Hall of Fame
Position: Wide Receiver
Years: 1991-1994
Place of Birth: Detroit, MI
Date of Birth: July 7, 1972
Jersey Number: 81
Height: 6-4
Weight: 210
High School: Chadsey HS (Detroit, MI)
Having cemented his place in college football lore during the "Miracle at Michigan," Michael Westbrook left his stamp on the record books during his Colorado career. The Detroit native becomes the eighth Buff player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
A consensus First Team All-American in 1994, Westbrook received the Touchdown Club of Columbus Paul Warfield Trophy as the nation's top wide receiver. During that stellar senior season, he led Colorado in receiving while guiding the team to a No. 3 final ranking and an 11-1 record. Westbrook was on the receiving end of one of the most memorable passes in college football history during 1994's "Miracle at Michigan," hauling in a 64-yard pass from Kordell Stewart after time expired to rally the Buffs to a 27-26 win over the Wolverines. A two-time First Team All-Big Eight performer, he became only the third Colorado receiver to earn all-conference honors and the first to be selected twice. An AP Second Team All-American in 1992, Westbrook led the Buffs to four bowl berths, including wins in the 1993 Aloha Bowl over Fresno State and the 1995 Fiesta Bowl over Notre Dame.
By career's end, Westbrook had set school records for receptions (167) and receiving yards (2,548), which currently rank fourth and third all-time at Colorado, respectively. His 19 career touchdown receptions were also a then-school record, and he still holds the Buffs career bowl game marks of 14 receptions and 283 yards. The 1992 John Mack Award recipient as Colorado's outstanding offensive player, Westbrook led the team in receiving and scoring that year while posting a then-school record 76 receptions. As a freshman, he led the Buffs to a share of the Big Eight title and a No. 20 ranking, followed by a No. 13 finish in 1992 and a No. 16 spot in 1993. The 1995 East-West Shrine Game MVP racked up eight 100-yard receiving games in his career under College Football Hall of Fame coach Bill McCartney.
The fourth overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft, Westbrook played eight seasons in the league for the Washington Redskins (1995-2001) and Cincinnati Bengals (2002).
Westbrook was inducted into the University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016. Having dabbled in martial arts during his football days, he focused on Brazilian jiu-jitsu after retiring from the NFL and has since obtained a black belt, the highest level in the sport. Westbrook has won national and Pan-American events as a brown belt, and he won the 2008 International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Championship at purple belt.
