buff to garner consensus honors at the position … He played 2,540 out of a possible 2,542 plays on offense his sophomore through senior seasons; of those, exactly 1,400 were called passing plays, and he allowed just five sacks those three years … He allowed 21 pressures overall (14 as a sophomore), so the man he was blocking influenced a pass play 26 times in those 1,400 plays, or just 1.8 percent of his career … He was 6-7½ and 245 pounds when he arrived at CU as a true freshman in 2006 and left at 6-9, 315 … As CU’s left tackle, he started the final 36 games of his career and as a senior, was one CU’s four co-captains, as selected by his teammates; they also selected him as the recipient of the Zack Jordan Award as the team’s most valuable player … Also as a senior, he was one of three finalists for the Outland Trophy, a consensus All-American, a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 Conference performer, with the league coaches selecting him as the league’s Offensive Lineman of the Year … He was named the Male College Athlete of the Year by the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, and also garnered first-team All-Colorado honors from the state’s NFF chapter … Invited to play in the Senior Bowl in January 2011 … As a junior, he also was a first-team All-Conference performer and a fourth-team All-American … Caught three passes for 50 yards as a tight end his redshirt freshman season … Graduated with a degree in EPO Biology in 2010 (with a 3.52 grade point average); he took postgraduate classes toward a second major in Integrative Physiology during his final semester … One of 16 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes for 2010 and the recipient of an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, he was a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy (considered the “Academic” Heisman) … He earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 honors as a redshirt freshman, sophomore, junior and senior, and also attained CoSIDA Academic All-District status his junior and senior years … He was the recipient of CU’s Dean Jacob Van Ek Award for academic excellence for the 2008 and 2010 seasons … The Colorado Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame named him one of 11 High School Scholar-Athletes for 2005 … He was drafted in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots (17th pick overall), he started as a rookie and would win four AFC championships and two Super Bowl rings (2014, 2016) with the club in seven seasons; he signed as a free agent with the New York Giants in 2018 (at the time, for a record $62 million for four years); he retired following the 2021 season … Overall, he started in 143 of 146 regular season games with the two clubs (the only three he didn’t were the first three of his career) and 15 postseason games, the latter all with New England … Born April 12, 1988 in Denver and attended Buena Vista High School in the mountains.