The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Michael Huff: Quest for another championship
01.28.2014 | Football
Longhorns National Champion and Denver Broncos safety Michael Huff looks to add Super Bowl champion to his resume.
John Bianco, Texas Media Relations
The clock struck zero, the final buzzer sounded, confetti fell from the sky, and the Longhorns and a sea of burnt-orange clad fans in the Rose Bowl celebrated one of the most memorable nights and victories in Texas Football history. It was Jan. 4, 2006 and No. 2 Texas had just defeated No. 1 and two-time defending National Champion USC, 41-38, in one of the greatest games in college football history. The Longhorns' first-ever Thorpe Award winner, senior safety Michael Huff, played a critical role in the game-saving fourth-down stop that set up UT's winning score and was voted the game's Defensive Most Valuable Player.
Huff had been a key cog in a highly successful four-year run from 2002-05 that included victories in 45 of 51 games, 50 of which he started. It included three seasons that ended with Top Dix rankings, a victory over Michigan in the 2005 Rose Bowl and ultimately the BCS National Championship, Texas' fourth national title, but its first in 35 years. Flash forward eight years and a journey filled with twists and turns, peaks and valleys, especially in the last year, finds Huff reliving that euphoric moment.
"When we beat New England in the AFC Championship game and we were all running onto the field celebrating with the confetti coming down around us, it took me back to that night," Huff said. "Winning the National Championship was just a crazy night, an unbelievable feeling and a moment I'll never forget. It was so cool to feel like that again."
Huff said that was the most memorable moment of his collegiate career, but after being drafted in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, his first seven years in the league featured a number of less memorable moments. He couldn't ever imagine hoisting a championship trophy again.
"Coming off a National Championship season and getting drafted in the first round, I thought I was on top of the world," Huff added. "But, to go 2-14 as a rookie was a rough introduction to the NFL. It's a business, so when you're losing like that, things aren't easy. Every week, every offseason, we kept putting in the work, but it was really tough."
While Huff was in Oakland, he started 93-of-107 games, posted 461 tackles (373 solo), 11 interceptions, 57 pass breakups, 5.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2010. It was similar productivity to the 2005 consensus All-American and two-time first-team All-Big 12 selections he had at Texas. His four interception returns for touchdowns are still a UT record and 44 pass breakups rank sixth in Longhorns history.
But during this time with the Raiders, the team never made the playoffs, let alone posted a winning record. They had a pair of 8-8 seasons later in his career, but in the end, playing for five coaches in seven seasons didn't produce much continuity. The result was a 36-76 record in seven years.
"It was unbelievably frustrating," Huff said. "Changing coaches and teammates all of the time and just losing year after year, it really took the joy out of the game. It took a toll on everyone and got to a point where I think we all just got in a rut. When I look back though, I realize I learned a lot from dealing with all of the adversity."
The challenges didn't stop in Oakland for Huff, though, as 2013 presented a myriad of ups and downs. After being waived by the Raiders last March, the first time he'd been cut from an organized sports team in his athletics career, Huff's life in the NFL was at a crossroads. Two weeks later, it was back on track as the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens signed him to a three-year deal. He opened the 2013 season as a starter but seven games later with the Ravens reeling at 3-4, Baltimore shook up their roster and Huff found himself looking for a team again. It was Oct. 30 and for the second time in less than a year the Longhorn great's career was at a turning point.
"It's been a rollercoaster of a year, being released by Oakland after seven years, signed by Baltimore where I thought I was going to be helping a team get back to the Super Bowl, then cut again," Huff said. "Getting cut twice in the same year is just so tough on your family with all of the moves. It really tests you as a player and a man."
Back in Dallas pondering his future, there were tryouts, visits and talks with NFL teams considering picking up the veteran defensive back. It was a challenging time for Huff, his fiancée, Jessica, and one-year old daughter, Madeline (Maddie). Finally, on Nov. 19th, Huff got the call. On the line was the Denver Broncos, a team who with a 9-1 record had already won more games than Huff ever had in an NFL season.
"I was really lucky because I was only unemployed for about two weeks when Denver called," he added. "But during that time, I really realized how much I love football and how much I wanted to keep playing. It was the longest time I'd been away from the game during a season since was a kid, and I really, really missed it.
"I can't thank Coach Fox, Coach Del Rio and everyone in the organization enough for giving me a chance. It was a real blessing when Denver called. It gave me another chance to play and, not only that, but with a team that was going to go to the playoffs and have a chance to get to the Super Bowl."
Huff saw his first action as a Bronco in a thrilling 35-28 win at Kansas City, and Denver went on to win four of their last five regular seasons games, capped off appropriately by a 34-14 win at Oakland. The 13-3 Broncos were AFC West Champions and the eight-year vet had re-discovered the joy that playing winning football had brought him for so many years.
"It was fun to win again, and Denver is such a great organization to play for," Huff said. "There's a great family atmosphere here. You can tell that everyone genuinely cares about each other and everyone has the same ultimate goal – winning. There aren't any agendas, egos or selfishness. From the President, GM and coach down to everyone on the team, we're all on the same page. It's a great place to be."
When Huff took the field at Sports Authority Field at Mile High with his Bronco teammates on Jan. 12, it was his first postseason game in eight years. Denver went on defeat the San Diego Chargers 24-17 in the divisional round playoff game.
"I was like a kid in a candy store," Huff said. "I'd never been to the playoffs before so I really didn't know what to do, how to act. I was so nervous against the Chargers in the first round, but being at home in front of those great Broncos fans settled me down. Playing at Mile High will take you back to DKR. The fans are so passionate, so proud of their team, it's just a great atmosphere to be a part of."
Denver's victory advanced them to the AFC Championship game and a 26-16 win over the New England Patriots, again at home at Mile High, brings Huff to Sunday as he boarded the team charter for New York City and the Super Bowl with his third set of teammates in less than a year.
"It's been an amazing ride, nothing I could have even dreamed of this time last year," Huff said. "Those years in Oakland, getting cut by two teams this year, going through it all with my family, that all made me appreciate this moment so much more. To know nothing but winning in college, struggle for seven years and never even get to the playoffs, all of those losing seasons, just makes what I'm feeling right now extra special."
Huff said the experience is much like 2006 in Southern California when his Longhorns were preparing for the BCS title game. It's a moment few are ever fortunate enough to be a part of, winning a National Championship and playing in a Super Bowl. Only 10 Texas players have ever played for a national title team and gone on to play in a Super Bowl. Of that group, only seven have won both.
"Winning the National Championship at Texas meant we were the best team in college football that year and nobody can ever take that away from us," Huff said. "Once I got to the NFL, my goal was to win a Super Bowl and to have that very same feeling. It's something that no matter how much money you make, Pro Bowls you play in or games you win, nothing can live up to. Getting to the Super Bowl is what you set your sights on, and if you can get that ring, it's history, you'll have something not many people have."
