IRVING, Texas (Sept. 14, 2022) – The University of Nebraska and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced 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.
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