At one point Wednesday, former University of Colorado star Chris Hudson thought the best part of his day was going to be the speeding ticket he got dismissed.
When he left court, however, he saw a few missed calls that would make him forget all about the ticket.
Hudson was informed Wednesday that he has been selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. He is one of 18 players and four coaches in the 2026 class, and he will become the 12th CU legend to be enshrined in the Hall.
“I was just so surprised, man, and my feelings, just … I don’t even know where to go (with feelings),” Hudson said in a phone interview with BuffZone.
After getting home and, with his wife by his side, opening the hall of fame package that arrived at his house, Hudson called his brother, as well as his position coach at CU, Greg Brown, and some teammates.
“Itap like I got it with them, for them,” Hudson said of his teammates, “because thatap who I played for. Thatap how much love I have for my teammates. I loved them then, I still love them now. We were all like brothers. Itap like each of them got a piece of this. Thatap how I feel.”
Hudson, 54, played for CU from 1991-94 and still ranks second in program history with 15 career interceptions. As a senior in 1994, he was a consensus first-team All-American and won the Jim Thorpe Award, presented annually to the best defensive back in the country.
Hudson was part of a Big Eight championship team in 1991, leading the Buffs with four interceptions despite being a freshman. In 1992, he helped CU go 9-2-1 and had four more interceptions while playing alongside Deon Figures, who won the Thorpe Award that year. Hudson added four more interceptions as a junior in 1993, helping CU to an 8-3-1 mark.
In 1994, CU had one of its best teams in program history, including Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam and dynamic quarterback Kordell Stewart. The Buffs went 11-1 that season, losing only at Nebraska.
Hudson posted 37 tackles, three interceptions and six pass breakups in 1994, despite playing the last 10 games of the regular season with a turf toe injury. Quarterbacks didn’t throw Hudson’s way often, as he allowed just five completions and no touchdowns in 186 coverage snaps that season.
“Oh man, it was great,” Hudson said of being a part of the 1994 team. “We all keep in touch now. It was great, just knowing going into the season, knowing what you was going to do as a team, knowing what our goal was … I mean, everybody was committed to each other.”
CU went 36-9-3 during Hudson’s four seasons in Boulder — the last four seasons of legendary coach Bill McCartney’s tenure. Hudson was inducted into the CU Athletics hall of fame in 2016.
Hudson becomes the third player from CU’s 1994 team to go into the Hall of Fame, along with Salaam (class of 2022) and receiver Michael Westbrook (class of 2020). Their coach, McCartney, was inducted in 2013.
CU’s other College Football Hall of Famers are: Byron White (class of 1952), Joe Romig (1984), Dick Anderson (1993), Bobby Anderson (2006), Alfred Williams (2010), John Wooten (2012), Herb Orvis (2016) and Figures (2024).
To be one of only 11 players in CU football history to reach the Hall of Fame is an honor, Hudson said.
“Man, it means so much,” he said. “My son (Ashton) goes there. He’s an honors student there, so that tells you what that school means to me. I love the University of Colorado. You know, thatap where I grew up as a man.”
The 2026 Hall of Fame class includes 18 players and four coaches. They will be officially inducted during the 68th NFF awards dinner in Las Vegas on Dec. 8.
Hudson will be enshrined alongside Ki-Jana Carter (Penn State), Aaron Donald (Pittsburgh), Marvin Harrison (Syracuse), Garrison Hearst (Georgia), Mark Ingram (Alabama), Herman Moore (Virginia), Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska), Peter Warrick (Florida State), Eric Weddle (Utah) and others. Former TCU head coach Gary Patterson and former Boise State and Washington coach Chris Petersen are also in the class.
