Steve Slaton
Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame
West Virginia
Sugar Bowl: 2006
Inducted: 2019
Steve Slaton opened his true freshman season as the fourth-string running back for West Virginia, but it didn’t take long for him to shoot up the depth chart. He would finish his freshman campaign with 1,128 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in just eight games, capped by a now-legendary performance in the 2006 Sugar Bowl. That Sugar Bowl was the only one in 85 years played outside Louisiana as Hurricane Katrina forced the game to be played in Atlanta. Slaton set the Sugar Bowl record with 204 rushing yards on 26 carries while scoring three touchdowns (two on 52-yard runs) in a thrilling 38-35 win over Georgia. As a sophomore, Slaton rushed for a school-record 1,744 yards and 16 touchdowns as he finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. He then he added another 1,000-yard season with another 17 TDs as a junior, finishing his career with a school-record 55 touchdowns. He also owns school records for rushing yards in a season and most consecutive 100-yard games. He went on to play four years in the NFL.
