Ball State University Athletics
Ball State’s Terry Schmidt Among Elite Group on NFF’s College Football Hall of Fame Ballot
June 04, 2019 | Football
MUNCIE, Ind. – Former Ball State football defensive back Terry Schmidt's name was among a select group on this year's National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame ballot that was released on Monday.
Schmidt, a native of Columbus, Indiana, played for the Cardinals from 1971 through 1973. He was the team MVP and named first team All-America by two organizations as a senior when he finished with a team-high five interceptions to go along with 68 tackles. His 13 career interceptions were a program record at the time and still rank fourth on Ball State's all-time charts. Schmidt went on to play in the Coaches All-America Football Game and the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Following his Ball State career, Schmidt was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 1974 NFL Draft. He spent two seasons with the Saints, earning NFL All-Rookie honors in 1974. Schmidt went on to play nine more seasons with the Chicago Bears, where he started 73 consecutive games between 1978 and 1982.
Schmidt was inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984.
The announcement of the 2020 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in January 2020 in the days leading up to the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship in New Orleans. To view the complete NFF College Football Hall of Fame release, click here.
For the most up-to-date news on the Ball State football team, please follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateFB and @BSUCoachNeu.
Schmidt, a native of Columbus, Indiana, played for the Cardinals from 1971 through 1973. He was the team MVP and named first team All-America by two organizations as a senior when he finished with a team-high five interceptions to go along with 68 tackles. His 13 career interceptions were a program record at the time and still rank fourth on Ball State's all-time charts. Schmidt went on to play in the Coaches All-America Football Game and the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Following his Ball State career, Schmidt was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 1974 NFL Draft. He spent two seasons with the Saints, earning NFL All-Rookie honors in 1974. Schmidt went on to play nine more seasons with the Chicago Bears, where he started 73 consecutive games between 1978 and 1982.
Schmidt was inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984.
The announcement of the 2020 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in January 2020 in the days leading up to the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship in New Orleans. To view the complete NFF College Football Hall of Fame release, click here.
For the most up-to-date news on the Ball State football team, please follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateFB and @BSUCoachNeu.
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