Michael Crabtree

In the storied history of college football, the Texas-Texas Tech game between unbeaten Big 12 opponents on November 1, 2008 ranks among the most memorable regular-season contests. Millions of fans tuned into the game to watch the No. 1 Longhorns and 9th-ranked Red Raiders. I watched at a co-worker’s Halloween party with five guys while the women mingled in the other room. Michael Crabtree put on a performance that College Fantasy Football (CFF) diehards can never forget: He caught 10 passes for 127 yards and the game-clinching touchdown with time running out in the Red Raiders' 39-33 victory.

It seems surreal to look at the numbers Crabtree produced during his two years on campus. As a true freshman, he burst onto the national stage in 2007. The All-American established many single-season freshman records with 1,962 receiving yards, 134 receptions, 22 touchdown catches and 11 100-yard performances. The following summer, I joined my first CFF league and selected Crabtree with the fourth-overall selection in the draft. As a sophomore, he was not as fantasy stellar with 97 catches for 1,165 yards and 19 scores. Yet, he still helped thousands of CFF diehards win championships.

Looking back, Crabtree’s accolades are prodigious: In 2007, he earned the Big 12 Offensive Freshmen of the Year, Biletnikoff Award, First Team All-Big 12 and Unanimous First Team All-America honors, and in 2008, he was the Biletnikoff Award winner, First Team All-Big 12 and Unanimous First Team All-America. The former Red Raiders’ star is well deserving of his standing in the inaugural CFF Hall of Fame Class of 2025.