FEBRUARY 2017

JSU was the college home of three Football Hall of Famers honored at Superbowl LI

Before the start of Sunday's Superbowl LI battle between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots, the National Football League (NFL) honored Pro Football Hall of Fame players from Historically Black Colleg- es and Universities (HBCUs) that included three former JSU student athletes.

Lemuel Joseph Barney is a former American football player and Hall of Famer. A native of Gulfport, Missis- sippi, he played college football at Jackson State University from 1964 to 1966. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions and played for the Lions as a cornerback, return specialist, and punter from 1967 to 1971. He was se- lected as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the year in 1967, played in seven Pro Bowls, and was selected as a first-team All-NFL Player in 1968 and 1969. Barney was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.

Walter Payton was born on July 25, 1954, in Columbia, Mississippi. Payton began to attract national atten- tion as a halfback at Jackson State University, making the starting lineup in 1971(his freshman year). He was selected for the All-American team and was named the Black College Player of the Year in 1973 and1974. In his four years at Jackson State, Payton rushed for more than 3,500 yards and scored more than 450 points, showing fans and opponents his versatility and talent as a player. Off the field, he studied education with an emphasis on working with the deaf. Nicknamed “Sweetness,” he became a star running back for the Chicago Bears, establishing multiple records and earning nine Pro Bowl selections during his Hall of Fame career. Payton was admired both for his skills and adaptability on the field, and his generous personality and charitable works off-the-field. Payton was in- ducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in the year 1993. Payton succumbed to bile duct cancer on Nov. 1, 1999. Jackie Ray Slater, born May 27, 1954, is a retired National Football League offensive tackle who played his entire 20-year career with the Rams organization, playing 19 seasons in Los Angeles and one season in St. Louis in 1995. A graduate of Jackson State University, he was a teammate of fellow Hall of Famer Walter Payton. Drafted in the third round of the 1976 NFL Draft, Slater seldom played his first few years before start- ing in 1979. Known as the most consistent member of one of the most potent offensive lines in NFL history, Slater was selected to seven Pro Bowls and broke a record for most seasons with one team. His jersey num- ber was retired, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.