Former Bronco Joel Dreessen Named CSU Athletics HOF Inductee

The coveted 30th Hall of Fame Class for Colorado State was released on July 26 and included five individuals who, across the board, have defined what it is to be an all-time Ram. The name sitting in the second spot of inductees might be a familiar one: Joel Dreessen, who played for CSU from 2001-2004.

Dreessen, an Iowa native, attended Fort Morgan High School and helped lead his team to a Colorado 3A State Championship before he was signed by Colorado State. While Dreessen wore the green and gold, he achieved quite a few notable accolades in his time in Fort Collins. Dreessen was a two-time first team all-conference player for the 2002 and 2004 seasons, and was pivotal in CSU's 2002 Mountain West Conference Championship.

Dreessen was heartfelt in his response to his induction saying:

My mind immediately goes to so many selfless, kind, amazing, generous people who helped me [...] CSU has always embraced me & loved me...and this is no exception.

After his career at CSU, Dreessen was drafted in the sixth round of the NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He then played a stint in Houston with the Texans before coming back to Colorado with the Broncos and finishing his career in 2013.

In an article with the Denver Post in 2012, Dreessen was excited to come home to the state he was raised in because of the challenge it provided and how it pushed him out of his comfort zone that he would have been in had he finished out his career with the Texans. He had the mentality of wanting to try something different from where he was already seeing success.

Dreessen and four other former CSU Athletes, as well as Gary Ozzello, will be recognized in the official induction ceremony that will take place on Sept. 10. There will also be a recognition ceremony on the football field for Ag Day at CSU versus Vanderbilt this season.