College Football HOF inductee credits new UH head coach Willie Fritz for the opportunity to shine

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- With the College Football Hall of Fame happening on Tuesday in Las Vegas, Willis High School alum Michael Bishop appreciates the opportunity new UH head coach Willie Fritz gave him as part of his journey.

Bishop was a two-sport star at Willis, so upon graduation, he had a choice to make - baseball or football.

The Cleveland Indians drafted him in the 28th round of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft, so that was an option. Or he could play his first love: football.

The problem with football is Bishop played quarterback when most college recruiters wanted him to move positions. They saw him playing wide receiver or defensive back at the next level.

However, Bishop knew he could thrive at QB.

"Everybody has their own opinion of what a quarterback looks like, and I have my own definition," Bishop said. "I had to take a lot of no's, and I didn't mind taking those no's because I knew my ability and my dedication was going to override that."

One head coach saw the same thing in Bishop that the young star saw in himself.

That coach was Fritz, who was head coach at Blinn Junior College.

"I went and watched him play La Marque at then Astrodome in the state quarterfinals," Fritz recalled to ABC13 after his official UH introduction Monday. "And it was Michael against La Marque. He kicked off, he kicked extra points and field goals, returned kicks, he played free safety. I think he had close to 20 tackles, and obviously, (he was) an incredible quarterback, so I don't know what anyone else didn't see in him. I saw a whole lot."

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And as they say, the rest is history. Bishop led Blinn to back-to-back national championships and a perfect 24-0 record starting for the Buccaneers.

From there, Bishop transferred to Kansas State, which wasn't known for football but was on the rise. He led the Wildcats to a 22-3 record and set more than 50 school and conference records in his time in Manhattan, Kansas.

In 1998, he was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, and his production and leadership on the field landed him the Davey O'Brien Award, which recognizes the nation's most outstanding player.

None of this would have been possible without the opportunity to play quarterback by Willie Fritz and K-State head coach Bill Snyder.

"A lot of people told me I couldn't play quarterback. I was always battling within myself," Bishop admitted. "I knew I had the ability. My parents told me, 'Whatever you want to do, you can do.' [...] I'm not going in as a (defensive back) or a receiver. I'm going in as a quarterback, and I want to thank Coach Fritz and Coach Snyder for the opportunity."

Bishop will be inducted into the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday night.