USC Heisman Trophy Winner Carson Palmer Inducted into Orange Bowl Hall of Fame
October 30, 2025 | Football
LOS ANGELES--USC Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer has been announced as a 2025 inductee to the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame.Â
He is the second Trojan player to be named to the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame. In 2024, fellow USC Heisman Trophy winner, Matt Leinart, was inducted.Â
Joining Palmer as 2025 inductees are Lee Corso, who has been a defining presence in the broadcast era with ESPN's College GameDay, Jimbo Fisher, who is one of just seven head coaches in history to secure three Orange Bowl victories, and Alfred Williams, who was a cornerstone of Colorado's defense with 16 tackles and a sack in back-to-back Orange Bowls.Â
Palmer won the 2002 Heisman Trophy, and in the 2003 Orange Bowl in Miami, completed 21-of-31 passes for 303 yards and a touchdown to earn MVP as USC defeated Iowa 38–17. After a 10–10 halftime, USC strung together drives of 79, 80, 99, 85 and 61 yards—highlighted by Palmer's 18-yard touchdown to freshman WR Mike Williams—that created the second-half separation.Â
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Palmer was selected No. 1 overall in the 2003 NFL Draft, played eight season with the Bengals, two with the Raiders and five with the Cardinals, made three Pro Bowls and entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2021. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003 and is currently the head football coach at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.Â
Palmer's Heisman-to-Orange Bowl finish capped off his USC career and signaled the Trojans' imminent rise to greatness for the next decade under head coach Pete Carroll.
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The 2025 Hall of Fame class will join a distinguished roster of 139 honorees who have made a significant impact on the Orange Bowl since its inception in 1935.
The four legends will be honored in an on-field ceremony at the 2026 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on January 1, 2026 at Hard Rock Stadium.
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He is the second Trojan player to be named to the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame. In 2024, fellow USC Heisman Trophy winner, Matt Leinart, was inducted.Â
Joining Palmer as 2025 inductees are Lee Corso, who has been a defining presence in the broadcast era with ESPN's College GameDay, Jimbo Fisher, who is one of just seven head coaches in history to secure three Orange Bowl victories, and Alfred Williams, who was a cornerstone of Colorado's defense with 16 tackles and a sack in back-to-back Orange Bowls.Â
Palmer won the 2002 Heisman Trophy, and in the 2003 Orange Bowl in Miami, completed 21-of-31 passes for 303 yards and a touchdown to earn MVP as USC defeated Iowa 38–17. After a 10–10 halftime, USC strung together drives of 79, 80, 99, 85 and 61 yards—highlighted by Palmer's 18-yard touchdown to freshman WR Mike Williams—that created the second-half separation.Â
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Palmer was selected No. 1 overall in the 2003 NFL Draft, played eight season with the Bengals, two with the Raiders and five with the Cardinals, made three Pro Bowls and entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2021. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003 and is currently the head football coach at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.Â
Palmer's Heisman-to-Orange Bowl finish capped off his USC career and signaled the Trojans' imminent rise to greatness for the next decade under head coach Pete Carroll.
Â
The 2025 Hall of Fame class will join a distinguished roster of 139 honorees who have made a significant impact on the Orange Bowl since its inception in 1935.
The four legends will be honored in an on-field ceremony at the 2026 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on January 1, 2026 at Hard Rock Stadium.
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