The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Sam Acho to be inducted into CSC Academic All-America Hall of Fame
04.22.2026 | Football, Student Services
Sam Acho is the first male representative from The University of Texas to be selected to the College Sports Communicators’ Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
AUSTIN, Texas — One of The University of Texas' most decorated letterwinners as both a student and an athlete, Sam Acho will be one of four former collegiate student-athletes inducted into the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Hall of Fame Class of 2026, the CSC announced on Wednesday. Among a select group of Texas student-athletes in all sports to earn first-team All-America honors on the field and first-team Academic All-America recognition, Acho was the 2010 National Football Foundation William V. Campbell Trophy winner — awarded to the college football student-athlete who best combines academic success, on-field performance, and exemplary leadership. He also is an NFL veteran, author, public speaker, humanitarian and analyst for ESPN.
Acho (Texas Class of 2010, Football) makes it back-to-back CSC Hall of Famers for Texas as Cat Osterman became the Longhorns' first-ever inductee last year. He is UT's first male student-athlete to be selected for the prestigious honor. The Class of 2026 features four individuals with tremendous accomplishments as student-athletes and distinguished professional careers, Acho is joined by Amy Acuff (UCLA Class of 1997, Track and Field), Dr. Jim Agre (Augsburg Class of 1972, Men's Soccer), Therese (Dorigan) Cullen (Elmhurst Class of 1988, Volleyball).
"It is in an absolute honor to be selected to the CSC Academic All-America Hall of Fame," Acho said. "My hope is that many more student-athletes will continue to give their all in everything they do. I'm so grateful for Coach Mack Brown, Coach Oscar Giles, our academic counselor Jean Bryant, and the countless teachers, students and teammates that always inspired me, fueled my passion as a player, student and person, and were vital parts of my journey at The University of Texas. I also want to thank my parents, Dr. Sonny and Dr. Christie Acho, for instilling in me the discipline to do the little things well. Without them, and all those who supported me in my athletics and academics endeavors, recognition like this would not be possible. I'm humbled and honored to accept this, and I share it everyone who has helped me along the way."
Inducted into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor in 2022, Acho became the Longhorns' first Wuerffel Trophy winner as a senior in 2010, an honor bestowed upon an individual that best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the football field. That year, he capped off his outstanding Longhorn career by earning first-team All-America and first-team Academic All-America honors, along with being a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection and Texas' Team MVP. As a junior, he started all 14 games for the 2009 Big 12 Championship squad that played in the BCS National Championship. That team went 13-1 and finished the year ranked No. 2 nationally. He also saw significant action on the 2008 Texas squad that spent much of that season ranked No. 1 in the nation, went on to win the Fiesta Bowl, and completed the year 12-1 and ranked No. 3. During his career, the standout defensive end played in 50 games, starting 26, and tallied 148 tackles, 23.5 sacks, 37 TFL, 44 pressures, and eight forced fumbles, while becoming one of UT's all-time leaders in fumble recoveries with nine.
A fall 2010 graduate of UT's prestigious McCombs School of Business with a double major in business honors and marketing, Acho was one of eight extraordinary student-athletes nationwide in the 2010-11 academic year selected as winners of the NCAA Today's Top VIII Award, which recognizes the premier student-athletes in all sports during an academic year. Due to his extraordinary work in the community, he was named the 2010-11 Male Big 12
Sportsperson of the Year and was a member of the 2010 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team. Acho also was a two-time first-team Academic All-American, three-time Academic All-District pick and three-time first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection.
"You won't find a more dedicated and accomplished student-athlete than Sam Acho," said his coach at Texas, Mack Brown. "He gave us his all in everything he did, was an absolute joy to coach, and as good as he was on the field, he's an even better person. Sam represents everything you want in a student-athlete. He's a Hall of Famer in every sense and so deserving of this honor. Sally and I are incredibly proud of him, grateful to have him in our lives, and love watching his continued success beyond football."
Selected in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, he went on to play nine years in the NFL, logging 110 games and 57 starts. Acho spent four seasons in Arizona, then another four with the Chicago Bears, before closing out his nearly decade-long pro football career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills. He was twice selected as his team's nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award — the NFL's only award that recognizes both civic and professional contributions. A leader on and off the field, he was a member of the Leadership Committee for the Cardinals and Bears and served as a Vice President of the NFL Players Association beginning in his second year in the league.
When informed of his CSC Academic All-American Hall of Fame selection, Acho cited a quote his NFL defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, often used: "Little things done well make big things happen." Fangio was friends with William V. Campell, the namesake of the Campbell Trophy — a connection Acho greatly appreciated learning about.
"Vic was one of the first people in the NFL to publicly congratulate me on my academic success," Acho recalled. "He saw the value of being a well-rounded young man — not just for me, but also my teammates. It was a series of small decisions: the decision to attend The University of Texas, to apply for the Business Honors Program, to sacrifice time on planes, in study hall, at the team hotel, and in the classroom — the decision to be just as focused academically as I was in the weight room. With the support of so many at The University of Texas, along with my family and friends, I approached the classroom with the same intensity as the field. Those small decision paid off in a big way."
A native of Dallas, he received his MBA from Arizona State's Thunderbird School of Global Management in 2015 and is the founder and president of Athletes for Justice, an organization that unites professional and everyday athletes globally to fight injustice. He also serves as an ambassador for the International Justice Mission and is the vice president for Living Hope Christian Ministries, which provides aid to Nigeria through medical mission trips. Acho authored his first book, "Let the World See You," in 2020, and followed that with a second book, "Change Starts with You: Following Your Fire to Heal a Broken World," in 2023.
Acho launched his broadcasting career at ESPN in 2021 and continues to be part of the network's comprehensive college football coverage team, serving as a booth analyst at games and as a studio analyst. In addition to his college football duties, which include regular appearances on SportsCenter, Get Up and College Football Live, the Lifetime Longhorn contributes as an NFL analyst across ESPN studio programming. He also is part of ESPN's United Football League game coverage as an analyst.
The four inductees will be honored during the All-Star Night of Honors presented by ESPN on Monday, June 8, held as part of the CSC Unite 26 Convention at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. Award-winning ESPN reporter and 2019 CSC Jake Wade Award winner Holly Rowe serves as emcee. Created in 1988, the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Hall of Fame recognizes former Academic All-Americans who received a college degree at least 10 years ago, have achieved lifetime success in their professional careers, and are committed to philanthropic causes. Honorees are chosen each year by a select committee of CSC members, leaders and past Academic All-America Hall of Fame inductees. Including this year's class, the illustrious group of honorees is now at a total of 182 Academic All-America Hall of Famers.
