Rozier Honored at Halftime of NU-Texas Game

Lincoln - Former Husker I-back great Mike Rozier was honored at halftime of Saturday’s Nebraska-Texas game at Memorial Stadium for his upcoming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Rozier officially will become the 13th Nebraska player inducted on Dec. 5, 2006 at the 49th Annual Awards Dinner in New York City.

 

Chuck Neinas, representing the National Football Foundation, will be on hand for Saturday’s on-campus salute, while four other Husker greats?each a Hall of Famer?will stand alongside Rozier during halftime festivities. Former Nebraska Head Coach Tom Osborne, who coached Rozier from 1981 to 1983, will be joined by Forrest Behm (1938-40), Rich Glover (1970-72) and Johnny Rodgers (1970-72) in celebrating the induction of NU’s leading career rusher.

 

Milke Rozier Highlight Package

 

“I am honored to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame,” Rozier said at the time of the announcement.  “It is such a great honor to be mentioned with the other Hall of Fame members who have gone before me and those who are in this class. I was fortunate that God gave me the talent to play the game I love. I loved my time at Nebraska and appreciate everything that my family, my coaches, the University and my teammates have done for me.”

 

Rozier captured the Heisman Trophy in 1983, following a record-setting senior campaign. He rushed for 2,148 yards on 275 carries and scored a school-record 29 touchdowns. He averaged 179 yards per game, while rushing for more than 100 yards in 11 straight games, including a career-best 285 yards against Kansas. His 2,148 yards as a senior is the fifth-highest total in NCAA history, and he was the second rusher in NCAA history to surpass 2,000 yards in a season.

 

The Camden, N.J., native totaled a Nebraska record 4,780 rushing yards in his three-year Husker career. As a junior, Rozier rushed for 1,689 yards, the fourth-best single-season total in Nebraska history. That season, he was the Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-American, while finishing 10th in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. He began his Nebraska career with 943 yards rushing as a sophomore, earning All-Big Eight honors while sharing time in the backfield with junior Roger Craig.

 

Overall, Rozier captured Big Eight player-of-the-week honors six times in his Husker career and his 49 career rushing touchdowns and 312 points trail only fellow Heisman winner Eric Crouch among position players in the Husker record book.

 

“Mike was one of the greatest running backs I’ve seen,” Osborne said after learning of Rozier’s election to the hall of fame.  “He had great ability to make people miss while continuing up-field, without much deviation in his path.  He had great balance and always had a great deal of fun playing the game and was enjoyable to be around. I congratulate Mike and his family.”

 

Rozier spent eight years in professional football, including seven seasons in the NFL.  He spent six seasons with the Houston Oilers from 1985 to 1990, before closing his career with the Atlanta Falcons in 1990 and 1991. He began his pro career with the Pittsburgh Maulers in the USFL in 1984, and he played with the USFL's Jacksonville Bulls in 1985.

 

Rozier and his wife Rochelle live in Sicklerville, N.J. and have a three-year old son, Michael Jr.  Mike’s other two children, son JaMichael and daughter Amber, live in Houston.

 

Rozier is a member of a 15-man class, including two coaches, that is due to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Other notables among the class include former standouts Charlie Ward (Florida State) and Emmitt Smith (Florida), as well as coaches Bobby Bowden (Florida State) and Joe Paterno (Penn State).

 

More than 800 players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame since its inception in 1951, including 12 Huskers. Additionally, 173 coaches are enshrined in the hall of fame, including six from Nebraska.

 

Nebraska Players in the College Football Hall of Fame

Player, Position                       Yrs. at NU         Year of Induction

Ed Weir, Tackle                         1923-25             1951

George Sauer, Fullback              1931-33             1954

Guy Chamberlin, End                 1913-15             1962

Clarence Swanson, End             1918-21             1973

Sam Francis, Fullback               1934-36             1977

Bobby Reynolds, Halfback          1950-52             1984

Forrest Behm, Tackle                 1938-40             1988

Wayne Meylan, Middle Guard     1965-67             1991

Bob Brown, Guard                      1961-63             1993

Rich Glover, Middle Guard          1970-72             1995

Dave Rimington, Center              1979-82             1997

Johnny Rodgers, Wingback        1970-72             2000

Mike Rozier, I-Back                    1981-83             2006

 

Nebraska Coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame

Coach                                      Yrs. at NU         Year of Induction

Fielding Yost                             1898                  1951

Dana X. Bible                             1929-36             1951

Lawrence “Biff” Jones                 1937-41             1954

E.N. Robinson                           1896-97             1955

Bob Devaney                             1962-72             1981

Tom Osborne                             1973-97             1998