Chris Claiborne (2018) - USC Athletics Hall of Fame

Chris Claiborne

Induction:
2018
Class:
1998

Chris Claiborne was USC’s first winner of the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker. In 1998, when he won that award, he also was named a unanimous All-American and the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year as he notched 120 tackles, 16 pass deflections and six interceptions (all team highs). In his Trojan career, he had 312 tackles, including 27 for losses. In 2016, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team. He was selected by the Detroit Lions as the ninth pick of the 1999 NFL draft (as a junior) and played 8 seasons with the Lions, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams and New York Giants. He then became a high school assistant and head football coach, ran youth football camps and was an assistant coach at USC, Arizona State and the St. Louis Battehawks of the United Football League.