Colorado University Athletics
Three Buffs On Ballot For College Football Hall of Fame
June 16, 2020 | Football
BOULDER—Three Colorado Football players are on the 2021 ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced Tuesday.
Eric Bieniemy, Chris Hudson and Rashaan Salaam are three of 78 players from the Football Bowl Subdivision on the ballot, which also consists of seven coaches from FBS and 99 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks. Hudson is on the ballot for the first time.
"It's an enormous honor to just be on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot considering more than 5.4 million people have played college football and only 1,027 players have been inducted," NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell said. "The Hall's requirement of being a First-Team All-American creates a much smaller pool of about 1,500 individuals who are even eligible. Being in today's elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to have ever played the game, and we look forward to announcing the 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Class Presented by ETT early next year."
Hatchell, who has been the President and CEO of the NFF since 2005, is a CU alum and former administrator. After graduating from CU in 1970, he was named assistant to athletic director Eddie Crowder, was director of equipment and grounds, and served as the co-sports information director for two years.
The Hall of Fame class will be announced in early 2021 and inducted in December 2021.
All three CU players are members of the CU Athletic Hall of Fame.
Bieniemy was one of the first three unanimous first-team All-Americans in CU history along with Joe Garten and Alfred Williams in 1990. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting that season when he rushed for 1,628 yards and was the starting tailback on CU's National Championship team. He was second nationally in rushing and named the Big Eight's Offensive Player of the Year. He finished his career as CU's all-time leading rusher (3,940 yards), all-purpose yards (4,351) and scoring (254 points) and was second in total offense (4,003). He still holds over two dozen school records. He went on to play in the NFL for nine seasons for San Diego, Cincinnati and Philadelphia. He has coached at Colorado in two different stints (2001-02 as running back's coach and 2011-12 as offensive coordinator) while also coaching at UCLA for three years and in the NFL for 12 seasons. He is currently the offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Hudson was a consensus first-team All-American as a senior in 1994 and won the Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top defensive back. He was the second CU player to win the Thorpe and the fourth to win a postseason trophy at CU. He was a three-time first-team All-Big Eight performer and won the team's Hang Tough award as a senior for playing through a turf toe injury all year while still attaining All-America honors and winning the Thorpe Award. His 15 interceptions rank second-most in school history and his 20 pass breakups were top 10 at CU at the time of his graduation. He played in the NFL for six years after being a third-round selection in 1995 and he had 11 career interceptions in the league.
Salaam was a unanimous first-team All-American and won the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp and Doak Walker trophies after he became the fourth player in college football history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season. That 1994 season he rushed for 2,055 yards despite missing the fourth quarter in five times and most of the third quarter in two of those games. He also had 24 touchdowns and easily won the Heisman by 248 votes and 842 points. He was a first-round draft pick in 1995 and was the 1995 NFC Rookie-of-the-Year after rushing for 1,074 yards and 10 touchdowns. Knee and ankle injuries hampered his pro career. He tragically lost his life on December 5, 2016.
Those three players are looking to join a group of eight Buffs currently in the Hall. Byron White was the first CU player in the Hall of Fame, inducted in 1952, followed by Joe Romig in 1984 and Dick Anderson in 1993. In 2006, Bobby Anderson was inducted, followed by Alfred Williams in 2010, John Wooten in 2012, coach Bill McCartney in 2013 and Herb Orvis in 2016.
Eric Bieniemy, Chris Hudson and Rashaan Salaam are three of 78 players from the Football Bowl Subdivision on the ballot, which also consists of seven coaches from FBS and 99 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks. Hudson is on the ballot for the first time.
"It's an enormous honor to just be on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot considering more than 5.4 million people have played college football and only 1,027 players have been inducted," NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell said. "The Hall's requirement of being a First-Team All-American creates a much smaller pool of about 1,500 individuals who are even eligible. Being in today's elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to have ever played the game, and we look forward to announcing the 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Class Presented by ETT early next year."
Hatchell, who has been the President and CEO of the NFF since 2005, is a CU alum and former administrator. After graduating from CU in 1970, he was named assistant to athletic director Eddie Crowder, was director of equipment and grounds, and served as the co-sports information director for two years.
The Hall of Fame class will be announced in early 2021 and inducted in December 2021.
All three CU players are members of the CU Athletic Hall of Fame.
Bieniemy was one of the first three unanimous first-team All-Americans in CU history along with Joe Garten and Alfred Williams in 1990. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting that season when he rushed for 1,628 yards and was the starting tailback on CU's National Championship team. He was second nationally in rushing and named the Big Eight's Offensive Player of the Year. He finished his career as CU's all-time leading rusher (3,940 yards), all-purpose yards (4,351) and scoring (254 points) and was second in total offense (4,003). He still holds over two dozen school records. He went on to play in the NFL for nine seasons for San Diego, Cincinnati and Philadelphia. He has coached at Colorado in two different stints (2001-02 as running back's coach and 2011-12 as offensive coordinator) while also coaching at UCLA for three years and in the NFL for 12 seasons. He is currently the offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Hudson was a consensus first-team All-American as a senior in 1994 and won the Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top defensive back. He was the second CU player to win the Thorpe and the fourth to win a postseason trophy at CU. He was a three-time first-team All-Big Eight performer and won the team's Hang Tough award as a senior for playing through a turf toe injury all year while still attaining All-America honors and winning the Thorpe Award. His 15 interceptions rank second-most in school history and his 20 pass breakups were top 10 at CU at the time of his graduation. He played in the NFL for six years after being a third-round selection in 1995 and he had 11 career interceptions in the league.
Salaam was a unanimous first-team All-American and won the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp and Doak Walker trophies after he became the fourth player in college football history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season. That 1994 season he rushed for 2,055 yards despite missing the fourth quarter in five times and most of the third quarter in two of those games. He also had 24 touchdowns and easily won the Heisman by 248 votes and 842 points. He was a first-round draft pick in 1995 and was the 1995 NFC Rookie-of-the-Year after rushing for 1,074 yards and 10 touchdowns. Knee and ankle injuries hampered his pro career. He tragically lost his life on December 5, 2016.
Those three players are looking to join a group of eight Buffs currently in the Hall. Byron White was the first CU player in the Hall of Fame, inducted in 1952, followed by Joe Romig in 1984 and Dick Anderson in 1993. In 2006, Bobby Anderson was inducted, followed by Alfred Williams in 2010, John Wooten in 2012, coach Bill McCartney in 2013 and Herb Orvis in 2016.
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