Steve Emtman To Enter College Football Hall of Fame
May 16, 2006
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Former Washington defensive lineman Steve Emtman was announced Tuesday as one of 15 former players and coaches who will be enshrined in the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame. The 13 players and two coaches selected Tuesday will be part of the Hall's Class of 2007, which will be officially enshrined at the Hall in South Bend, Ind., during ceremonies in the summer of 2007.
Emtman is the 11th Washington player to be inducted to college football's Hall of Fame, but the first of what might be considered the "modern era" of UW football -- each of the Huskies' other 10 Hall of Famers completed their careers prior to 1965. Washington has also had four coaches enshrined in the Hall, including Don James, inducted in 1999.
A consensus All-American in 1991, Emtman led Washington to consecutive Rose Bowl wins in 1990 and 1991, the latter win capping an undefeated, national championship season. Emtman was the anchor of a UW defense that allowed just 67.1 rushing yards per game and 9.2 points per game, both numbers among the best in NCAA history.
"He was the consummate team player and a great college football player that understood how to play the game," said Husky Defensive Line Coach Randy Hart, who coached Emtman from 1989-91. "He had tremendous effort, intensity and his goal every game was to play a perfect game, which meant making every tackle in every game."
Emtman in 1991 became just the ninth collegiate player ever to win both the Outland and Lombardi Trophies in the same year, and was the fourth-place finisher in voting for the 1991 Heisman Trophy. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, and played six years in the NFL before his career was cut short by a series of knee injuries.
He was most recently honored with selection to a number of the college football "All-Century" teams selected by various organizations and media outlets at the end of the 20th century, further cementing his reputation as one of the greatest defensive linemen in college football history.
Emtman is joined in the Hall's Class of 2007 by a number of memorable players, including certain future NFL Hall of Famers Bruce Smith, the key defensive figure in the Buffalo Bills' run to four-consecutive Super Bowls in 1990s, and Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time rushing yards leader.
"To get elected in the first year he is on the ballot from a far west school, when a lot of the population is based in the midwest and east, it's really a testament to the player that he was," said Hart. "It's a tremendous thrill for him to be recognized across the country as one of this year's inductees."
The 13 players and two coaches who comprise the Class of 2007 will be inducted at the 49th Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 5, 2006, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, prior to their official enshrinement next summer.
2007 College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Class Players Name Position School Years Bobby Anderson RB Colorado 1967-79 Bennie Blades DB Miami (FL) 1985-87 Carl Eller T Minnesota 1961-63 Steve Emtman DL Washington 1989-91 Thomas Everett FS Baylor 1983-86 Chad Hennings DT Air Force 1984-87 Chip Kell OG Tennessee 1968-70 Mike Phipps QB Purdue 1967-69 Mike Rozier RB Nebraska 1981-83 Jeff Siemon LB Stanford 1968-71 Bruce Smith DT Virginia Tech 1981-84 Emmitt Smith RB Florida 1987-89 Charlie Ward QB Florida State 1989,91-93Coaches Name School(s) Years Career Record Bobby Bowden Samford 1959-62 359-107-4 West Virginia 1970-75 Florida State 1976-present Joe Paterno Penn State 1966-present 354-117-3
Washington Players/Coaches in College Football Hall of Fame Players Name Position Years at UW Inducted George Wilson HB 1923-25 1951 Chuck Carroll HB 1926-28 1964 Paul Schwegler T 1929-31 1967 Vic Markov T 1935-37 1976 Hugh McElhenny HB 1949-51 1981 Don Heinrich QB 1949-50,'52 1987 Bob Schloredt QB 1958-60 1989 Max Starcevich OG 1934-36 1990 Rick Redman G 1962-64 1995 Don Coryell HB 1947-49 1999
Coaches Names Years at UW Career Record Inducted Gil Dobie 1908-16 58-0-3 1951 James Phelan 1930-41 65-37-8 1973 Darrell Royal 1956 5-5 1983 Don James 1975-92 153-57-2 1997
