Colorado University Athletics
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Westbrook To Be Inducted Into College Football Hall of Fame
March 11, 2020 | Football
Will Become The Ninth Buffalo To Be Enshrined In The Hall
BOULDER — Some 25-plus years later, it still resonates and sends chills through Colorado football fans as if it happened just yesterday through the late Keith Jackson's call on ABC: "Stewart with time … He lets it go … He's got three people down there … The ball's up in the air … Caught! Touchdown! … Caught by Westbrook for a touchdown! … Incredible!"
On Sept. 24, 1994, Michael Westbrook cemented his name in University of Colorado history with that catch, dubbed the "Miracle in Michigan." He will now be officially recognized as one of college football's all-time greats as he has been selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in its 2020 Class, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced Wednesday.
Westbrook, 47, is one of 17 players and two coaches in the Class of 2020 that will be inducted this December 8 at the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Midtown in New York City. He first appeared on the national ballot for the Hall in 2016, so he made it in his fifth year on the ballot.
He will become the ninth Buffalo enshrined in the Hall, joining Byron White (inducted in 1952), Joe Romig (1984), Dick Anderson (1993), Bobby Anderson (2006), Alfred Williams (2010), John Wooten (2012), Coach Bill McCartney (2013) and Herb Orvis (2016). Westbrook becomes the second player who was coached by McCartney to enter the Hall, joining Williams who played for him during his 13-year tenure as head coach from 1982-94.
Selected as college football's play of the year for 1994, Kordell Stewart threw that pass that covered 64 yards to Westbrook that beat Michigan, 27-26, as time expired in Ann Arbor just after the sun set that day. Blake Anderson tipped the ball into the air and Westbrook snagged it to give the No. 7 Buffaloes the road win over the No. 4 Wolverines. It also won ESPN's coveted "Espy Award" as the national play of the year in all sports world-wide. But Westbrook was much more than a one-catch wonder during his CU career.
See the play here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nt6HjqtJt8&t=87s.
At the time of his graduation, he finished his career as Colorado's all-time leader in receptions (167), receiving yards (2,548) and receiving touchdowns (19). Those numbers still remain fourth, third and seventh, respectively, a quarter century after he played, while his average of 15.3 yards per reception is the fourth-highest among the 36 players in CU history with 70 or more catches. He had eight career 100-yard games (six over 125) and was also 11th in all-purpose yards (2,858) and 22nd in scoring (116 points).
To this day, he remains tied for the school's most receptions in bowl games (14) and the leader in yards (283) with one touchdown. His 20.2 yards per catch is the highest for any player with 10 or more receptions in the postseason.
The players are annually informed from the NFF via a package that includes a commemorative Hall of Fame football. It arrived Tuesday afternoon and caught him "totally off guard."
"I knew I had been on the ballot, and you anticipate getting in, but you never expect it so I kind of let my guard down a bit," Westbrook said. "Then I got the package from the Hall of Fame, and I'm like, "Wow!"
"I think back to those days, and it was such an awesome time in our lives," he continued. "You couldn't ask for a better situation to go through and succeed in. We had quality coaches, a great support staff and awesome teammates. Beginning with Coach Mac when he came to my high school and recruited me on the spot when he was there looking at someone else.
"Then there was (assistant coach/offensive coordinator) Les Steckel, who was a Godsend for me, especially from a mental standpoint. He put me in a position where I couldn't do anything but succeed. From his perspective, that's what life was – try your hardest to succeed at everything you do or go home – and he hammered that into all us receivers. I can honestly tell you that Coach Steckel, along with some advice my high school coach, Charles Spann, took me to another level of being a man. Football was my base, but they taught to look at all of life in general."
McCartney was pleased to hear that Westbrook will be joining him in the Hall of Fame.
"He could have gone in before I did, you're only as good as the players you are privileged to coach," McCartney said. "I'm excited for Michael. He was a game changer, the real deal and looked the part. He was big, strong and fast. The defense always had to be concerned with where he lined up and he was nearly impossible to cover one-on-one. As a blocker, he was downright vicious, probably the best blocking receiver I've ever coached – and it was something he took great pride in. He's obviously known for the catch in Michigan, but he shouldn't be defined by it. He was so much more for us than that one play."
"Michael was the one of most gifted athletes I've ever coached, and he was the one player who taught me the importance of the player-coach relationship and the amount of success both individuals can have," Steckel said. "He was a joy to work with, coachable as can be, and without a doubt, a great, great player and person. I wrote a book and in it, I said that my biggest thrill in coaching was coaching Michael Westbrook."
"I'm really excited for Michael that he'll be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame," said CU athletic director Rick George, who helped recruit him when he was McCartney's recruiting coordinator. "It's a solid tribute to his work ethic and perseverance throughout his career. I'm equally happy that another Buff is going into Hall.
Westbrook, who stood 6-foot-4 and weighed 210 pounds, redshirted as a true freshman in 1990 when the Buffaloes were the consensus national champions. He had 22 catches for 309 yards and five TDs the following year as CU was transitioning out of it wishbone/I-Bone offense into one that featured much more in the passing game. That new offense actually made its debut in the Blockbuster Bowl against Alabama, in which he had three catches for a then-CU bowl record 87 yards; it included a 62-yard TD reception from Darian Hagan, the longest play in school postseason history at the time.
As a sophomore in '92, he caught a then-school record 76 passes for 1,060 yards and eight TDs, one of the first two 1,000-yard seasons in CU history; he finished the season fifth in the nation in receptions and 10th in yards per game. Charles Johnson had 1,149 yards that year as both were tutored by first-year receivers coach Karl Dorrell, who was introduced on Feb. 23 as CU's new head coach.
"Mike was a tremendously gifted athlete that dominated in his era," Dorrell said. "He was hard to cover, tough to tackle, and he could run by you. He was the absolute worst nightmare for a defensive back. Coordinators were challenged every week – he wasn't anything fun to deal with."
"Coach Dorrell was there for that ride with Coach Mac and Coach Steckel, and we all experienced the same thought process – what you needed to do to succeed, not only in football but in life," Westbrook recalled. "To put maximum effort into everything you do, because that's life's equalizer. And I have taken that mentality throughout my life since. What they taught me made it possible for me to handle everything in life that has come my way. And it's all because of my foundation at the University of Colorado."
The Buffs returned to running the ball about two-thirds of the time his last two seasons, as he had 33 catches for 490 yards and two scores as a junior and 36 for 689 and four touchdowns as a senior. In the Michigan win, he enjoyed one of his career-best games, as he had seven catches for 157 yards and two scores, 85 of those yards coming in the game's final 14 seconds; he earned national player of the week honors for his effort.
In the four seasons he lettered ('91-94), he helped CU win one Big Eight Conference title with three runner-up finishes and earn four bowl berths in compiling an overall record of 36-9-3; the Buffaloes were nationally ranked throughout entire career. Colorado was 11-1 his senior season, finishing with a No. 3 national ranking in the final major polls, as he had countless downfield blocks for CU's Heisman Trophy winner, the late Rashaan Salaam.
He was a two-time first-team All-American as a sophomore and senior in 1992 and 1994, respectively, when he was also a first-team All-Big Eight Conference performer (he was second-team All-Conference as a junior), and was a Playboy Preseason All-American ahead of the '93 season. At the time, he was just the second CU receiver to earn All-League honors, and the first to be recognized twice. As a senior, he was one of 10 semifinalists for the inaugural Fred Biletnikoff Award, presented to college football's most outstanding receiver, and was honored with the Paul Warfield Trophy by the Touchdown Club of Columbus as the nation's top pass catcher.
Westbrook was a Detroit News first-team All-Metro selection and an All-Midwest team member as a senior at Detroit's Chadsey High School, where he was also a standout performer in basketball, baseball and especially in track (jumps). Though he had 120 receptions for 1,764 yards and 16 touchdowns in high school, he was a bit under the radar to most colleges. McCartney was actually visiting with his high school coach, Charles Spann, about another Chadsey player when Westbrook wandered by and McCartney asked, "Who is that?!" From that point on, he was on CU's radar and committed to the Buffaloes shortly thereafter.
Spann was overjoyed at the news. "It caught me by surprise. He's a person who had all the qualities academically and athletically to achieve these things. You know, Michael didn't really think that much about sports other than just playing them, but eventually embraced what they could mean to turn a young man into an adult.
"His high school skill level was just a little bit beyond everybody else's in the area at the time, and we really didn't have the people to truly complement him," Spann said. "His senior year, we didn't have a returning quarterback, so we put Michael there, but we lost our first four games. Michael, being the great athlete that he was, tried to and could do everything. So midyear, we decided to run the veer and moved Michael out to tight end and moved the end to quarterback. Those two got us rolling and we won our last five games.
"He was a great baseball player and a guy who could long jump 23, 24 feet. There weren't too many things that Michael couldn't do. I am so very proud of him."
The Washington Redskins selected Westbrook as the fourth overall pick in the 1995 National Football League Draft, tied for the second-highest a Buffalo has been drafted; Bo Matthews was picked second by San Diego in the 1974 and Byron White was taken fourth by Pittsburgh in 1938. Westbrook appeared in 89 games during an eight-year professional career with the Redskins (1995-2001) and Cincinnati (2002), catching 285 passes for 4,374 yards and 26 touchdowns, averaging 15.3 yards per reception. He also gained 160 yards on 22 rushes with one score.
Westbrook was inducted into CU's Athletic Hall of Fame in its Class of 2016, and was the most valuable player in the 1995 East-West Shrine All-Star game. He was born July 7, 1972 in Detroit and graduated with a degree in Communications.
This year's inductees in the 2020 Class were selected from a national ballot of 76 players and five coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision, the 101 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks and the NFF Veterans Committee candidates.
"We are extremely proud to announce the 2020 College Football Hall of Fame Class," said Archie Manning, NFF Chairman and a 1989 College Football Hall of Famer from Mississippi. "Each of these men has established himself among the absolute best to have ever played or coached the game, and we look forward to immortalizing their incredible accomplishments."
In addition to the official induction ceremony in New York City, all inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions this fall with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments. Their accomplishments will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. The announcement official announcement was made during the 10 a.m. MDT "SportsCenter" on ESPN2.
"We want to thank ESPN for the opportunity to announce the 2020 College Football Hall of Fame Class during 'SportsCenter,'" said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell, who also happens to be a 1970 CU graduate. "Today's announcement shines a light on the accomplishments of some of college football's greatest legends."
The 2020 HOF Class: Lomas Brown (OT, Florida); Keith Byars (RB, Ohio State); Eric Crouch (QB, Nebraska); Eric Dickerson (RB, SMU); Glenn Dorsey (DT, Louisiana State); Jumbo Elliott (OT, Michigan); Jason Hanson (PK, Washington State); E.J. Henderson (LB, Maryland); E.J. Junior (DE, Alabama); Steve McNair (QB, Alcorn State); Cade McNown (QB, UCLA); Leslie O'Neal (DT, Oklahoma State); Anthony Poindexter (DB, Virginia); David Pollack (DE, Georgia); Bob Stein (DE, Minnesota); Michael Westbrook (Colorado); Elmo Wright (WR, Houston). Coaches: Dick Sheridan (Furman, N.C. State); Andy Talley (St. Lawrence, Villanova).
On Sept. 24, 1994, Michael Westbrook cemented his name in University of Colorado history with that catch, dubbed the "Miracle in Michigan." He will now be officially recognized as one of college football's all-time greats as he has been selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in its 2020 Class, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced Wednesday.
Westbrook, 47, is one of 17 players and two coaches in the Class of 2020 that will be inducted this December 8 at the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Midtown in New York City. He first appeared on the national ballot for the Hall in 2016, so he made it in his fifth year on the ballot.
He will become the ninth Buffalo enshrined in the Hall, joining Byron White (inducted in 1952), Joe Romig (1984), Dick Anderson (1993), Bobby Anderson (2006), Alfred Williams (2010), John Wooten (2012), Coach Bill McCartney (2013) and Herb Orvis (2016). Westbrook becomes the second player who was coached by McCartney to enter the Hall, joining Williams who played for him during his 13-year tenure as head coach from 1982-94.
Selected as college football's play of the year for 1994, Kordell Stewart threw that pass that covered 64 yards to Westbrook that beat Michigan, 27-26, as time expired in Ann Arbor just after the sun set that day. Blake Anderson tipped the ball into the air and Westbrook snagged it to give the No. 7 Buffaloes the road win over the No. 4 Wolverines. It also won ESPN's coveted "Espy Award" as the national play of the year in all sports world-wide. But Westbrook was much more than a one-catch wonder during his CU career.
See the play here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nt6HjqtJt8&t=87s.
At the time of his graduation, he finished his career as Colorado's all-time leader in receptions (167), receiving yards (2,548) and receiving touchdowns (19). Those numbers still remain fourth, third and seventh, respectively, a quarter century after he played, while his average of 15.3 yards per reception is the fourth-highest among the 36 players in CU history with 70 or more catches. He had eight career 100-yard games (six over 125) and was also 11th in all-purpose yards (2,858) and 22nd in scoring (116 points).
To this day, he remains tied for the school's most receptions in bowl games (14) and the leader in yards (283) with one touchdown. His 20.2 yards per catch is the highest for any player with 10 or more receptions in the postseason.
The players are annually informed from the NFF via a package that includes a commemorative Hall of Fame football. It arrived Tuesday afternoon and caught him "totally off guard."
"I knew I had been on the ballot, and you anticipate getting in, but you never expect it so I kind of let my guard down a bit," Westbrook said. "Then I got the package from the Hall of Fame, and I'm like, "Wow!"
"I think back to those days, and it was such an awesome time in our lives," he continued. "You couldn't ask for a better situation to go through and succeed in. We had quality coaches, a great support staff and awesome teammates. Beginning with Coach Mac when he came to my high school and recruited me on the spot when he was there looking at someone else.
"Then there was (assistant coach/offensive coordinator) Les Steckel, who was a Godsend for me, especially from a mental standpoint. He put me in a position where I couldn't do anything but succeed. From his perspective, that's what life was – try your hardest to succeed at everything you do or go home – and he hammered that into all us receivers. I can honestly tell you that Coach Steckel, along with some advice my high school coach, Charles Spann, took me to another level of being a man. Football was my base, but they taught to look at all of life in general."
McCartney was pleased to hear that Westbrook will be joining him in the Hall of Fame.
"He could have gone in before I did, you're only as good as the players you are privileged to coach," McCartney said. "I'm excited for Michael. He was a game changer, the real deal and looked the part. He was big, strong and fast. The defense always had to be concerned with where he lined up and he was nearly impossible to cover one-on-one. As a blocker, he was downright vicious, probably the best blocking receiver I've ever coached – and it was something he took great pride in. He's obviously known for the catch in Michigan, but he shouldn't be defined by it. He was so much more for us than that one play."
"Michael was the one of most gifted athletes I've ever coached, and he was the one player who taught me the importance of the player-coach relationship and the amount of success both individuals can have," Steckel said. "He was a joy to work with, coachable as can be, and without a doubt, a great, great player and person. I wrote a book and in it, I said that my biggest thrill in coaching was coaching Michael Westbrook."
"I'm really excited for Michael that he'll be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame," said CU athletic director Rick George, who helped recruit him when he was McCartney's recruiting coordinator. "It's a solid tribute to his work ethic and perseverance throughout his career. I'm equally happy that another Buff is going into Hall.
Westbrook, who stood 6-foot-4 and weighed 210 pounds, redshirted as a true freshman in 1990 when the Buffaloes were the consensus national champions. He had 22 catches for 309 yards and five TDs the following year as CU was transitioning out of it wishbone/I-Bone offense into one that featured much more in the passing game. That new offense actually made its debut in the Blockbuster Bowl against Alabama, in which he had three catches for a then-CU bowl record 87 yards; it included a 62-yard TD reception from Darian Hagan, the longest play in school postseason history at the time.
As a sophomore in '92, he caught a then-school record 76 passes for 1,060 yards and eight TDs, one of the first two 1,000-yard seasons in CU history; he finished the season fifth in the nation in receptions and 10th in yards per game. Charles Johnson had 1,149 yards that year as both were tutored by first-year receivers coach Karl Dorrell, who was introduced on Feb. 23 as CU's new head coach.
"Mike was a tremendously gifted athlete that dominated in his era," Dorrell said. "He was hard to cover, tough to tackle, and he could run by you. He was the absolute worst nightmare for a defensive back. Coordinators were challenged every week – he wasn't anything fun to deal with."
"Coach Dorrell was there for that ride with Coach Mac and Coach Steckel, and we all experienced the same thought process – what you needed to do to succeed, not only in football but in life," Westbrook recalled. "To put maximum effort into everything you do, because that's life's equalizer. And I have taken that mentality throughout my life since. What they taught me made it possible for me to handle everything in life that has come my way. And it's all because of my foundation at the University of Colorado."
The Buffs returned to running the ball about two-thirds of the time his last two seasons, as he had 33 catches for 490 yards and two scores as a junior and 36 for 689 and four touchdowns as a senior. In the Michigan win, he enjoyed one of his career-best games, as he had seven catches for 157 yards and two scores, 85 of those yards coming in the game's final 14 seconds; he earned national player of the week honors for his effort.
In the four seasons he lettered ('91-94), he helped CU win one Big Eight Conference title with three runner-up finishes and earn four bowl berths in compiling an overall record of 36-9-3; the Buffaloes were nationally ranked throughout entire career. Colorado was 11-1 his senior season, finishing with a No. 3 national ranking in the final major polls, as he had countless downfield blocks for CU's Heisman Trophy winner, the late Rashaan Salaam.
He was a two-time first-team All-American as a sophomore and senior in 1992 and 1994, respectively, when he was also a first-team All-Big Eight Conference performer (he was second-team All-Conference as a junior), and was a Playboy Preseason All-American ahead of the '93 season. At the time, he was just the second CU receiver to earn All-League honors, and the first to be recognized twice. As a senior, he was one of 10 semifinalists for the inaugural Fred Biletnikoff Award, presented to college football's most outstanding receiver, and was honored with the Paul Warfield Trophy by the Touchdown Club of Columbus as the nation's top pass catcher.
Westbrook was a Detroit News first-team All-Metro selection and an All-Midwest team member as a senior at Detroit's Chadsey High School, where he was also a standout performer in basketball, baseball and especially in track (jumps). Though he had 120 receptions for 1,764 yards and 16 touchdowns in high school, he was a bit under the radar to most colleges. McCartney was actually visiting with his high school coach, Charles Spann, about another Chadsey player when Westbrook wandered by and McCartney asked, "Who is that?!" From that point on, he was on CU's radar and committed to the Buffaloes shortly thereafter.
Spann was overjoyed at the news. "It caught me by surprise. He's a person who had all the qualities academically and athletically to achieve these things. You know, Michael didn't really think that much about sports other than just playing them, but eventually embraced what they could mean to turn a young man into an adult.
"His high school skill level was just a little bit beyond everybody else's in the area at the time, and we really didn't have the people to truly complement him," Spann said. "His senior year, we didn't have a returning quarterback, so we put Michael there, but we lost our first four games. Michael, being the great athlete that he was, tried to and could do everything. So midyear, we decided to run the veer and moved Michael out to tight end and moved the end to quarterback. Those two got us rolling and we won our last five games.
"He was a great baseball player and a guy who could long jump 23, 24 feet. There weren't too many things that Michael couldn't do. I am so very proud of him."
The Washington Redskins selected Westbrook as the fourth overall pick in the 1995 National Football League Draft, tied for the second-highest a Buffalo has been drafted; Bo Matthews was picked second by San Diego in the 1974 and Byron White was taken fourth by Pittsburgh in 1938. Westbrook appeared in 89 games during an eight-year professional career with the Redskins (1995-2001) and Cincinnati (2002), catching 285 passes for 4,374 yards and 26 touchdowns, averaging 15.3 yards per reception. He also gained 160 yards on 22 rushes with one score.
Westbrook was inducted into CU's Athletic Hall of Fame in its Class of 2016, and was the most valuable player in the 1995 East-West Shrine All-Star game. He was born July 7, 1972 in Detroit and graduated with a degree in Communications.
This year's inductees in the 2020 Class were selected from a national ballot of 76 players and five coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision, the 101 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks and the NFF Veterans Committee candidates.
"We are extremely proud to announce the 2020 College Football Hall of Fame Class," said Archie Manning, NFF Chairman and a 1989 College Football Hall of Famer from Mississippi. "Each of these men has established himself among the absolute best to have ever played or coached the game, and we look forward to immortalizing their incredible accomplishments."
In addition to the official induction ceremony in New York City, all inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions this fall with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments. Their accomplishments will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. The announcement official announcement was made during the 10 a.m. MDT "SportsCenter" on ESPN2.
"We want to thank ESPN for the opportunity to announce the 2020 College Football Hall of Fame Class during 'SportsCenter,'" said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell, who also happens to be a 1970 CU graduate. "Today's announcement shines a light on the accomplishments of some of college football's greatest legends."
The 2020 HOF Class: Lomas Brown (OT, Florida); Keith Byars (RB, Ohio State); Eric Crouch (QB, Nebraska); Eric Dickerson (RB, SMU); Glenn Dorsey (DT, Louisiana State); Jumbo Elliott (OT, Michigan); Jason Hanson (PK, Washington State); E.J. Henderson (LB, Maryland); E.J. Junior (DE, Alabama); Steve McNair (QB, Alcorn State); Cade McNown (QB, UCLA); Leslie O'Neal (DT, Oklahoma State); Anthony Poindexter (DB, Virginia); David Pollack (DE, Georgia); Bob Stein (DE, Minnesota); Michael Westbrook (Colorado); Elmo Wright (WR, Houston). Coaches: Dick Sheridan (Furman, N.C. State); Andy Talley (St. Lawrence, Villanova).
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