Cobb takes his place in College Football Hall of Fame

By Chuck Pool

Rice running back Trevor Cobb took his place among college football’s elite as he joined nine other former players and three coaches who have been formally inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Trevor Cobb

Cobb became the seventh former Rice player to be inducted and the first since Tommy Kramer in 2012.

A consensus first-team All-American as a junior in 1991, Cobb became the first Owl to win one of college football’s major individual honors when he received the Doak Walker Award, honoring the best running back in the nation. A finalist for the award again as a senior, he went on to be named the 1992 Southwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year (across all sports) after leading Rice to its first winning season in 30 years. The three-time all-conference selection completed his career ranked second in SWC history with 4,948 rushing yards, which was eighth on the NCAA list at the time and is now 24th.

Cobb became the first Owl and fourth SWC player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons, and he holds the top three season totals in school history, led by his 1,692 yards in 1991. Cobb’s other conference career records include all-purpose yards (6,512), rushing attempts (1,091) and 200-yard games in a season (six). He also set 17 school records, including season and career marks for rushing attempts (306 and 1,091, respectively), career rushing touchdowns (38) and career 100-yard games (24). The recipient of the 1992 SWC American Spirit Award for achievement on and off the field, Cobb held Rice’s season and career scoring records until 2008.

After his collegiate career, Cobb played in the 1993 Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Game and had stints in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears. The Houston native also played for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe in 1996.

As the director of his nonprofit, Trevor Cobb’s Helping Hands in Houston, he participates in numerous civic events and mentors young athletes to be well-rounded and educated while promoting understanding of people with special needs. A member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame, Cobb was selected as a 2017 “Honor Jersey” at Rice; a member of the team wore No. 45 for the season. He returned to college and received his bachelor’s degree in 2001.

With his Dec. 4 induction in New York, Cobb joined Kerry Collins (Penn State quarterback, 1989-92), Dave Dickenson (Montana quarterback, 1992-95), Dana Howard (Illinois linebacker, 1991-94), Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech wide receiver, 2004-06), Paul Palmer (Tempe running back, 1983-86), Ed Reed (Miami defensive back, 1998-2001), Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia offensive tackle, 1995-98), Aaron Taylor (Nebraska center/guard, 1994-97) and Charles Woodson (Michigan defensive back, 1995-97) along with coaches Mack Brown (North Carolina, Texas, Tulane and Appalachian State), Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech and Murray State) and Mel Tjeerdsma (Northwest Missouri State and Austin College) in this year’s College Football Hall of Fame induction class.