A former NIU Huskie and 2 former Chicago Bears inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame

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Two former football stars with ties to the Chicago Bears and a former Northern Illinois legend have been given one of the highest honors for their collegiate careers.

Jerry Azumah, Olin Kreutz and Jordan Lynch have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Two former Bears enter the HOF:

Azumah and Kreutz were two long-time Chicago Bears, and are being inducted for their careers at the University of New Hampshire and the University of Washington. 

Azumah, who was a starting cornerback for the Bears as well as a standout special teams player, was inducted for his career as a running back at the FCS level.

During his career at New Hampshire, Azumah became the first player in FCS to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in four consecutive seasons. He also still holds the school records at New Hampshire rushing yards in a single game (329), rushing yards in a single season (2,195), career rushing yards, carries in a single game (53), carries across an entire season (343), carries in his career (1,045), rushing touchdowns in a single game (five), career rushing touchdowns (60) and career all-purpose yards.

Kreutz was a standout offensive lineman at Washington before turning pro after his junior season. With the Bears, he was a first-team All-Pro center in 2006 and earned multiple Pro Bowl nods.

At Washington, Kreutz was a consensus All-American for the 1997 season and was a two-time first-team All-Pac-10 selection in 1996 and 1997.

Jordan Lynch: NIU's Best:

Lynch enters the College Football Hall of Fame after a career at Northern Illinois that helped put the Huskies on the map in the 2010s.

"It's a surreal feeling," Lynch said in a statement. "To know that of all the players in the history of college football that just over 1,000 have been selected to the NFF College Football Hall of Fame, and to be just the second NIU player named, it's obviously a great honor.  To have all the hard work, sacrifice and dedication, the time, the commitment, by not just me but my parents, family, loved ones, teammates, coaches and everyone at NIU recognized is awesome."

Lynch was the quarterback for the NIU team that earned a berth in the 2012 Orange Bowl, which was the first-ever BCS bowl berth earned by a MAC team. He also earned a third-place finish in the 2013 Heisman Trophy voting.

He earned his status as a Heisman Trophy finalist by throwing for 2,892 yards and 24 passing touchdowns. Lynch also broke an NCAA record with 1,920 rushing yards as a quarterback and scored 23 rushing touchdowns.

As NIU’s starting quarterback, Lynch finished his career with 24-4 record as a starter from 2012-13. In the 2013 season, Lynch led the Huskies to an undefeated regular season in 2013 with wins over Iowa and Purdue.

"Jordan Lynch was, simply put, the best player I have ever coached," former NIU offensive coordinator and head coach Rod Carey said in a statement. "When other coaches find out I called plays for him and then became his head coach I often get this: "He was a fullback playing quarterback." They mean it as a compliment, but I always say back to them "He was a quarterback I asked to play fullback at times. Have you ever coached a quarterback willing to do that?" That is the trait that separates Jordan in my view. He was willing to do whatever the team needed him to do. I believe Jordan belongs in the Hall of Fame. In today's college football Jordan would be a mega star that would not only be known by college football fans, but all football fans."