May 9, 2007
Chris Zorich, two-time All-American defensive tackle at the University of Notre Dame, was one of 12 former college players and two coaches named today to the National Football Foundation’s 2007 College Football Hall of Fame Class for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A), announced Wednesday by Ron Johnson, chairman of the National Football Foundation.
The 2007 College Football Hall of Fame class will be inducted at the 50th Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 4, 2007, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. The players and coaches will be enshrined at the Hall of Fame in South Bend in August 2007.
Zorich becomes the 42nd former Notre Dame player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The Irish also have five former coaches in the Hall and the 47 total enshrinees are the most of any NCAA institution, the most recent being John Huarte in 2005.
A three-year starter at defensive tackle for the Irish, Zorich left Notre Dame as one of the most decorated defensive players in school history. He was a two-time All-American, earning unanimous first-team All-America accolades as a senior in 1990. Zorich was named United Press International Lineman of Year for 1989 and was chosen CBS Sports/Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year for 1990. He was selected as the 1990 Lombardi Award recipient, given annually to the outstanding lineman in college football, and was a finalist for the Outland Trophy that year, too. Zorich started at nose tackle on the 1988 national championship team and finished his Notre Dame career with 219 tackles, including 21 tackles for loss.
Zorich was drafted in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft by Chicago and played for the Bears through the 1996 season. His stay in Chicago was highlighted in 1993 when he was named an alternate to the NFC Pro Bowl team. Zorich played for the Washington Redskins in 1997 before retiring from the NFL to pursue a law degree at Notre Dame.
Zorich graduated from Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies in 1991 and from the Notre Dame Law School in 2002.
A native of Chicago’s South Side, Zorich is president of the Christopher Zorich Foundation and is a past recipient of USA Weekend’s “Most Caring Athlete Award” and the Jesse Owens Foundation Humanitarian Award. The Foundation assists disadvantaged families through a variety of diverse activities and have affected over 100,000 individuals.
Zorich currently lives in Chicago where he works for the law firm of Schuyler, Roche & Zwirner, P.C.
Here are Zorich's Notre Dame statistics:Year Tkls TFLs Sacks FF FR PBU1988 70 4-8 3.5-(-17) 0 3 31989 92 5-12 3-(-27) 1 2 21990 57 12-26 4-26 2 1 1Career 219 21-56 10.5-70 3 6 6
Here’s the complete listing of the 2007 College Football Hall of Fame Class:
PLAYER (SCHOOL), POSITION, YEARS
Tom Brahaney (Oklahoma), Center, 1970-72
Dave Brown (Michigan), Defensive Back, 1972-74
Jeff Davis (Clemson), Linebacker, 1978-81
Doug Flutie (Boston College), Quarterback, 1981-84
Johnnie Johnson (Texas), Safety, 1976-79
Rex Kern (Ohio State), Quarterback, 1968-70
Ahmad Rashad (Oregon), Running Back/Wide Receiver, 1969-71
Anthony Thompson (Indiana), Running Back, 1986-89
Wilson Whitley (Houston), Defensive Tackle, 1973-76
Reggie Williams (Dartmouth), Linebacker, 1973-75
Richard Wood (Southern California), Linebacker, 1972-74
Chris Zorich (Notre Dame), Defensive Tackle, 1987-90
COACHES – SCHOOL (YEARS)
Herb Deromedi – Central Michigan (1978-93)
Joe Paterno – Penn State (1966-Present)