Bennie Blades was a three-year starter at Miami from 1984-87 and led the Hurricanes to the 1987 national championship with a win over Oklahoma in the 1988 Orange Bowl. He recorded three tackles and a pass break-up against the Sooners, who were limited to just 76 yards on five completions through the air. The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. native was a Thorpe Award winner and All-American at Miami and was described by former Hurricanes coach Jimmy Johnson as "the best player at his position that I ever coached." Blades was drafted third overall by the Detroit Lions in the 1988 NFL Draft and went on to play 11 seasons with Detroit and Seattle. He was inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame in 2006.

Brooks was a three-year starter at linebacker between 1991-94 and won the 1993 and 1994 Orange Bowls with Florida State. The Brooks-led defense gave Nebraska just 23 minutes on the field in the 1993 Orange Bowl, while he tallied five tackles.   The Pensacola, Fla. native led the way on defense as the Seminoles captured their first national championship in the 1994 game. Brooks went on to a 14-year NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was an 11-time Pro Bowl selection and NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002 when he led the Bucs to a win in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Rimington was a three-year starter at center for Nebraska between 1979-82 and led the Cornhuskers to Orange Bowl berths in 1982 and 1983, competing for a national championship against Clemson in the former year. In his two Orange Bowl appearances, the Omaha, Neb. native anchored an offensive line that helped produce 430 rushing yards, including 237 in Nebraska’s 1983 win over LSU. Along with fellow Orange Bowl Hall of Famer Turner Gill, Rimington was named Most Outstanding Player in the 1983 game, the only offensive lineman to accomplish the feat since the Orange Bowl began naming a MOP in 1965. A Lombardi Award winner and two-time Outland Trophy recipient and All-American, Rimington went on to a seven-year NFL career with Cincinnati and Philadelphia. Often regarded as college football’s best center, he is the namesake of the Rimington Trophy, annually awarded to college football’s most outstanding center. Rimington was inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame in 1997.