NFL Players from the University of Colorado cover Andre Gurode, Kordell Stewart, Greg Biekert, Chad Brown, Jimmy Smith, and Tedric Thompson.
There have been more than 100s of players in the NFL from Colorado Buffaloes. Byron White is known as one of the best players from the University of Colorado in NFL History and a two-time runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1937.
Similarly, Hale Irwin has played 313 games in the NFL which is recorded as the highest games in NFL history as a Buffalo. He played for the St.Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, and Louis Cardinals in the NFL.
Throughout their 125-year history, the Buffaloes have played in 1,109 games. 11 coaches have guided Colorado to playoff cup games over those seasons some of them include Bunny Oakes, Dallas Ward, Marcel M. Mazur, Bud Davis, and Eddie Crowder.
In addition to this, Coaches Fred Folsom, Myron Witham, William Saunders, Oakes, Jim Yeager, Sonny Grandelius, Mallory, McCartney, and Barnett have all won conference titles with the Buffaloes.
Colorado College Football Players in NFL
| Name | Team |
| Kordell Stewart | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Andre Gurode | Dallas Cowboys |
| Gregg Biekert | Los Angeles Raiders |
| Jimmy Smith | Baltimore Ravens |
| Stan Brock | New Orleans Saint |
| Alfred Williams | Cincinnati Bangals |
| Joe Garten | Green Bay Packers |
| Mitch Berger | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Chris Hudson | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Matt Russel | Detroit Lions |
| Phil Savoy | Arizona Cardinals |
| Ben Kelly | Miami Dolphins |
| Chris Brown | Tennesse Titans |
| Lawrence Vickers | Cleveland Browns |
| Brad Jones | Green Bay Packers |
| Paul Richardson | Seattle Seahawks |
| Jordon Carrell | Dallas Cowboys |
| Davion Taylor | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Isaiah Oliver | Atlanta Falcons |
Andre Gurode – Dallas Cowboys
Andre Gurode is an American professional footballer and former player of the Colorado Buffaloes. He played as a center and guard in the NFL.
He attended and played for Colorado Buffalo as an Alumni of the University of Colorado from 1998 to 2001.
An Offensive Guard, Andre was considered an early second-round pick before being selected 37th overall by the Dallas Cowboys and played for them till 2010.
The Chicago Bears signed Gurode on November 27, 2012, after the injury of Lance Louis and Chris Spencer in a game against the Minnesota Vikings. He was then released from the team on 11 December 2012.
He played for the Oakland Raiders in 2013 till the end of the NFL season. Gurode played 161 games over his career and had a weighted Career approximate value of 847th overall since 1960.
Career Highlights and Awards
- 5 times Pro Bowl from 2006 to 2010
- Second team All-pro in 2009 season.
- Consensus All-American Award in 2001.
- 2 times First Team All-Big 12 in 2000 and 2001.
Kordell Stewart – Pittsburgh Steelers
Kordell Stewart is a former American QB who appeared in 11 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL. He was born on October 16, 1972.
“Slash” played college football as the Colorado Buffalo. He then got selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft as a Quarterback.
His most successful play was in the 2001 season. He led Pittsburgh to the top seed in the conference and a return to the conference title game receiving a Pro Bowl and AFC Offensive Player of the Year awards.
Slash played his last game in 2005. He made 125 games over his career gaining 14,746 passing yards and 77 touchdowns.
He was granted with NFL’s PFWA most-improved Player of the Year in 2001. He was selected for the Pro Bowl 2001 and was awarded with AFC Offensive Player of the Month in 2001.
Chad Brown – Pittsburgh Steelers
Chad Brown played as a linebacker in the NFL and played for the Steelers. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the NFL draft in 1993.
He was born in Altadena, California on July 12, 1970, and started as a four-year starter at the Colorado Buffaloes football team. His major career highlight included playing in the Super Bowl XXX.
Brown played 188 games over his career. He had 1 interception on 7 occasions, recently during the Seattle Seahawks win with 38-0 against Arizona Cardinals on September 14, 2003.
Moreover, On October 13, 1996, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals with 20-10. Chad Brown recorded a career-high sacks of 4.5. He recorded 79.0 sacks over his entire football career.
Professional Career Achievements
- Brown achieved the 1993 NFL All-Rookie Team award.
- Three Pro Bowls in 1996, 1998, and 1999.
- He obtained Player of the Week in 2003, NFC Defensive in Week 17, AFC Defensive in Week 3 of 1997, and PFW NFL Defensive in the 7th week of 1996.
- He became First Team All-pro in 1996 and 1998.
- Player of the Month in 1998 November – AFC defensive.
Jimmy Smith – Baltimore Ravens
Jimmy Smith is a cornerback chosen by the Baltimore Ravens with the 27th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Smith played for the University of Colorado from 2006 to 2010 in his college days. Smith is one of the 56 collegiate defensive backs to attend the annual NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis as a top cornerback prospect during the draft.
On July 29, 2011, the Ravens signed him on a four-year contract worth $7.46 million with a $3.92 million signing bonus. He was able to gain a 35-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the debut season.
Smith debuted his playoff on January 15, 2012. He achieved two tackles and also recovered a fumble from Jacoby Jones, a wide receiver for Houston securing a 20-13 victory.
He played 128 games and had 172 interception return yards in his entire career. He is also a Super Bowl champion which he achieved in the SB XLVII.
Tedric Thompson – Seattle Seahawks
Tedric Thomson started his NFL career for the Seattle Seahawks in 2017. He was drafted in the fourth round during the Draft day.
He was one of the top three safeties drafted by the Seahawks that year.
Thompson signed a four-year, $3.07 million contract with the Seahawks on May 11, 2017, with a bonus of $672,004. In the 5th week of the 2019 season, He intercepted the pass from Jared Groff in the match against the Rams with a 30-29 victory.
Moreover, he played for the Seattle Seahawks from 2017 to 2019, and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020. Moreover, he also had a career with Cleveland Browns in 2020, and the Denver Broncos in 2021.
Thompson played 38 games and contributed 18 interceptions and return yards over his entire career. His final season appearance was in the 2021 season.
Gregg Biekert – Los Angeles Raiders
After the end of his Colorado Buffaloes career, Bikert was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 1993 NFL Draft.
Gregg played 144 games with 123 starts. He led the Raiders in tackles for different seasons from 1998 to 2001.
He was involved with the Oakland Raiders from 1993 to 2001 and then moved to the Minnesota Vikings in 2002. Moreover, Gregg appeared as a linebacker coach for the Oakland Raiders from 2010 to 2011.
Greg played 176 games with 16 sacks and 155 game starts as a defensive player over his career.
Stan Brock – New Orleans Saints
Stan Brock played in the NFL for the Chargers and Saints. He played 234 games over his career with 223 starts.
Brock played for the New Orleans Saints for 13 years, i.e. from 1980 till 1992. He also played in the Super Bowl XXIX as a Charger where his career lasted from 1993 to 1995.
He was able to achieve the 1980 NFL ALL-Rookie Team award in the 1980 season. Stan also got inducted into the 1997 Saints Hall of Fame.
Arlington Hambright – Chicago Bears
Hambright was a Guard for the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL. He was a college footballer for Colorado in his Senior year.
He was drafted in the seventh round, 266th overall by the Bears in the 2020 NFL draft. He signed a four-year rookie contract with the team on July 21, making his NFL debut against the New Orleans Saints in week 8.
Arlington played for the Chicago Bears from 2020 to 2021 and signed as a reserve for the New England Patriots. He ultimately became a practice squad member for the Colts in 2022.
He has played 9 games over his entire NFL career.