ARLINGTON, Texas – Former UT Arlington football standout Derrick Jensen, who went on to become a two-time Super Bowl champion during an eight-year NFL career, will be posthumously inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the 2026 class, the organization has announced.
 
One of the greatest players in UTA football history, Jensen, a running back, was a two-time Southland Conference MVP (1976, 1977) and finished his career with a program-record 3,346 rushing yards. He led the Southland in rushing yards in both of his MVP seasons (1,266 in 1976 and 1,119 in 1979), averaging more than 100 yards per game both years.
 
Jensen, the first player in Southland Conference history to top 3,000 career rushing yards, was inducted into the UT Arlington Athletic Hall of Honor in 1987. In 2013, Jensen was named to the Southland Conference 1970s All-Decade Team.
 
Following his college career, he was selected in the third round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. Jensen played in 106 games, making 22 starts at running back and tight end over eight seasons (1979-86), all with the Raiders.
 
His teams won world titles in Super Bowl XV and XVIII. A five-year special teams captain, he blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for the first touchdown in the Raiders' 38-9 victory over Washington in Super Bowl XVIII.
 
Jensen finished his professional career with 780 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 224 carries. He added 44 receptions for 384 yards and three scores.
 
After his playing days, Jensen spent 22 years as a highly regarded scout for the Seattle Seahawks beginning in 1991.
 
Jensen, a native of Osawatomie, Kan., attended Osawatomie High School and was a member of the 1973 Kansas state high school championship team. Jensen passed away in April of 2017 at the age of 60 due to complications from ALS.
 
The mission of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame is to honor those that contributed to the history of sports in Kansas and to educate and inspire the public regarding the value of athletics and Kansas athletic history by providing the requisite leadership and resources. To secure tickets for the August 16 induction at Sporting Kansas City Park in Kansas City, Kan., click here.