Former Nebraska football star Irving Fryar earned a rather prestigious honor as he was recently named to the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.
There was a time when Irving Fryar was light years ahead of any former Nebraska football receiver not named Johnny Rodgers. He was the man who showed that even an offense that centered on the run could produce a pass catcher to be feared.
He demonstrated his ability despite being in a run-first offense to a level that he was the first overall pick in the 1984 draft by the New England Patriots. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the former Nebraska football star getting inducted into the Philly Sports Hall of Fame is that he wasn’t an Eagle all that long.
Fryar spent his first nine years in the league with the Patriots before playing three years with the Miami Dolphins and then three years with the Eagles. Of course, it’s worth pointing out that his first two years with Philadelphia were arguably his best two seasons in the NFL.
He put up career highs in catches (88) and touchdowns (11) in 1996 and then posted a career-high in receiving yards with 1,316 in 1997. He added another 86 catches that season. Those were his age, 34 and 35 seasons, by the way.
While it appears that age started to catch up with Irving in 1998, he demonstrated that being a great player can be a great man. That year, he won the Bart Starr Award (for outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community).
Ex-Nebraska football star lands in the HOF
Looking at all that, it makes a bit more sense why Irving Fryar is considered someone deserving of the Philadelphia Hall of Fame. Those kinds of tidbits can surely make Nebraska football fans proud that he came through Lincoln and did what he did here before putting together such an impressive professional career.