Kordell Stewart (2018) - CU Athletic Hall of Fame - University of Colorado Athletics

Kordell Stewart

Induction:
2018
Class:
1994

A second-team Associated Press All-American, tying the highest honor ever afforded a Colorado quarterback from the wire service (along with Darian Hagan in 1989) … The Big Eight Conference’s all-time total offense leader with 7,770 yards … Finished as CU’s career leader in both total offense and passing yards (6,481); still second and fourth, respectively through 2017 … His 27-5-1 record as a starter (83.3 winning percentage) is the best in history for any CU quarterback … First-team All-Big Eight as a senior in 1994, when he was the recipient of CU’s Zack Jordan Award as the Buffs’ most valuable player leading Colorado to an 11-1 record and No. 3 national ranking … The MVP of the ‘95 Fiesta Bowl, as he rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown (on just seven carries) while throwing for 205 and a TD in CU’s 41-24 rout of Notre Dame … That was the first game in school history where a player threw for 200 yards and rushed for 100 (which has only been done twice more) … Finished 13th in the Heisman balloting that year, when teammate Rashaan Salaam won … First player in CU history to have three 2,000-yard passing seasons … His 1,289 career rushing yards were the second most by a quarterback in school history … Had 19 200-yard passing games and seven 300-yard total offense games in his career … At the time, he posted the most prolific first start at quarterback in school history, throwing for 409 yards and four touchdowns in a 37-17 win over Colorado State to open his sophomore year … Key player in college football’s play of the century, when he heaved a 64-yard pass to Michael Westbrook that rallied CU to a 27-26 win as time expired at Michigan in 1994 (the game became known as “The Miracle in Michigan”) … A second round pick by Pittsburgh in the ’95 NFL Draft (61st overall) … Though nicknamed “Slash” early in his professional career because he played some wide receiver (thus a QB/WR listing on the roster), he never went out for a pass in his college career … Played eight seasons with the Steelers (1995-2002) before moving on to Chicago in 2003 and Baltimore in 2004-05 … He returned to CU in 2016 to finish up his college degree, as he wanted to set an example for his son … Also in 2016, he was inducted into the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame … In his post-football career, he has worked for ESPN and is now a sports personality in the Atlanta area.