Intro to the Hall:
The National Football Foundation created the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951. Over 5 million players have been eligible for induction to the hall and only 1300 have made it. That's an impressive .026% chance on any given player.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders recently added their 6th player to the Hall in Michael Crabtree. He joins E.J Holub, Donny Anderson, Dave Parks, Gabe Rivera and Zach Thomas. Once Patrick Mahomes retires, the Raiders will certainly have their 7th. Considering the six alumni in the hall make up nearly half a percent of it all, any Red Raider fan would have a blast visiting their legends. Let's discuss some of the most impressive players and what to look out for!
Historic Receiver for the Ages:
Starting with Michael Crabtree, we don't need to say much more than sheer numbers. Playing only two seasons with the Raiders Crabtree racked up 3127 yards receiving and an incredible 41 touchdowns. For reference, there were 6 first round receivers taken in the 2022 NFL draft: Drake London, Garret Wilson, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, Jahan Dotson and Treylon Burks. London caught 15 Touchdowns over 3 seasons- Garret Wilson 23 over 3 seasons, Olave 35 over 4 seasons, Williams 18 over 3 seasons, Dotson 25 over 4 seasons, and Burks with 18 over 3 seasons. Of all the receivers, Jameson Williams had the most impressive single season with 15 Touchdowns still not coming close to Crabtree. In each of his two seasons, Crabtree won the Biletnikoff Award and Paul Warfield Award. He was of course a unanimous All-American and will go down in history as one of the most dominant college football receivers ever.
Two Defensive Studs:
Moving away from Crabtree is tough but some of the other players on this list are certainly deserving of the recognition and honor the Hall gives them. The dynamic and historic Zach Thomas certainly tops off this list as a staple of defensive football history. He had 390 career tackles and was most impressive his senior season where he recorded 131 tackles and a school-record 20 tackles against Georgia. He was a model of consistency on the defensive end. Following Thomas is EJ Houlb. He was one of the best during his time and was able to dominate the field on both sides of the ball. He went on to play center and linebacker in the AFL and was integral in a later superbowl win over the Vikings. In college, he was as dominant as Red Raiders come and often would play nearly the entire game.
Pioneers:
Continuing down the line of Texas Tech greate, we must discuss Dave Parks. He was a receiver when throwing the ball was less popular than Tom Brady in Buffalo. He is one of the only players who had their jersey retired and remains a staple of College Football and tech history. He went on to have a dominant NFL career and was the first overall selection in 1964 NFL draft. To add onto this list, we discuss Donny Anderson. He broke all kinds of records during his time with the Red Raiders and went on to become the first overall pick in the AFL draft and the seventh overall pick in the NFL draft. He was as dominant as running backs come during his day and came in fourth in Heisman voting. To round out the group we have Gabe Rivera or senior sack. He finished his overwhelmingly impressive 4 year Tech career with 321 tackles, 34 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. He was active all over the field with 14 pass deflections and 6 fumble recoveries. As a defensive tackle, to rack up that many tackles is utterly impressive but to have the kind of impact he had across the field is unheard of. He was as dominant as they come and would go on to change the narrative regarding the defensive line and their pigeonholed duties.
Snubs:
Clearly there is a lot more to Red Raider football than just Patrick Mahomes. Sadly, as with any judgment committee, not all of the players who belong in the Hall are there. On the surface, three names come to mind: Graham Harrel, Kliff Kingsbury and Wes Welker. Harrel was as dominant a passer as Tech fans have ever seen. He developed an electrifying connection with none other than Michael Crabtree and won tremendous high pressure games. Kingsbury is one of the names on this list that may shock people but considering he shattered nearly all of the Tech passing records and some NCAA records, including holding both the single season and career completions record, lowest percent of intercepted passes and most single season and career games with 200+ yards. Finally, Welker tops off the list of major snubs with an impressive record of consistency with his years as a Red Raider. Welker was as dominant as slot receivers come in college but made even more of an impression returning punts. He took back 8 for touchdowns which set an NCAA record and had a 11.8 yards per return mark that showed his incredible skill.
Recap:
Clearly, considering the rich history of the Texas Tech football program, a visit to the College Football Hall of Fame is absolutely worth it for fans. Swallowing some of the snubs may be difficult but honoring the greatness is imperative.
Have any of you visited the Hall before? What were your thoughts?
The National Football Foundation created the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951. Over 5 million players have been eligible for induction to the hall and only 1300 have made it. That's an impressive .026% chance on any given player.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders recently added their 6th player to the Hall in Michael Crabtree. He joins E.J Holub, Donny Anderson, Dave Parks, Gabe Rivera and Zach Thomas. Once Patrick Mahomes retires, the Raiders will certainly have their 7th. Considering the six alumni in the hall make up nearly half a percent of it all, any Red Raider fan would have a blast visiting their legends. Let's discuss some of the most impressive players and what to look out for!
Historic Receiver for the Ages:
Starting with Michael Crabtree, we don't need to say much more than sheer numbers. Playing only two seasons with the Raiders Crabtree racked up 3127 yards receiving and an incredible 41 touchdowns. For reference, there were 6 first round receivers taken in the 2022 NFL draft: Drake London, Garret Wilson, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, Jahan Dotson and Treylon Burks. London caught 15 Touchdowns over 3 seasons- Garret Wilson 23 over 3 seasons, Olave 35 over 4 seasons, Williams 18 over 3 seasons, Dotson 25 over 4 seasons, and Burks with 18 over 3 seasons. Of all the receivers, Jameson Williams had the most impressive single season with 15 Touchdowns still not coming close to Crabtree. In each of his two seasons, Crabtree won the Biletnikoff Award and Paul Warfield Award. He was of course a unanimous All-American and will go down in history as one of the most dominant college football receivers ever.
Two Defensive Studs:
Moving away from Crabtree is tough but some of the other players on this list are certainly deserving of the recognition and honor the Hall gives them. The dynamic and historic Zach Thomas certainly tops off this list as a staple of defensive football history. He had 390 career tackles and was most impressive his senior season where he recorded 131 tackles and a school-record 20 tackles against Georgia. He was a model of consistency on the defensive end. Following Thomas is EJ Houlb. He was one of the best during his time and was able to dominate the field on both sides of the ball. He went on to play center and linebacker in the AFL and was integral in a later superbowl win over the Vikings. In college, he was as dominant as Red Raiders come and often would play nearly the entire game.
Pioneers:
Continuing down the line of Texas Tech greate, we must discuss Dave Parks. He was a receiver when throwing the ball was less popular than Tom Brady in Buffalo. He is one of the only players who had their jersey retired and remains a staple of College Football and tech history. He went on to have a dominant NFL career and was the first overall selection in 1964 NFL draft. To add onto this list, we discuss Donny Anderson. He broke all kinds of records during his time with the Red Raiders and went on to become the first overall pick in the AFL draft and the seventh overall pick in the NFL draft. He was as dominant as running backs come during his day and came in fourth in Heisman voting. To round out the group we have Gabe Rivera or senior sack. He finished his overwhelmingly impressive 4 year Tech career with 321 tackles, 34 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. He was active all over the field with 14 pass deflections and 6 fumble recoveries. As a defensive tackle, to rack up that many tackles is utterly impressive but to have the kind of impact he had across the field is unheard of. He was as dominant as they come and would go on to change the narrative regarding the defensive line and their pigeonholed duties.
Snubs:
Clearly there is a lot more to Red Raider football than just Patrick Mahomes. Sadly, as with any judgment committee, not all of the players who belong in the Hall are there. On the surface, three names come to mind: Graham Harrel, Kliff Kingsbury and Wes Welker. Harrel was as dominant a passer as Tech fans have ever seen. He developed an electrifying connection with none other than Michael Crabtree and won tremendous high pressure games. Kingsbury is one of the names on this list that may shock people but considering he shattered nearly all of the Tech passing records and some NCAA records, including holding both the single season and career completions record, lowest percent of intercepted passes and most single season and career games with 200+ yards. Finally, Welker tops off the list of major snubs with an impressive record of consistency with his years as a Red Raider. Welker was as dominant as slot receivers come in college but made even more of an impression returning punts. He took back 8 for touchdowns which set an NCAA record and had a 11.8 yards per return mark that showed his incredible skill.
Recap:
Clearly, considering the rich history of the Texas Tech football program, a visit to the College Football Hall of Fame is absolutely worth it for fans. Swallowing some of the snubs may be difficult but honoring the greatness is imperative.
Have any of you visited the Hall before? What were your thoughts?
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