IRVING, Texas (Nov. 8, 2023) – Kansas State and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2023 College Football Hall of Fame electee Michael Bishop with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The Salute will take place this Saturday, Nov. 11, during the Wildcats' home football game against Baylor, which will kick off at 3:00 p.m. ET ESPN+.
"Widely regarded as the best all-around quarterback in Kansas State history,
Michael Bishop helped College Football Hall of Fame Coach
Bill Snyder turn the Wildcats into a national powerhouse with an overall 22-3 record during his two-year tenure in Manhattan," said NFF President & CEO
Steve Hatchell. "We are thrilled to honor him at Bill Snyder Family Stadium as a member of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class."
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.
A 1998 consensus First Team All-American, Bishop claimed the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top quarterback. He was also named the Heisman Trophy runner-up and a finalist for Maxwell and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm awards. Complementing the efforts of fellow College Football Hall of Fame inductee
Mark Simoneau, who led the defense in 1998, Bishop helped guide the Wildcats to the school's first-ever No. 1 national ranking late into the season, culminating in a Big 12 North title and K-State's first berth in a conference championship game. The season ended with an appearance in the Alamo Bowl; an 11-2 record; and a No. 10 ranking in the final AP Poll. The previous season, Bishop and the Wildcats claimed a Big 12 North title and went 11-1, capped by a 35-18 win over Syracuse in the Fiesta Bowl and a No. 8 ranking in the final AP Poll.
A two-time All-Big 12 performer, Bishop set 34 school records and 14 Big 12 records. He rushed for 1,314 yards and 23 touchdowns while throwing for 4,401 yards and 36 touchdowns in two seasons. Bishop still holds eight K-State records, including single-season passing efficiency (159.6), single-season interception percentage (1.36), and single-season yards per game (299.3). He was inducted into the K-State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016, and he was added to the school's Ring of Honor in 2015.
Drafted in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft by New England, Bishop spent two years with the Patriots before moving to the CFL and helping the Toronto Argonauts win the 2004 Grey Cup. He also claimed an Arena Bowl Championship with the AFL's Chicago Rush.
Bishop is the head football coach at Legacy School of Sport Sciences in the Houston area and the CEO of 4
th Quarter Fitness. He has participated in activities with the Boys and Girls Club, Toys for Tots and Habitat for Humanity. He is a regular volunteer with football and basketball youth teams.
The Willis, Texas, native now becomes the fourth K-State player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame, joining
Gary Spani (1974-77)
Mark Simoneau (1996-99) and
Darren Sproles (2001-04). Hall of Fame Coaches who held the top job in Manhattan include
Charlie Bachman, Bill Snyder and
Lynn Waldorf.
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class includes
Eric Berry (Tennessee),
Michael Bishop (Kansas State),
Reggie Bush (Southern California),
Dwight Freeney (Syracuse),
Robert Gallery (Iowa),
LaMichael James (Oregon),
Derrick Johnson (Texas),
Bill Kollar (Montana State),
Luke Kuechly (Boston College),
Jeremy Maclin (Missouri),
Terance Mathis (New Mexico),
Bryant McKinnie (Miami [FL]),
Corey Moore (Virginia Tech),
Michael Stonebreaker (Notre Dame),
Tim Tebow (Florida),
Troy Vincent (Wisconsin),
Brian Westbrook (Villanova),
DeAngelo Williams (Memphis), and coaches
Monte Cater (Lakeland [WI], Shepherd [WV]),
Paul Johnson (Georgia Southern, Navy, Georgia Tech),
Roy Kramer (Central Michigan) and
Mark Richt (Georgia, Miami [FL]).
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5 at the ARIA 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 hotel rates at the ARIA.
The accomplishments of the 2023 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 2023 Hall of Fame Class, only 1,074 players and 230 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.7 million who have played or coached the game during the past 154 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.
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.
ABOUT FIDELITY INVESTMENTS
Fidelity's mission is to inspire better futures and deliver better outcomes for the customers and businesses we serve. With assets under administration of $10.3 trillion, including discretionary assets of $3.8 trillion as of August 31, 2023, we focus on meeting the unique needs of a diverse set of customers. Privately held for over 75 years, Fidelity employs more than 60,000 associates who are focused on the long-term success of our customers. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit https://www.fidelity.com/about-fidelity/our-company.
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.
