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Arizona State announced their 2022 Hall of Fame and Hall of Distinction class which will include nine Sun Devils. Among the nine is the legendary defensive end Terrell Suggs. Suggs will be honored at Sun Devil Stadium vs Washington on October 8, 2022.

Dominating Defense in the Desert

Terrell Suggs was a stud coming out of high school. Suggs was the Gatorade and USA Today Arizona Player of the Year at Hamilton High School before attending Arizona State University.

He became a menace on the field at Sun Devil Stadium instantly. As a true freshman he had ten sacks and won the PAC-10 Freshman of the Year Award. This was the start of something special that no one had ever seen in Tempe, or across the United States, in college football.

By the time Suggs’ Junior season came around, offenses know what he was bringing to the gridiron. It didn’t matter. There was no stopping Terrell Suggs in his 2002 campaign in the maroon and gold.

Suggs broke the NCAA sack record with 24, a record that still stands 20 years later. He led the NCAA in tackles for loss with 31.5. His punishing play earned him PAC-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2002. He also won the following awards for his significant play during the 2002 season:

  • Consensus/Unanimous 2002 All-American Team
  • Bronko Nagurski Trophy Winner (Best defensive player)
  • Rotary Lombardi Award Winner (Best lineman in the nation)
  • Morris Trophy (Best defensive lineman in the PAC-10)
  • Ted Hendricks award (Best defensive end)

During his dominance in the desert, Suggs led the Sun Devils in sacks and tackles for loss in all three seasons. Suggs made the All-Pac-10 team in 2001 and 2002. He still holds the career ASU sack record at 44.

Becoming an NFL Legend

Suggs was selected with the 10th pick in the 2003 draft by Baltimore Ravens in a star studded draft class. He would instantly shine in Baltimore winning the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2003. As one of the many leaders of the historically great Baltimore Ravens defenses, along with Ed Reed, Ray Lewis and Haloti Ngata, the Ravens defenses were consistently a force to be reckoned with.

Suggs would win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2011, a season that included 14 sacks, seven forced fumbles and two interceptions. The following season Suggs and the Ravens would win Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers 34-31.

Suggs would remain a Ravens legend through the 2018 season. Here are just a few of his standout awards and accomplishments with the Baltimore Ravens:

  • Ravens franchise sack leader (132.5),
  • Ravens forced fumble career leader (35)
  • Two-Time All-Pro Player
  • Seven-Time Pro-Bowl Player

Following his tenure with the Ravens, Suggs would sign a one year deal with the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. He would be released in December and picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs en route to their victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV making him a two-time Super Bowl champion.

Congrats to Terrell Suggs aka “T-Sizzle from Ball So Hard University” for being inducted into the Arizona State Hall of Fame.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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