Countdown to 2020 IUFB Kickoff: 11 Days (Antwaan Randle El)
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Written by Evan McShane
The Hoosier Huddle annual countdown continues, now just a couple weeks away from the start of the 2020 season. Today we have a blast from the past. Fans are starved for football and who better to curb that hunger than Indiana football legend Antwaan Randle El.
A standout high school athlete, Randle El excelled at football, basketball, and baseball. He was selected in the 14th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago Cubs. Luckily for the Hoosiers, Randle El took a football scholarship to Bloomington stead of playing pro baseball.
Randle El was told by a number of schools that he was too small and would never be able to play quarterback at the Division I level. Rather than accept a wide receiver or running back role elsewhere, Randle El took IU up on their offer to have a chance at being the starting Quarterback.
After sitting out his first year on an academic technicality, Randle El made his presence known the moment he stepped foot on the field. In his first ever college football appearance, Randle El completed 22-of-29 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t have a turnover and ran the ball for 82 yards and three more touchdowns. Indiana would win the game over Western Michigan 45-30 – and a star was born.
Randle El would go on to have four 100-yard rushing games. He finished his freshman season with 1,745 passing yards and six touchdowns to go with 873 rushing yards and ten touchdowns – breaking the IU school record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Atwaan earned himself Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 1998.
The following three seasons Randle El earned All-Big Ten honors. In 2000, he finished 13th in Heisman Trophy voting and after his senior season in 2001, Randle El finished sixth in Heisman Voting. During his time at Indiana, he became the first ever collegiate player to pass for over 40 touchdowns and run for over 40 touchdowns. He finished his Division I college football career as the fifth all-time leader in total yardage.
Randle El was the first player in college football history to amass over 2,500 total yards of offense for four consecutive seasons. Randle El also played for head basketball coach Bob Knight where he made an appearance in 11 games. In the final game of his career, Randle El lead the Hoosiers to a memorable victory over Kentucky. IU cruised to a 26-15 win as Randle El ran for 43 yards and threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
Randle El finished his career with some jaw-dropping numbers. 7,469 passing yards and 42 touchdowns through the air. 3,895 rushing yards and 44 touchdowns on the ground. Randle El even caught seven passes for 90 yards and one touchdown. The man simply did it all. Well over 11,000 yards of offense and 87 touchdowns later, Randle El has become one of the most storied athletes in Indiana sports history.
After college, Randle El was selected in the second round of the NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. His most memorable play in the NFL came in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XL, where he showcased his rocket arm Hoosier fans came to know so well.
Randle El would go on to log 143 NFL games with over 70 starts. He caught 370 passes for 4,467 total yards and 15 receiving touchdowns. Randle El also racked up over 2,500 punt return yards with five touchdowns. He tallied 1,759 kickoff return yards with one 99-yard touchdown. Similar to his first game at IU, Randle El’s career NFL passing numbers finished 22-of-27 for 323 yards and six touchdown passes. A truly storied football career. In 2012 Randle El was inducted into the Indiana Athletic Hall of Fame.