How Devin Hester's College Career Led to the Hall of Fame

Today he is the first return specialist in the history of football to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a primary player returner. He has done just about everything in the NFL, although he isn’t completed decorated, he’s probably considered by most to be the best return man ever. However, the first taste of the world of Devin Hester college football proved everyone that he was capable of exploding on the football field, prove his unique abilities before entering the PFHOF.

Devin Hester’s College Career: Can the Most Dangerous Special Teams Player in NFL History be Found?.

Most career return touchdowns. More career punt return touchdowns. Majority of return touchdowns in a season. However, due to the changes of the kickoff rule just recently, there probably won’t be another player in NFL history that can be primarily returned just like Hester. He was uncontainable, a blur in Chicago blue, who harassed return units from the very moment he stepped on the NFL ground.

Yes, Hester was as to be the most dangerous special teams player in the NFL history. Yet he was much more than that. At the University of Miami he was college football’s most dangerous specialist at special teams but he was also its best cornerback; he also had the skills of the best wide receiver and used his abilities in offense side of the game.

How shall we remember the kick returns, the punt returns, the kickoff returns, the missed field goal returns, ‘that almost unbelievable turn of speed, the agility, the slipperiness’ that became the expected each time the ball went anywhere in the vicinity of his grasping arms?

However, how many people also think the same, that during his three playing seasons with the Hurricanes, Hester also intercepted five balls while being a part of Miami’s defense? Out of ten fans, five of them could remember that the play maker who came in as a true freshman in the Big East also averaged 6. Ever had 7 yards per carry as a rusher, and even 196 receiving yards?

Of course as gifted as his skills involved in getting back the football deep into the hostile territory and particularly into the opponent’s end zone were, so was his overall college football profile distinct. In fact, he became the first Miami player in the modern era to take snaps in all three phases of the game: ofcyber-offense, cyber-defense, and special teams.

However, regarding the three-way wonder, Hester really make the special teams special at Miami with 638 punt return yards with four punt return touchdowns, 1019 kick return yards and two kick return scores. He made the Hurricane fans’ heart flutter from his 98 yard touchdown return against Florida, an in-state rival, to the final punt return of his career at Temple.

His draught by the Chicago Bears in 2006 NFL draught caused huge surprise considering he was drafted to play as a cornerback. Bears fans craved for that game breaking performance. Well, ultimately they got one but not in the shape or form, they were expecting it to be in.

At the time he retired, he held many records that are actually might not be easy to be broken at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Further, the match also saw Hester achieve a record that to this date no player in NFL has been able to accomplish; he has the distinction of being one of five players to have earned an NFL game ‘kick-six. ’ Six kick returns in a season will never again be equal by him.

At the NFL level, his contribution to the special teams will not be equal to what he has done in college that set the tone for what was to come for the Miami Hurricanes; earning him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.