Matt Russell was drafted by the Detroit Lions, but then suffered a career-ending knee injury. (CBS 4)

Before Matt Russell was evaluating upcoming talent for the Denver Broncos, he was a hard-hitting Butkus Award winning linebacker at the University of Colorado.

Currently the Broncos’ Director of Player Personnel, Russell was named to the University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame as announced on Thursday. During his time at CU-Boulder, he amassed 446 total tackles which is good enough for second place all-time in school history. He was a four-year starter at the school (1993-1996), and he will be officially inducted on Nov. 15.

Russell made news last year when he attended CU’s Pro Day and took on big Nate Solder (currently the Patriots’ starting left offensive tackle). Here’s the video for a few Friday morning chuckles.

On a serious note, we want to congratulate Russell on this honor. It’s well deserved.

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