Coral Springs High School Alum Gets Elected into NFL Hall of Fame

Story Originally Published on Tap Into Coral Springs (2/3/20)

Steve Hutchinson enjoyed a stellar career at Coral Springs High School and continued that success through college and the NFL.

After two years of waiting and being eligible to be elected into the NFL Hall of Fame, that “knock” at the door from Hall of Fame President David Baker finally came last weekend.

Hutchinson, 42, will be part of the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, joining other modern-day inductees safety Steve Atwater, wide receiver Isaac Bruce, running back Edgerrin James and safety Troy Polamalu. They will be enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020, from Canton, Ohio at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

Hutchinson couldn't have written a better script for how his career played out. He was a two-time high school All-American guard for the Colts and went on to become an All-American offensive guard at Michigan. He married his high school sweetheart, Landyn, and he was an All-Pro for five of his 12 seasons in the NFL and went to the Pro Bowl seven times.

He has also been inducted into the Broward Sports Hall of Fame and the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.

In 2007, Hutchinson was named to FHSAA's All-Century Team that listed the top 33 football players in the state of Florida's 100-year history of high school football. The former first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks blocked for the likes of Shaun Alexander and Adrian Peterson and was arguably the top guard in the NFL in mid- and late 2000s.

At the time of his induction into the FHSAA Hall of Fame, his former Coral Springs High School coach Terry Dunn had high praise for Hutchinson, calling him the “total package.”

"Steve is a unique individual," said Dunn, the Colts' coach from 1983-98. "He was not only a great kid and student in high school, but he was also an unbelievable football player and he probably could have played any position on the team. He was just so versatile. I wish I'd had 24 of him. We didn't have the success on the field as a team then, but he was one in a million."

When Hutchinson had his jersey retired by the school in 2004, he was humbled.

“This is huge," Hutchinson said. "An offensive lineman is the most underappreciated person on the team, and we don't have any glory. This is a really special night."

Now, August 8 will be a night to remember.