Eastern Michigan Athletics
EMU Welcomes Newest Members to the Football Ring of Honor
10/13/2020 11:33:00 AM | Football
EMU added six names to the Ring of Honor located inside Rynearson Stadium
Ring of Honor Video.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University Department of Athletics has proudly added six new names to the football Ring of Honor inside Rynearson Stadium. The newest honorees to be immortalized include Andy Mulumba, Bronson Hill, Darius Jackson, Pat O'Connor, Andrew Wylie, and Maxx Crosby.
To be included in the Ring of Honor, the individual must have been awarded All-American status by a major publication and/or played in an official National Football League game.
The six honorees join 46 EMU greats who previously had their name installed at the top of the stadium. The names, which were originally dedicated at the 2003 Homecoming game against Western Michigan, were recently redone with new 20-inch tall vinyl lettering.
Previous honorees include Andy Vanyo, Charles Hanniman, Bob Middlekauff, Chuck Shonta, Al Day, Ivory Hood, Garry Grady, Tom Jackson, John Schmidt, Robert Lints, Al Clark, Will Foster, Dave Pureifory, Larry Radcliff, Bill Dulac, Ron Fernandes, Dave Boone, Reggie Garrett, Jim Pietrzak, John Banaszak, Jeff Bixler, Clarence Chapman, Ron Johnson, Tom Parm, David Marshall, Anthony Fields, Brett Petersmark, Ron Adams, Brian Clouse, Charles Gordon, Gary Patton, Vashone Adams, Ron Rice, Barry Stokes, Charlie Batch, Lional Dalton, L.J. Shelton, Jason Short, Carson Dach, Kevin Walter, Chris Roberson, Andrew Wellock, Kevin Harrison, Jeremy Perry, Jason Jones, and T.J. Lang.
Additionally, Eastern Michigan added the bowl logos around the lower east side of Rynearson Stadium to honor the team's postseason appearances in 1971 (Pioneer Bowl), 1987 (California Bowl), 2016 (Bahamas Bowl), 2018 (Camellia Bowl), and 2019 (Quick Lane Bowl). A logo was also added to commemorate the 1987 Mid-American Conference Championship in the southeast corner of the stadium.
Bios of the six newest Ring of Honor members can be found below...
Andy Mulumba
DL/LB | 6-4 | 263
2009-12
Montreal, Quebec
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Mulumba, a four-time letterwinner from 2009-12, is credited with 18.0 tackles-for-loss in his EMU career. His versatility was crucial to the team during this period, earning him Second Team All-MAC honors in 2012. That same season, Mulumba took home the John E. Borowiec award as the team's defensive MVP. Mulumba's 17-career quarterback hurries rank sixth all-time at EMU. Following his EMU career, he spent time with the Green Bay Packers of the NFL.
Bronson Hill
RB | 5-10 | 215
2011-14
Grand Rapids, Mich.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The former EMU star was well-traveled in the NFL. The Green Bay Packers in 2018 were Hill's ninth NFL team. He previously played for the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, and Arizona Cardinals. Hill played in three games with the Jaguars in 2016, carrying two times for 11 yards. He had just one carry in two games with the Cardinals in 2017. At Eastern Michigan, Hill carried 421 times for 2,362 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 37 passes for 526 yards and four more scores.
Darius Jackson
RB | 6-0 | 221
2012-15
Sparta, Ill.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Jackson, a model of consistency for EMU running backs, ranks inside the top-20 in career carries (321) and career rushing yards (1,586). The Sparta, Ill. native ranks tied for eighth in career touchdowns (21), and holds the all-time record for single-season touchdowns (16), which he set during the 2015 season. He rushed for 1,078 yards that season, which ranks 11th all-time in single-season history at EMU. Following his senior campaign, Jackson was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Pat O'Connor
DL | 6-4 | 270
2012-16
Chicago, Ill.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: One of the most impactful defensive lineman of the decade, O'Connor's seven-career forced fumbles rank tied for first all-time in program history, while his 49 games played ranks second all-time among EMU defensive players. O'Connor piled-up 33.5 tackles-for-loss, good for fourth in the EMU record books, and registered 20 sacks, which is tied for second all-time. O'Connor was a First Team All-MAC honoree, was named the team MVP, and won the John E. Borowiec award for the most valuable defensive player during his time at EMU. O'Connor was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft before moving on to Tampa Bay.
Andrew Wylie
OL | 6-6 | 311
2013-16
Midland, Mich.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Wylie was a Third Team All-MAC selection in 2016 for the Eagles, and ranks fourth all-time with 46-career starts at EMU. The leader of the offensive line that propelled the Eagles to a 2016 Bahamas Bowl appearance, Wylie spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, and Los Angeles Chargers' practice squads before signing with the Kansas City Chiefs and being promoted to the active roster in 2018. Wylie made his first career NFL start on Oct. 21, 2018 against the Cincinnati Bengals. After playing in all 16 games that season, the Chiefs awarded Wylie with the 2018-19 Mack Lee Hill Award as the team's best first-year player. Wylie started 11 games during the team's 2019 Super Bowl Championship season.
Maxx Crosby
DL | 6-5 | 247
2016-18
Colleyville, Texas
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Crosby's 20.0 career sacks are tied with O'Connor for second-most all time at EMU. The Colleyville, Texas native had 41.0 career tackles-for-loss, the second-most in EMU history. In 2017, Crosby posted 11 sacks on the year to tie the EMU single-season record set by Avery Brown in 1996. For the season, Crosby ranked fourth in the conference and sixth in the country in sacks, while coming in 15th nationally in tackles-for-loss. Overall, he finished with 57 tackles (31 solo, 26 assist) to go along with 16.5 tackles for a loss of 105 yards. Additionally, Crosby became the first EMU player in the modern statistical era (since 1998) to rack up three sacks in back-to-back games. The standout was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. In his first NFL season, he tallied 11 sacks and 47 combined tackles (36 solo, 11 assist). Those numbers vaulted Crosby into the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University Department of Athletics has proudly added six new names to the football Ring of Honor inside Rynearson Stadium. The newest honorees to be immortalized include Andy Mulumba, Bronson Hill, Darius Jackson, Pat O'Connor, Andrew Wylie, and Maxx Crosby.
To be included in the Ring of Honor, the individual must have been awarded All-American status by a major publication and/or played in an official National Football League game.
The six honorees join 46 EMU greats who previously had their name installed at the top of the stadium. The names, which were originally dedicated at the 2003 Homecoming game against Western Michigan, were recently redone with new 20-inch tall vinyl lettering.
Previous honorees include Andy Vanyo, Charles Hanniman, Bob Middlekauff, Chuck Shonta, Al Day, Ivory Hood, Garry Grady, Tom Jackson, John Schmidt, Robert Lints, Al Clark, Will Foster, Dave Pureifory, Larry Radcliff, Bill Dulac, Ron Fernandes, Dave Boone, Reggie Garrett, Jim Pietrzak, John Banaszak, Jeff Bixler, Clarence Chapman, Ron Johnson, Tom Parm, David Marshall, Anthony Fields, Brett Petersmark, Ron Adams, Brian Clouse, Charles Gordon, Gary Patton, Vashone Adams, Ron Rice, Barry Stokes, Charlie Batch, Lional Dalton, L.J. Shelton, Jason Short, Carson Dach, Kevin Walter, Chris Roberson, Andrew Wellock, Kevin Harrison, Jeremy Perry, Jason Jones, and T.J. Lang.
Additionally, Eastern Michigan added the bowl logos around the lower east side of Rynearson Stadium to honor the team's postseason appearances in 1971 (Pioneer Bowl), 1987 (California Bowl), 2016 (Bahamas Bowl), 2018 (Camellia Bowl), and 2019 (Quick Lane Bowl). A logo was also added to commemorate the 1987 Mid-American Conference Championship in the southeast corner of the stadium.
Bios of the six newest Ring of Honor members can be found below...
Andy Mulumba
DL/LB | 6-4 | 263
2009-12
Montreal, Quebec
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Mulumba, a four-time letterwinner from 2009-12, is credited with 18.0 tackles-for-loss in his EMU career. His versatility was crucial to the team during this period, earning him Second Team All-MAC honors in 2012. That same season, Mulumba took home the John E. Borowiec award as the team's defensive MVP. Mulumba's 17-career quarterback hurries rank sixth all-time at EMU. Following his EMU career, he spent time with the Green Bay Packers of the NFL.
Bronson Hill
RB | 5-10 | 215
2011-14
Grand Rapids, Mich.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The former EMU star was well-traveled in the NFL. The Green Bay Packers in 2018 were Hill's ninth NFL team. He previously played for the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, and Arizona Cardinals. Hill played in three games with the Jaguars in 2016, carrying two times for 11 yards. He had just one carry in two games with the Cardinals in 2017. At Eastern Michigan, Hill carried 421 times for 2,362 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 37 passes for 526 yards and four more scores.
Darius Jackson
RB | 6-0 | 221
2012-15
Sparta, Ill.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Jackson, a model of consistency for EMU running backs, ranks inside the top-20 in career carries (321) and career rushing yards (1,586). The Sparta, Ill. native ranks tied for eighth in career touchdowns (21), and holds the all-time record for single-season touchdowns (16), which he set during the 2015 season. He rushed for 1,078 yards that season, which ranks 11th all-time in single-season history at EMU. Following his senior campaign, Jackson was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Pat O'Connor
DL | 6-4 | 270
2012-16
Chicago, Ill.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: One of the most impactful defensive lineman of the decade, O'Connor's seven-career forced fumbles rank tied for first all-time in program history, while his 49 games played ranks second all-time among EMU defensive players. O'Connor piled-up 33.5 tackles-for-loss, good for fourth in the EMU record books, and registered 20 sacks, which is tied for second all-time. O'Connor was a First Team All-MAC honoree, was named the team MVP, and won the John E. Borowiec award for the most valuable defensive player during his time at EMU. O'Connor was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft before moving on to Tampa Bay.
Andrew Wylie
OL | 6-6 | 311
2013-16
Midland, Mich.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Wylie was a Third Team All-MAC selection in 2016 for the Eagles, and ranks fourth all-time with 46-career starts at EMU. The leader of the offensive line that propelled the Eagles to a 2016 Bahamas Bowl appearance, Wylie spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, and Los Angeles Chargers' practice squads before signing with the Kansas City Chiefs and being promoted to the active roster in 2018. Wylie made his first career NFL start on Oct. 21, 2018 against the Cincinnati Bengals. After playing in all 16 games that season, the Chiefs awarded Wylie with the 2018-19 Mack Lee Hill Award as the team's best first-year player. Wylie started 11 games during the team's 2019 Super Bowl Championship season.
Maxx Crosby
DL | 6-5 | 247
2016-18
Colleyville, Texas
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Crosby's 20.0 career sacks are tied with O'Connor for second-most all time at EMU. The Colleyville, Texas native had 41.0 career tackles-for-loss, the second-most in EMU history. In 2017, Crosby posted 11 sacks on the year to tie the EMU single-season record set by Avery Brown in 1996. For the season, Crosby ranked fourth in the conference and sixth in the country in sacks, while coming in 15th nationally in tackles-for-loss. Overall, he finished with 57 tackles (31 solo, 26 assist) to go along with 16.5 tackles for a loss of 105 yards. Additionally, Crosby became the first EMU player in the modern statistical era (since 1998) to rack up three sacks in back-to-back games. The standout was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. In his first NFL season, he tallied 11 sacks and 47 combined tackles (36 solo, 11 assist). Those numbers vaulted Crosby into the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation.
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