Henri Crockett, who played in the Orange Bowl, announced as game's new president and chair

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MIAMI LAKES, Fla. (AP) — Henri Crockett played in the Orange Bowl. He now will oversee the game.

Crockett was announced Friday as the new president and chair of the Orange Bowl Committee, making him the first person to have played in the game and serve in those roles.

It is a one-year term for Crockett. The Orange Bowl will next be played Jan. 1, 2026, as a quarterfinal game in the College Football Playoff, and the Orange Bowl Committee will help host the next CFP national championship game on Jan. 19, 2026.

“It is an incredible honor to become the 87th President of the Orange Bowl Committee, an organization that has shaped my life both as a player and as a member of the South Florida community,” Crockett said. “The opportunity to serve in this leadership capacity is an extension of my lifelong commitment to uplifting others, especially our youth, through sports, education, and mentorship."

Crockett is co-founder and president of the Crockett Foundation, a non-profit in Broward County, Florida, that provides after-school and summer youth development and coding programs for middle school students.

The native of Pompano Beach, Florida, played his college football at Florida State and played in the Seminoles' 18-16 Orange Bowl win over Nebraska that decided the 1993 season's national championship.

He spent seven seasons in the NFL with Atlanta and Minnesota and started for the Falcons in Super Bowl 33 in 1998 — at what is now called Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, the site of the Orange Bowl.

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