We are 85 Days away from college football kickoff. Happy Football Friday, all y’all. Today we have two more outstanding college football players. First up is Chris Slade of Virginia. Followed by Andre Wadsworth from Florida State. Its a great day for some college football news and highlights. Hope you have a great weekend and are enjoying the countdown to kickoff.
Chris Slade Days Away From College Football Kickoff
Back To Back All-American Honors
Chris Slade became the first University of Virginia player to earn first-team All-America honors in two seasons, in 1991 and 1992. While playing for the Cavaliers, he set both the Virginia and ACC career records for quarterback sacks with 40.
In 1989, Slade’s freshman year, he played on a Virginia team that set a school record with 10 wins and shared the ACC title. He was sixth on the team in tackles with 52 and second in sacks with four. As a sophomore, he recorded seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss, earning first-team All-ACC honors. That year, the Cavaliers were ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for three straight weeks.
In his junior year in 1991, Slade recorded a career-high 99 tackles and led a Virginia defense that ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense and sixth in pass efficiency defense. That season, he set new Virginia records for sacks with 14 and tackles for loss with 21. He was named second-team All-ACC, first-team All-American by College & Pro Football Newsweekly, second-team All-America by The Football News, and third-team All-America by the Associated Press.
In 1992, he was the team captain and was named national defensive player of the year by Football News. Slade was also the defensive MVP of the 1990 Florida Citrus Bowl, making a game-high 11 tackles. By the end of his college career, Slade held the program record for tackles for loss with 56 and ranked fifth on UVA’s all-time tackles list with 299.
Furthermore, in his senior year as a team tri-captain in 1992, Slade broke his own school record with 15 sacks and led the team with 20 tackles for loss. He was third on the team in tackles with 74 and tied for the lead in pass break-ups with 11. Slade earned first-team All-ACC honors and was named first-team All-America by AP, United Press International, Football News, The Sporting News, the Football Writers Association of America, and the Walter Camp Foundation. He was also a second-team All-America pick by College and Pro Football News Weekly.
Slade was chosen in the second round of the 1993 NFL Draft, 31st overall, by the New England Patriots. He played eight seasons with the Patriots, he made the NFL All-Rookie Team and was named Defensive Player of the Year three times. He served as team captain, was selected to the Pro Bowl, and earned All-Pro honors after the 1997 season. Slade was also named to the Patriots’ 1990s All-Decade Team. He finished his career in 2001 with the Carolina Panthers. In his nine-year NFL career, he played in 142 games, made 664 tackles, including 53.5 sacks, and recorded 16 tackles for loss. He was part of the Patriots team that played in Super Bowl XXXI.
Slade was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team in 2002 and joined the ACC Football Legends Class in 2011. After his senior season, the athletics department retired his jersey number 85.
Another Great #85
Andre Wadsworth moved from St. Croix to Miami at age five. He played basketball and began playing football in eighth grade. By his senior year, he was MVP in both sports and earned All-Dade County honors. Although he didn’t get Division I scholarship offers, Coach Chuck Amato invited him to join the Seminole team as a walk-on.
After redshirting his first year, Wadsworth played four standout seasons in garnet and gold, becoming one of the top pass rushers in FSU and college football history. In his senior year in 1997, he earned first-team All-American honors from five organizations and was recognized as an NCAA Consensus All-American. That year, he was a finalist for the Lombardi Award, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and made the All-ACC first team. He received the $10,000 Burger King College Football Scholarship in 1997 and led the ACC with 16 sacks. Wadsworth was also named CBS SportsLine Defensive Player of the Year, Defensive Lineman of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus, an Outland Trophy finalist, and was listed among the 30 Greatest ACC Players by College Football News.
Wadsworth earned his business degree after his junior year and started graduate studies in Sports Administration while finishing his final season at FSU. In spring 1998, the Arizona Cardinals picked him third overall, making him the highest FSU player ever drafted into the NFL.
Wadsworth played three seasons with Arizona, finding success despite frequent injuries. He underwent four knee surgeries in just 15 months between November 1999 and January 2001. Over 36 games, including 30 starts, he recorded 119 tackles (65 solo), 8 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, and 1 interception.
Editor’s Note: The countdown to college football kickoff has been a series on the Last Word on College Football social media platforms for the past 9 years. They consisted of a photo and a small blurb for each player, with the jersey corresponding to the number of days until kickoff. The rank of the players is sourced from articles by Bleacher Report, Fox Sports, and The Athletic. There are also some favorite players of the Last Word on College Football writers. Their bios are sourced from multiple online sources, including but not limited to the College Football Hall of Fame, their Heisman profiles, and school websites.
Main Photo: USA TODAY Sports
