Colorado DB Hale Irwin claimed First Team All-Big 8 honors twice before his legendary golf career and winning three U.S. Opens.
IRVING, Texas (June 25, 2015) – It is not that farfetched. Football already has a legend who has accomplished both these feats. Hale Irwin, a three-time U.S. Open Champion, uniquely holds both these golf and football titles.
The NCAA Division I Golf Champion in 1967, Irwin also excelled on the gridiron as a two-time First Team All-Big 8 defensive back and an Academic All-American at Colorado. He became a professional golfer in 1968, and he would go on to win 20 PGA events, including three U.S. Open titles in 1974, 1979 and 1990. He later became the winningest player ever on the senior tour with 45 wins and more than $26 million in earnings, and he established Irwin Golf Management, creating golf courses around the world and generating millions more in revenue.
Irwin still pays tributes to the lessons he learned on the gridiron, and college football proudly highlights his unique accomplishments. Click here to read more of the Hale Irwin story on FootballMatters.org, the NFF’s powerful platform for highlighting the good in the game and the lifelong benefits to those who play it.
Stay tuned for more FootballMatters.org stories from the NFF, highlighting the football players who have gone on to be leaders later in life.
