Miami Lakes, Fla. (www.orangebowl.org) – The Orange Bowl will induct Andre Cooper, Tucker Frederickson, and Ahman Green into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame presented by Deloitte. The induction will take place at the AvMed Orange Bowl Coaches Luncheon at Jungle Island in Miami on December 30, 2014. Cooper is the eighth Florida State Seminole to be inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame presented by Deloitte. Frederickson will be the first Auburn Tiger to receive the honor. Green is the thirteenth honoree from the University of Nebraska, the most of any other school.
Andre Cooper came to Florida State as a two sport athlete – football and basketball – but is remembered for having one of the greatest single season performances in school history and a setting an Orange Bowl record in one of the Classic’s most thrilling matchups. In 1995-96, Cooper set the Florida State record for most receiving touchdowns in a season with 15, a mark that he solely held until 2013-14, when it was equaled by Kelvin Benjamin. In the 31-26 1996 Orange Bowl win over Notre Dame, Cooper caught three touchdown passes including a three yard score in with six minutes left that pulled FSU ahead for good and earned him Most Outstanding Player honors. After leaving Florida State, Cooper spent time in the NFL as a member of the Denver Broncos.
Tucker Frederickson is a native of Hollywood, Florida and graduate of South Broward H.S. He went to Auburn and became an outstanding two-way player for the Tigers. In 1964 he was named All-American, was the runner-up in the Heisman Race and won the Jacobs Trophy as outstanding blocker in the SEC. Coach Shug Jordan called him “the most complete football player I’ve ever seen.” He was the first player selected in the 1965 NFL Draft, by the New York Giants, and played until 1971 when a knee injury forced his retirement. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994. Tucker played on both offense and defense on Auburn’s 1964 Orange Bowl team against Nebraska.
Ahman Green was a focal point in the dominating and high scoring Nebraska Cornhusker offenses of the mid 1990’s. Green led a ground game that helped the Huskers capture back to back Orange Bowl wins including a national championship title victory over Tennessee in the 1998 Orange Bowl. In that game, Green set the Orange Bowl single game rushing record with 206 yards on 29 carries and two scores. He ranks second in most rushing yards in a single season (1,877) and all-time at Nebraska (3,880). Green left school following his junior season and was drafted in the third round by the Seattle Seahawks in 1998. When he was traded to the Green Bay Packers in 2000 his professional career took off. In eight seasons with the Packers, he became the team’s all-time leading rusher (8,322 yards), all-time leader in yards from scrimmage (11,048), 1,000-yard seasons (six), 100-yard games (33) and rushing attempts (1,851). The four-time Pro Bowler also set the Packer’s single season record in rushing yards (1,883).
In addition to the induction on Dec. 30, the new Hall of Fame members will be introduced to the crowd pre-game at the 2014 Capital One Orange Bowl. The 81st edition of the game will be played on December 31 at Sun Life Stadium in South Florida, is part of the New Year’s Six Bowls and pits the ACC Champion (or highest ranking ACC team if the champion goes to the College Football Playoff) against the highest ranked available non-champion from the Big Ten, SEC, or Notre Dame. Applications are currently being accepted online for media credentials for the 2014 Capital One Orange Bowl. Accredited media can access the application by logging on www.orangebowl.org/pressbox. For additional information about the Orange Bowl Committee or the 2014 Capital One Orange Bowl, please visit www.orangebowl.org or emailmedia@orangebow.org.
