fb_memorial_stadium_day_crop

Honors & Awards

  • 2022 College Football Hall of Fame
  • 1994 Outland Trophy Winner

The anchor of the 1994 Husker "Pipeline," Zach Wiegert won the Huskers' seventh Outland Trophy, awarded to the nation's top interior lineman, following Nebraska's 1994 national championship season.

A consensus All-American, Wiegert led NU to its 11th NCAA rushing title and first national title since 1971. The Huskers averaged 340 yards per game on the ground as the Fremont, Neb., native led Nebraska with 113 pancake blocks in 1994. He even earned one first-place vote for the Heisman, ending up tied for ninth with 27 points. In addition to winning the Outland, he was a finalist for the Lombardi Award, a consensus All-American, the UPI Lineman of the Year and the Touchdown Club of Columbus Offensive Lineman of the Year. His No. 72 jersey was retired before the 1995 season.

With a perfect 2.0 grade against Kansas, Wiegert was Nebraska's nominee for Big Eight Offensive Player of the Week, the first time an offensive lineman was nominated for weekly conference honors since 1987, and was also the ABC Chevrolet Player of the Game vs. UCLA.

In his 46-game career, Wiegert, a three-year starter at right tackle, gave up just one sack en route to earning All-Big Eight honors in 1992, 1993 and 1994. He became one of only six linemen in NU history to earn first-team all-conference honors in three consecutive seasons. He earned second-team All-America honors in 1993, helping Nebraska to an undefeated regular season and an Orange Bowl appearance.

Wiegert is one of only 17 players in school history to earn three straight first-team all-conference honors. He was a second-round draft pick by the St. Louis Rams (38th selection overall) in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played with the Rams for four seasons from 1995 to 1998, and spent four more seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 1992 to 2002. He spent the 2003 through 2005 seasons with the Houston Texans, and is entering his 12th season overall in the NFL as a member of the Texans in 2006.

In 2022, Wiegert was selected for the College Football Hall of Fame.