Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
The College Football Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday who will be inducted into their 2013 class, but on Monday rumors started leaking that former Nebraska Cornhuskers‘ quarterback Tommie Frazier will finally get the credit he deserves.
Why he was passed over by voters for so long is beyond me, but in my opinion he is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever take the field. As a child growing up in a house divided by the Big 8 and the Southwest Conference (mom is a Longhorn, dad is a Sooner) I got to see plenty of Frazier. His last season at Nebraska, I was in high school and I remember saying something along the lines of, “thank goodness he is graduating soon.”
While Frazier was a Husker, they only lost four games. Frazier led them to three-straight Orange Bowls, and then the infamous Fiesta Bowl, where the Huskers gave the Florida Gators a 62-24 beat down.
Rumor has it that Nebraska head coach, Tom Osborne actually cried when Frazier decided to sign with the Huskers.
The Frazier-led Huskers were voted one of the greatest football teams of all time, and he is only one of four quarterbacks to win back-to-back National Championship’s since the 1950s.
Due to Crohn’s disease, Frazier was never drafted to the NFL. He had a blood clot in his leg, which is a side effect. He went to the Montreal Alouettes for one year and only played in one game before he was sidelined again due to his medical issues. He later decided to retire from the game.
While at Nebraska he racked up these accolades and awards:
Big Eight Freshman of the Year
Orange Bowl Most Valuable Player
Orange Bowl Most Valuable Player
Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
Quarterback of the Year
Consensus All-American
Fiesta Bowl Most Valuable Player
Frazier may go down as one of the best players I have ever seen take the field. It is nice to FINALLY see him get the recognition he has deserved for the last 17 years.
