Former FIU football star TY Hilton to be inducted into school’s Sports Hall of Fame

T.Y. Hilton, regarded as the greatest football player in Panthers history, will be inducted into the FIU Sports Hall of Fame later this year.

The Herald first reported this news on Wednesday.

Since then, FIU has announced four other Hall of Fame inductees: former soccer coach Karl Kremser; ex-women’s basketball coach Cindy Russo; ex-track star and Olympic gold medalist Tayna Lawrence; and soccer player and coach Munga Eketebi.

The Hall of Fame ceremony – the first to be held by FIU since 2005 – will take place on Sept. 12.

Hilton, who starred at Miami Springs High, was a Herald first-team All-Dade performer in both football and basketball. In 10 football games as a senior, he scored 20 touchdowns, including four on kick returns.

At FIU from 2008 to 2011, Hilton was an immediate star, making first-team All-Sun Belt Conference all four years. He was also the Sun Belt’s Freshman of the Year in 2008 and the league’s Player of the Year in 2010.

He played his FIU career under Mario Cristobal, who is now Miami’s coach.

In 2012, the Colts drafted Hilton in the third round, and he became a four-time Pro Bowl player with Indianapolis. In fact, in 2016 he led the NFL in receiving yards (1,448).

It was one of his five 1,000-yard seasons in the NFL.

This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 10:00 AM.