IL HR0950

Illinois House of Representatives congratulates James Harvey "Boomer" Grigsby on his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 class.

Grigsby was a three-time First Team All-American (2002-2004) at Illinois State University and holds Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) records including 550 career tackles, 325 solo tackles, and 16.27 tackles per game in 2002.

He is the only player to finish in the top three for the Buck Buchanan Award in three consecutive seasons and won the College Sporting News FCS Defensive Player of the Year award twice, with the award subsequently renamed in his honor.

Grigsby was a three-time Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year and led ISU in tackles all four seasons before being drafted as a fifth-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, playing for the Kansas City Chiefs (2005-2007), Miami Dolphins (2008), and Houston Texans (2009).

Off the field, he established the Boomer Grigsby Foundation, volunteered with Jared Allen's Homes for Wounded Warriors and Special Olympics, and served as a color analyst for ISU football broadcasts and Illinois high school football playoff broadcasts.