IRVING, Texas (Sept. 4, 2024) – Michigan and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2024 College Football Hall of Fame electee Steve Hutchinson with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The Salute will take place this Saturday, Sept. 7, during the Wolverines' home football game against Texas, which will kick off at 12:00 p.m. ET on FOX.
 
"Steve Hutchinson was the heart and soul of Michigan's offensive line, a relentless force who never allowed a sack in his final two seasons," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "A four-time All-Big Ten selection and two-year captain, Hutchinson's leadership helped drive Michigan to a national title, three Big Ten Championships and four straight bowl wins. We are thrilled to be honoring him at the Big House as a member of the 2024 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.
 
Hutchinson arrived at Michigan as a defensive lineman but switched over to the offensive line during his redshirt season, and he would go on to become a unanimous First Team All-America selection in 2000. He started 45-of-47 career games, and the Wolverines compiled a 41-8 overall record and a 27-5 Big Ten mark during his four seasons as a starter. The Big Ten's Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2000, Hutchinson was a finalist for the 2000 Rotary Lombardi Award after being a semifinalist during the 1999 season.

A two-year team captain, Hutchinson led the Wolverines to four consecutive bowl wins, including a 21-16 victory over Washington State at the Rose Bowl following the 1997 season. Michigan finished the season 12-0 and at No. 1 in the final AP Poll, giving the Wolverines their first national title since 1948. The Wolverines went 10-3 in 1998, claiming a 45-31 victory over Arkansas in the Florida Citrus Bowl and a final No. 12 AP ranking.

The team notched a 10-2 record in 1999, capping the season with a 35-34 win over Alabama in the Orange Bowl and finishing No. 5 in the final polls. During Hutchinson's final season in Ann Arbor in 2000, the Wolverines finished 9-3, ending the season with a 31-28 win over Auburn in the Florida Citrus Bowl and a final No. 11 AP ranking. Michigan never finished lower than 12th nationally while claiming three Big Ten Championships and a national title during his four seasons with the Wolverines.

Playing for Hall of Fame Coach Lloyd Carr all four years, Hutchinson protected the blind side for several Wolverine quarterbacks who set school passing records, including Brian Griese (a 1997 NFF National Scholar-Athlete), Tom Brady (1998, 1999) and Drew Henson (1999, 2000).

The Fort Lauderdale, Florida product now becomes the 34th Michigan player to enter the Hall, joining Neil Snow (1898-1901), Willie Heston (1898-1904), Germany Schulz (1904-08), Albert Benbrook (1908-10), Johnny Maulbetsch (1911; 14-16), Ernie Vick (1918-21), Harry Kipke (1921-23), Benny Friedman (1924-26), Bennie Oosterbaan (1925-27), Harry Newman (1930-32), Francis Wistert (1931-33), Tom Harmon (1938-40), Bob Westfall (1939-41), Albert Wistert (1940-42), Merv Pregulman (1941-43), Elroy Hirsch (1942-43), Bob Chappuis (1942; 46-47), Bump Elliott (1943-44; 46-47), Pete Elliott (1945-48), Alvin Wistert (1946-49), Ron Kramer (1954-56), Ron Johnson (1966-68), Dan Dierdorf (1968-70), Reggie McKenzie (1969-71), James Mandich (1967-69), Tom Curtis (1967-69), Dave Brown (1972-74), Rob Lytle (1974-76), Anthony Carter (1979-82), John Elliott (1984-87), Mark Messner (1985-88), Desmond Howard (1989-91), and Charles Woodson (1995-97).
 
Hall of Fame coaches who headed the Wolverine program include Lloyd Carr, Fritz Crisler, George Little, Bo Schembechler, Tad Wieman and Fielding Yost.
 
The 2024 Hall class includes Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State), the late Paul Cameron (UCLA), Tim Couch (Kentucky), Warrick Dunn (Florida State), Armanti Edwards (Appalachian State), Deon Figures (Colorado), Larry Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh), Toby Gerhart (Stanford), Dan Hampton (Arkansas), Steve Hutchinson (Michigan), Antonio Langham (Alabama), Randy Moss (Marshall), Julius Peppers (North Carolina), Paul Posluszny (Penn State), Dewey Selmon (Oklahoma), Alex Smith (Utah), Kevin Smith (Texas A&M), Chris Ward (Ohio State), Danny Woodhead (Chadron State [NE]), and coaches Mark Dantonio (Cincinnati, Michigan State); Danny Hale (West Chester [PA], Bloomsburg [PA]); and Frank Solich (Nebraska, Ohio). 
 
The 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted at the National Football Foundation's 66^th Annual Awards Dinner presented by Las Vegas on Tuesday December 10 at the Bellagio Hotel & 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 Bellagio.
 
Including the 2024 Hall of Fame Class, only 1,093 players and 233 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.79 million who have played or coached the game during the past 156 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.