Colton Underwood, former Washington High School football player, Illinois State star, NFL hopeful and reality TV star, is headed to the Redbirds HOF.
Colton Underwood is one of four athletes who will be inducted in the class of 2025 Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame this fall.
The former Washington High School and ISU defensive end was a two-time all-American and two-time finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award during his collegiate career with the Redbirds.
The honorees will be officially inducted at the Hall of Fame breakfast at 8 a.m., Oct. 18, in the Bone Student Center Brown Ballroom on the Illinois State University campus. The class will also be recognized during the Homecoming Parade and at halftime of the Illinois State-Youngstown State football game later that day.
Underwood played 45 career games at Illinois State, where the 6-foot-4, 255-pound defensive end delivered 215 tackles, ranked third all-time with 44 tackles for loss and fourth all-time with 21.5 sacks.
Underwood went on to chances with four NFL teams, beginning as an undrafted free agent signed by the San Diego Chargers in 2014. He also had short stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders' practice squads, ultimately released in 2016.
He had a brief relationship with gold-medal gymnast Aly Raisman following the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. That led to an appearance on "The Bachelorette," the ABC companion show to "The Bachelor" and "Bachelor In Paradise." In 2019, he was given his shot as "The Bachelor," which has led to a career in entertainment.
ISU hall of fame class of 2025
In addition to Colton Underwood, Illinois State will induct three fellow athletes:
- Robin Chapman (softball): Two-time All-Gateway Conference First-Team selection and MVC All-Centennial Team member.
- Janelle (Crabtree) Knight (women's tennis): MVC All-Centennial Team member and single-season wins record holder.
- Akil Mills (men's track and field): Three-time NCAA All-American and two-time MVC Champion.
- Also: Longtime Illinois State football radio analyst Ted Schmitz will be honored with the Campbell "Stretch" Miller Award. The award is named for Campbell Miller, a former Redbird student-athlete who went on to broadcast Illinois State games in the 1940s, before joining the St. Louis Cardinals broadcasting team.
How to attend ISU hall of fame ceremony
Reservations for the 2025 Hall of Fame ceremony can be purchased through the ISU Athletics Department. To order tickets for the event or for more information, please call Sam Williams at (309) 438-7429 or email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Class of 2025: Illinois State athletic hall of fame will add Washington High School star
Category: General Sports
