ORANGE BOWL INDUCTS FOUR LEGENDS INTO ITS PRESTIGIOUS HALL OF FAME
Lee Corso, Jimbo Fisher, Carson Palmer and Alfred Williams inducted into Orange Bowl Hall of Fame presented by AutoNation
MIAMI LAKES, Fla. (October 15, 2025) – Legendary college football figure Lee Corso, former Florida State and Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher, past USC quarterback Carson Palmer, and former University of Colorado defensive end Alfred Williams have been announced as the 2025 inductees to the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame presented by AutoNation.
The 2025 Hall of Fame class will join a distinguished roster of 139 honorees who have made a significant impact on the Orange Bowl since its inception in 1935.
The four legends will be honored in an on-field ceremony at the 2026 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on January 1, 2026 at Hard Rock Stadium.
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.
Jimbo Fisher is one of just seven head coaches in history to secure three Orange Bowl victories, joining the likes of some of the greatest coaches to ever step foot on the gridiron – Bobby Bowden, Bob Devaney, Joe Paterno, Tom Osborne, Barry Switzer and Bud Wilkinson. The wins came with two different programs: first with Florida State in 2013 (a 12-2 season that also saw an ACC Championship) and again in 2016 (a 10-3 season), and a third with Texas A&M in 2021 against North Carolina, where the Aggies won 41-27 and finished the season with a 9-1 record and a final national ranking of No. 4. His overall bowl record of 8-2 (.800 winning percentage) is also among the best ever, further solidifying his place among the coaches associated with the prestigious history of the Orange Bowl.
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—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.
Alfred Williams was a cornerstone of Colorado’s defense with 16 tackles and a sack in back-to-back Orange Bowls, including the 10–9 win over Notre Dame on Jan. 1, 1991 that delivered Colorado its first 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 the 1991 NFL Draft, 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.
About the Orange Bowl
Orange Bowl is a primarily volunteer, non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the South Florida community. Since 1935, its mission has been to bring tourism and economic impact to the region through an annual football game and supporting events, alongside community outreach embodied by the four pillars of Orange Bowl Cares: Youth Sports, Education, Community Engagement, and Legacy Programs. Orange Bowl’s year-round schedule of events culminates with the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2026. For more information on Orange Bowl events, including promotional inquiries and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program, visit orangebowl.org or follow @OrangeBowl on social media.
