Rarely do football players lose weight as their collegiate careers unfold, but defensive tackle Chris Scott did exactly that and had one of the greatest football seasons in Eastern Washington University history.
 
The Big Sky Conference Defensive MVP in 1997, Scott will be among the 19th class of inductees into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 28, 2019, in conjunction with EWU's football game versus North Dakota at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. Previously announced inductees include his former teammate and fellow defensive lineman Dario Romero, as well as volleyball player Keva Sonderen, track and field standout Lisa Sorrell and the 1980 men's track and field team.
 
Scott was an honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference selection as a sophomore and junior, then lost 20 pounds prior to his senior season in 1997. The results were impressive, as his added speed and quickness helped him finish the season with 11 sacks, which at the time were the fourth-most in school history (seventh through the 2018 season). He had a school-record 21 tackles for loss that season while finishing with 79 tackles in 14 games to rank fourth on the team.
 
He won Big Sky Conference Defensive MVP honors, which is rare for an interior lineman. In fact, he was the first to win it for Eastern until nose tackle Jay-Tee Tiuli won in 2018. Tiuli is only the 10th Big Sky Conference interior lineman to win the defensive award since 1974 -- 45 years. He was only the second in the league since Scott from EWU won it in 1997.
 
Scott also earned six All-America honors in 1997, including three first team selections. He helped the 1997 team win the Big Sky title with a 7-1 record, advance to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs and finish 12-2. He finished his career with 236 tackles, which at the time ranked sixth in school history (22nd overall through 2018) and remains a record for an Eagle defensive lineman. He had 25 1/2 career sacks to rank second in school history at the time (currently fourth through 2018), and his 47 tackles for loss in his career were second at the time (now fifth). His six career forced fumbles were a school record for 13 seasons (now tied for second), and his six fumble recoveries were third (now fifth).
 
The induction breakfast and ceremony is expected to start at approximately 8 a.m. on Sept. 28 at the Pence Union Building's Nysether Community Room on the EWU campus in Cheney, and the public is invited to attend at a cost of $25 per person ($12 for children). Guests must register via a link that is now available at http://goeags.com/HOF. Inductees will also be honored at halftime of EWU's football game against North Dakota later that day (kickoff is 2:05 p.m. Pacific time), and recognized the night before at EWU's home volleyball game versus Portland State at 7 p.m. at Reese Court.
 
Established in 1996, the Hall of Fame will consist of 92 individuals and 18 teams following the 2019 induction. In addition, there have also been 20 individuals and one organization honored as recipients of the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame Service and Contribution Award. All of the inductees and induction classes may be viewed at: http://goeags.com/HOF.
 
 

Chris Scott (Athlete/Football)

Chris Scott is one of six Eagles – and the first of only two defensive tackles -- to earn Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the
Year. Scott was a 1997 first team NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-America selection by three organizations – Walter Camp Football Foundation, American Football Quarterly and the Burger King Coaches. He also earned second team All-America honors in 1997 from Associated Press and The Sports Network, and third team by Football Gazette. He was a first team All-Big Sky selection and the league's Defensive Player of the Year after helping the 1997 team win the Big Sky title with a 7-1 record, advance to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs and finish 12-2. He also earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors as a junior and sophomore. In addition, he was a team co-captain as a sophomore in 1995. In all, he played on Eastern teams from 1994-97 which improved from a collective 7-15 (3-11 in the Big Sky) in his first two seasons to 18-7 (11-5) in his last two. He finished his career with 236 tackles, which at the time ranked sixth in school history (22nd overall through 2018) and remains a record for an Eagle defensive lineman. He had 25 1/2 career sacks to rank second in school history at the time (currently fourth through 2018), including 11 as a senior to rank at the time as the fourth-most in school history (seventh through the 2018 season). After losing 20 pounds prior his senior season, he had a school-record 21 tackles for loss in 1997 (now third through 2018) and the 47 in his career were second at the time (now fifth). His six career forced fumbles were a school record for 13 seasons (now tied for second), and his six fumble recoveries were third (now fifth). Scott was selected by the Eastern Athletic Department to the "100 for 100" All-Time Football Team, which was honored on Sept. 27, 2008, to commemorate Eastern's 100th year of football. In a fan vote, Scott was selected as the top defensive lineman in school history among the 11 players who were honored at that position. The 1997 football team he played on was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012. He was also a four-time member of Big Sky Conference All-Academic Team and received his degree in biology from EWU in 1997. His older brother, Tim Scott, also played for the Eagles (1991-94). Tim graduated from Wenatchee High School in 1990 and Chris followed in 1993. They both became involved with the family-owned Martin-Scott Winery in Wenatchee.