Mickey Pruitt (2021) - CU Athletic Hall of Fame - University of Colorado Athletics

Mickey Pruitt

Induction:
2021
Class:
1987

Earned four letters under Bill McCartney from 1984-87 … He is one of just seven players in Colorado history to be afforded three-time first-team all-conference honors, as he was an All-Big Eight strong safety in 1985-86-87… He earned second-team All-America honors as a senior and was an honorable mention All-American as a junior (selected by the Associated Press both years) … His 332 career tackles set a school record for the most by a defensive back, a record that would stand for 14 years (still stands second by a DB and 12th overall through the 2019 season), and his 30 career pass deflections was the Buff standard for 12 seasons… He had nine career forced fumbles, the third most at CU … He led all Big Eight defensive backs in tackles as a junior (106) and senior (108) … Was a finalist for the inaugural Jim Thorpe Award in 1986 … His sack of Oregon quarterback Chris Miller as time expired preserved a 21-17 Colorado win 1985, the impetus for CU’s first winning season in seven years … CU’s Zack Jordan Award winner (most valuable player) his senior year, as selected by his teammates … A member of CU’s All-Century team, selected in 1989, and a first-team Big Eight All-Decade selection (1980-89) … Undrafted out of college, he signed as a free agent and played 62 games in the NFL with Chicago (1988-90) and Dallas (1991-92) … He received the Brian Piccolo Award given annually to the Bears rookie who best exemplifies courage, loyalty, teamwork and dedication … With the Cowboys in 1992, he earned a Super Bowl ring when Dallas defeated Buffalo, 52-17 … He was a graduate assistant at Colorado under head coach Rick Neuheisel for the 1995 and 1996 seasons, and went on to be a full-time coach tutoring the secondary for the University of Hawai’i under Fred von Appen (who was an assistant at CU) … He spent some time in the player personnel department for the Chicago Bears starting in 1999 and also served for a time as the director of the Bears’ Youth Football Camps in 2012 … He is in his 23rd year as the director of sports for Chicago Public Schools … He was born January 10, 1965 in Bamberg, S.C.