IRVING, Texas (Sept. 14, 2022) – The University of Nebraska and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2022 College Football Hall of Fame electee
Zach Wiegert with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The Salute will take place this Saturday, Sept. 17, during the Huskers' home football game against Oklahoma. Coverage of the game will start at 11 a.m. CT on FOX.
"Zach Wiegert was a great player at Nebraska during the 1990s," said his College Football Hall of Fame Coach
Tom Osborne. "Zach was very intelligent and was also very aggressive and athletic. He stood out as an exceptional offensive lineman among many who played on our offensive lines during that period. I am pleased that he has received Hall of Fame recognition as he is certainly most deserving of this honor."
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in the Hall of Fame experience.
During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.
The 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 6 at Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
Click here for more information on the Awards Dinner, including options to purchase tickets online, special travel rates to the event from Delta Air Lines and Bellagio and a concierge service provided by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
"Zach Wiegert was the anchor of some of Nebraska's dominant teams in the 1990s, and he capped his collegiate career with a national title," said NFF President & CEO
Steve Hatchell. "We are thrilled to honor him at Memorial Stadium for his upcoming College Football Hall of Fame induction."
A unanimous First Team All-American in 1994, Wiegert received the Outland Trophy after helping Nebraska to a perfect 13-0 national championship season and the NCAA rushing title.
In 1993, he was a finalist for the Outland Trophy after leading the Huskers to an 11-1 record, the No. 3 final ranking and berth in the Orange Bowl for the national title. The three-time First Team All-Big Eight selection led Nebraska to four conference titles and two other top 15 national finishes in 1991 (No. 15) and 1992 (No. 14).
Wiegert's other honors include being named the 1994 TD Club of Columbus Offensive Lineman of the Year, the 1994 UPI Lineman of the Year, a 1993 Second Team All-American and a 1992 First Team Sophomore All-American. He was named the ABC Chevrolet Player of the Game following the Huskers' 1994 win over UCLA in which he helped the team rush for 340 yards.
Wiegert blocked for three 1,000-yard rushers during his career, and he allowed only one sack in 37 starts. In 1994 alone, he recorded 113 pancake blocks. Wiegert played for College Football Hall of Fame Coach
Tom Osborne and alongside five other Hall of Famers at Nebraska:
Trev Alberts,
Tommie Frazier,
Will Shields,
Aaron Taylor and
Grant Wistrom.
A second-round pick by the St. Louis Rams in the 1995 NFL Draft, Wiegert played with the Rams (1995-98), Jacksonville Jaguars (1999-2002) and Houston Texans (2003-06). He started in 137 NFL games and helped the Jaguars make the playoffs in 1999.
After a decade of working in commercial real estate as an investor and developer, Wiegert formed Goldenrod Companies in October 2005 to oversee his own portfolio of assets. He has served, or is currently serving, on many non-profit boards, and he has chaired events for The Salvation Army, The United Way, The Omaha North Magnet STEM School, The Boy Scouts of America and The Teammates Foundation.
Wiegert becomes the 20th Husker player in the College Football Hall of Fame, joining
Trev Alberts (1990-93),
Forrest Behm (1938-40),
Bob Brown (1961-63),
Guy Chamberlin (1911-15),
Eric Crouch (1998-2001),
Sam Francis (1934-36),
Tommie Frazier (1992-95),
Rich Glover (1970-72),
Wayne Meylan (1965-67),
Bobby Reynolds (1950-52),
Dave Rimington (1979-82),
Johnny Rodgers (1970-72),
Mike Rozier (1981-83),
George Sauer (1931-33),
Will Shields (1989-92),
Clarence Swanson (1918-21),
Aaron Taylor (1994-97),
Ed Weir (1923-25) and
Grant Wistrom (1994-97).
Six former Nebraska coaches are also in the Hall:
Dana X. Bible (1929-36),
Bob Devaney (1962-72),
Biff Jones (1937-41),
Tom Osborne (1973-97),
Edward Robinson (1896-97) and
Fielding Yost (1898).
The 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class includes
LaVar Arrington (Penn State),
Champ Bailey (Georgia),
Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech),
Sylvester Croom (Alabama),
Mike Doss (Ohio State),
Chuck Ealey (Toledo),
Kevin Faulk (LSU),
Moe Gardner (Illinois),
Boomer Grigsby (Illinois State),
Mike Hass (Oregon State),
Marvin Jones (Florida State),
Andrew Luck (Stanford),
Mark Messner (Michigan),
Terry Miller (Oklahoma State),
Rashaan Salaam (Colorado),
Dennis Thomas (Alcorn State),
Zach Wiegert (Nebraska),
Roy Williams (Oklahoma) and coaches
John Luckhardt (Washington & Jefferson [PA], California [PA]),
Billy Jack Murphy (Memphis) and
Gary Pinkel (Toledo, Missouri).
The accomplishments of the 2022 Class will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens, the official and exclusive supplier of NFF rings.
Including the 2022 Hall of Fame Class, only 1,056 players and 226 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.62 million who have played or coached the game during the past 153 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of the individuals who have played the game have earned this distinction.
Currently Scheduled NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes,
Presented by Fidelity Investments
(Chronological Order)
Date – Honoree – School (Opponent)
- Sept. 17 – Zach Wiegert – Nebraska (vs. Oklahoma)
- Sept. 24 – Michael Crabtree – Texas Tech (vs. Texas)
- Sept. 24 – Rashaan Salaam* – Colorado (vs. UCLA)
- Sept. 24 – Dennis Thomas – Alcorn State (vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
- Oct. 1 – Boomer Grigsby – Illinois State (vs. Southern Illinois)
- Oct. 1 – Coach Gary Pinkel – Missouri (vs. Georgia)
- Oct. 8 – Coach John Luckhardt – California [PA] (vs. Indiana [PA])
- Oct. 15 – Mike Hass – Oregon State (vs. Washington State)
- Oct. 15 – Coach John Luckhardt - Washington & Jefferson [PA] (vs. Carnegie Mellon [PA])
- Oct. 22 – Sylvester Croom – Alabama (vs. Mississippi State)
- Oct. 22 – Mike Doss – Ohio State (vs. Iowa)
- Oct. 22 – Kevin Faulk – LSU (vs. Mississippi)
- Oct. 29 – LaVar Arrington – Penn State (vs. Ohio State)
- Oct. 29 – Mark Messner – Michigan (vs. Michigan State)
- Nov. 5 (tentative) – Champ Bailey – Georgia (vs. Tennessee)
- Nov. 5 – Coach Billy Jack Murphy* – Memphis (vs. UCF)
- Nov. 5 – Roy Williams – Oklahoma (vs. Baylor)
- TBD – Moe Gardner – Illinois
- TBD – Marvin Jones – Florida State
* Deceased
Fidelity Investments has served as the national presenting sponsor of the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes since 2010. The salutes are one component of a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and a joint commitment to higher education. Fidelity is also the presenting sponsor of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, and it helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes in 2011, which recognize the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives around the country.
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About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters in 47 states, NFF programs include the selection and induction of members of the College Football Hall of Fame; the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta; Future For Football; The William V. Campbell Trophy®; the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments; the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award; and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club, the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.