Herb Orvis, one of the greatest pass rushers in University of Colorado football history, has been selected as the eighth Buffalo to enter the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation announced Friday morning.
Orvis, 69, will join Byron White (inducted in 1952), Joe Romig (1984), Dick Anderson (1993), Bobby Anderson (2006), Alfred Williams (2010), John Wooten (2012) and Coach Bill McCartney (2013).
A near unanimous All-American at defensive end as a senior in 1971, earning recognition from five different organizations. Orvis helped CU to a 10-2 record and No. 3 final national ranking that year, both school-bests at the time. Colorado’s only losses came to top-ranked Nebraska and No. 2 Oklahoma; to this day, it is the only time that the same conference occupied the top three spots in a final poll.
“First of all, it’s a great surprise. A run of vivid memories come back to mind … the players you get to play with, the coaches you played for, the games,” Orvis said in a release from the school.
“They all eventually disappear into another life, but an honor like this brings it all back together — just the excitement of playing on a great team and the love of the game. This is truly an unexpected honor.”
Orvis became a dominant pass rusher during his sophomore and junior seasons in Boulder, when he racked up 144 tackles, which included 26 for losses and 17 quarterback sacks. An ankle injury during his senior year caused him to miss most of three games and play extremely limited in two others, but when healthy, he was a force against the run as well as a terror in opponent backfields. Example: he helped limited Nebraska’s potent running game to just 180 yards and recorded two sacks in Lincoln.
He was twice a first-team All-Big Eight Conference player and was the Big Eight Conference Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore in 1969 with 75 tackles (including 12 for losses and nine quarterback sacks).
He finished his career with 189 tackles (regular season), tied for the most at the time among CU defensive linemen and still tied for 13th.
Colorado was 24-10 in the three seasons he lettered, earning bowl invitations all three years. As a sophomore in 1969, the Buffs defeated Bear Bryant and Alabama in the Liberty Bowl, 47-33. In the three bowl games, he recorded an additional 24 tackles, three sacks, two passes broken up and a fumble recovery.
Orvis was a first round pick by the Detroit Lions in the 1972 National Football League Draft; the 16th overall selection, it was the highest at the time that a CU defender had ever been selected. He went on to play in 122 NFL games with Detroit (1972-77) and Baltimore (1978-81). He was a second-team NFC All-Conference performer at tackle for the Lions in 1975.
Orvis was inducted into CU’s Athletic Hall of Fame in its Class of 2014, was selected as a member of the All-Big Eight Decade team for the 1970s and inducted into the Big Eight Hall of Fame in 1982.