A familiar face will be hanging around Hughes Stadium during Saturday’s homecoming game against Fresno State that harkens back to the glory days of CSU football.
At halftime the Rams will honor former All-American safety and punt return specialist Greg Myers, who enters the College Football Hall of Fame Dec. 4. Myers will be one of 14 former players and coaches honored in New York.
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“To me what it shows and what it shows everybody is ‘why not CSU?’ because it should be and its been proven,” current CSU coach Jim McElwain said. “There’s a hall of famer right there.”
Myers played for CSU from 1992-95, and won the Thorpe Award given to the most outstanding defensive back in a season his senior year in 1995. He was the first Western Athletic Conference player to win all-conference honors four times and led the NCAA in punt return yards and touchdowns his senior season.
“This is just a huge honor, and it says a lot about CSU and the players and coaches I was around,” Myers said upon finding out in May he’d be in the hall of fame. “It’s an award I’ll be getting, but I definitely will be accepting it on behalf of CSU and everyone who was around me.”
The Rams’ current players and coaches received a special visit from Myers earlier this year to help them understand what being a Ram is all about.
“He gave us a good talk and he came out here just saying everything he did and how his accomplishments were for the team and he wouldn’t have got them if he didn’t have a good team,” linebacker Shaquil Barrett said. “I enjoyed talking to him and just listening to what he had to say.”
Myers’ return to Fort Collins enhances a homecoming experience that makes college football one of the most unique sports in America, in McElwain’s mind.
“College football is the greatest thing there is and there again, homecoming, people coming back to your campus reliving the days when maybe we were a little younger,” he said. “Someday I actually look forward to going back to a homecoming myself.”
Former coach Sonny Lubick is also expected to be in attendance to honor Myers, his first visit back since leaving the program in 2007.
Part of what makes homecoming special for players is the chance for family and friends to come out and see a game.
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“It’s important, I love homecoming because you just know all the support, fan support,” Barrett said. “My brother and his wife will come out this week and it will be good to see them again and hopefully we can go out there and perform for them and our fans that are coming out to support us and get a victory for them.”
Sports Editor Cris Tiller can be reached at sports@collegian.com.