Orange Bowl Hall of Fame presented by AutoNation

The Best of the Best

The Orange Bowl Committee selects a few individuals each year into its prestigious Orange Bowl Hall of Fame presented by AutoNation. With nine decades of tradition, these men typify the Orange Bowl’s history. The incoming class is officially recognized during the pregame festivities prior to the Capital One Orange Bowl.

2025 Hall Of Fame Inductees

CARSON PALMER

QUARTERBACK, USC
ORANGE BOWL: 2003

Carson Palmer won the 2002 Heisman Trophy and, in the 2003 Orange Bowl in Miami, completed 21 of 31 passes for 303 yards and a touchdown to earn MVP as USC defeated Iowa, 38–17. After a 10–10 halftime, USC strung together drives of 79, 80, 99, 85 and 61 yards—highlighted by Palmer’s 18-yard touchdown to freshman Mike Williams and Justin Fargas’s 50-yard burst—that created the second-half separation. He was selected No. 1 overall in the 2003 NFL Draft, made three Pro Bowls, and entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2021. That Heisman-to-Orange Bowl finish capped his USC career and signaled the Trojans’ rise under head coach Pete Carroll.

JIMBO FISHER

HEAD COACH, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY & TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
ORANGE BOWL: 2013, 2016, 2021

Jimbo Fisher led Florida State to two Orange Bowl wins, 31–10 over Northern Illinois in 2013 and 33–32 over Michigan in 2016. The first featured Lonnie Pryor, the game’s MVP, rushing for 134 yards and two touchdowns on five carries, with EJ Manuel throwing for 291 yards while the defense limited Jordan Lynch. The second leaned on Dalvin Cook’s 145 rushing yard campaign. At Texas A&M, Fisher added a third Orange Bowl win, closing a 9–1 season with a 41–27 victory over North Carolina in the 2021 Capital One Orange Bowl behind De’Von Achane’s MVP performance of 140 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Across those three Orange Bowl victories, his teams went a combined 31–6 in the seasons leading into them, a run that included Florida State’s 2013 national title, ACC championships from 2012–14, Jameis Winston’s Heisman Trophy and Texas A&M’s top-five finish, highlighting his 3–0 record on the Orange Bowl stage.

ALFRED WILLIAMS

LINEBACKER, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
ORANGE BOWL: 1990, 1991

Alfred Williams was a cornerstone of Colorado’s defense in back-to-back Orange Bowls, including the 10–9 win over Notre Dame on Jan. 1, 1991, that delivered Colorado the national championship. A unanimous All-American and the 1990 Butkus Award winner, he was the Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year in both 1989 and 1990 and left Boulder with a school-record 35 career sacks as the Buffaloes claimed consecutive conference titles. Drafted No. 18 overall in 1991, Williams won two Super Bowls with Denver and earned first-team All-Pro honors in 1996 before his College Football Hall of Fame induction in 2010. Taken together, those Orange Bowl appearances and honors place him at the center of Colorado’s title era.

LEE CORSO

LEGENDARY COLLEGE FOOTBALL ANALYST

Lee Corso has been a defining on-site presence for the Orange Bowl in the broadcast era, with ESPN’s College GameDay originating from South Florida for multiple editions. Those on-site editions extended the Orange Bowl’s national build-up, with his signature headgear pick closing the broadcast. One of his final College Gameday appearances took place at the 2025 CFP Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl, where he danced on stage dressed in Notre Dame attire, correctly predicting the outcome of the matchup between the Fighting Irish and the Nittany Lions. He received the Orange Bowl’s Edwin Pope Vanguard Media Award in 2012, and after a college head-coaching career at Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois, he was inducted into the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame in 2023. Taken together, those Orange Bowl appearances and honors place him among the figures who shaped the event’s modern media era.