Hall of Fame Inductees
- Induction:
- 2012
Football, 1993-96
Current Ohio State defensive line coach Mike Vrabel was one of the great defensive linemen not only at Ohio State, but in the history of the Big Ten Conference. He earned two Big Ten Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year honors (1995 and 1996) and was the first to win the award two times. He also earned back-to-back All-America honors those same seasons.Vrabel twice set the Ohio State single-season record for sacks and tackles for loss (TFL) and he still holds school records for career sacks (36) and single season and career TFLs (26 in 1995 and 66). He ranks third all-time in the Big Ten in sacks and sixth in TFLs.
Vrabel had a distinguished NFL career with three teams following his Ohio State playing days. It was a professional career that saw him a part of the New England Patriots’ dynamic run of three Super Bowls in four years (2001, 2003, 2004). In 2007, as a member of the Patriots, he was named to the Pro Bowl and a month later was named All-Pro. On top of these accomplishments, Vrabel’s professional career included 206 games played with Pittsburgh, New England and Kansas City, 140 starts and enough impressive statistics – 57 sacks, 11 interceptions, 17 forced fumbles and 11 touchdowns receiving (as a tight end), including two in Super Bowls – that one has to conclude he is one of the great performers in a team sport that Ohio State has ever produced.
