CU Athletic Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2012
- Class:
- 1995
- 1994 Heisman Trophy Winner
- 1994 Walter Camp Trophy (National Player of the Year)
- 1994 Unanimous First Team All-American
- Single Season School Record 2,055 Rushing Yards In 1994
He won the first (and only) Heisman Trophy in Colorado history, claiming the 60th annual award as a junior in 1994, easily winning by some 248 votes and 842 points ... He became the fifth Buffalo to earn unanimous All-America honors that year, as he became just the fourth player in college football history at the time to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season ... In setting the single-season CU rushing mark with 2,055 yards, he did not play in five fourth quarters and on two other occasions, he played only briefly in the third quarter; over half of the yards (1,040) came against ranked opponents ... Set a school scoring mark that same year with 24 touchdowns for 144 total points ... Reeled off nine consecutive 100-yard games in ’94, including four 200-plus yard games (both school records) ... Ended his career as only the second Buff to exceed 3,000 career rushing yards (3,057)... In CU’s miraculous 27-26 win at Michigan in 1994 that became known as “The Catch,” he accomplished two significant things: his 141 rushing yards were the most by an opponent player in the Big House in 21 seasons, and he helped Tony Berti keep a defender (future Bronco Trevor Pryce) at bay with a key block, freeing Kordell Stewart to unload the game-winning 64-yard pass to Michael Westbrook as time expired ... A week later, he rushed for 317 yards in extreme heat in a 34-31 win at Texas, the second highest single-game total in CU history (he set the mark for the most yards gained from scrimmage with 362 as he also had 45 receiving) ... First-team all-Big Eight in both 1993 and 1994... Put 165 yards rushing on Nebraska as a sophomore after missing just one game with a painful orbital eye fracture ... Rushed for 135 yards and three TDs in being named CU’s MVP in the ’93 Aloha Bowl ... His father, Harold “Teddy” Washington, played freshman football for Colorado in 1963 before transferring closer to home to San Diego State ... He opted to turn professional following his junior season (he made the announcement minutes after CU defeated Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl), he was a first round pick by Chicago in the 1995 NFL Draft (21st overall) ... He played three seasons for the Bears (1995-97), winning the NFC Rookie-of-the-Year honor in 1995 when he rushed for 1,074 yards and 10 TDs ... Had career numbers of 1,682 rushing yards, 120 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns for the Bears... He also played briefly with Cleveland and Green Bay in 1999 ... Knee and ankle injuries hampered his career (he underwent an ankle reconstruction), and made one final go of it with San Francisco in 2003 ... Also played in the short-lived XFL ... He tragically passed away at the age of 42 on Dec. 5, 2016.
