NEWS RELEASE

NFF Media Contacts: Phil Marwill, director of communications Mobile: 917-579-4256 Email: [email protected]

Olivia Kiespert, Asst. Director of Communications Phone: 972-556-1000 Email: [email protected]

Vinny Testaverde Set for Oct. 26 NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute (Fla.) and the National Football Foundation will jointly honor , a 2013 Hall of Fame inductee, as Miami hosts Wake Forest.

IRVING, Texas (Oct. 23, 2013) – The (Fla.) and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor Vinny Testaverde with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute on Oct. 26 in Coral Gables during the game between Miami and Wake Forest. Coverage of the game will start at 12 p.m. EST on ESPNU.

“We had some great times on the football field,” said Testaverde when it was announced in May that he would be inducted. “But it’s all of the relationships, getting to meet those guys and be around those guys, and still being life-long friends with a lot of the players. That’s what I take away from it. The camaraderie we had, and the relationships I still have with those guys.”

The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program is a hallowed tradition that began with the inaugural class in 1951, and to this day the salutes remain the first of numerous activities in each inductee’s Hall of Fame experience. During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each inductee returns to his alma mater to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will remain on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many inductees cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and hear the crowd roar their name.

Testaverde, who starred with the Hurricane from 1982 and 1984-86, is one of the most celebrated players in Miami history, claiming virtually every major award during his senior season in 1986.

“Vinny Testaverde is a legend among legends,” said NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell. “Miami’s football history is stocked with mythical talent. Testaverde is a testament to legacy of this strong program. It will be a thrill for us to honor him in front of the Miami faithful at Sun Life Stadium.”

As a senior, Testaverde earned unanimous First-Team All-American honors, and he won the , the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Maxwell, Davey O’Brien and UPI Player of the Year awards. He led the Canes to three consecutive bowls, including the 1987 Fiesta Bowl National Championship game. He finished his collegiate career with more than 6,000 passing yards and 48 touchdown passes, and he still ranks in the top five in virtually every passing category in school history. Testaverde, who was a redshirt on Miami’s 1983 national championship team, went 23-3 as a starter playing for legendary coaches and Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson.

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Tampa Bay selected Testaverde as the No. 1 overall selection in the 1987 NFL Draft, and his pro career spanned 21 seasons with seven different teams. The 1998 All-Pro and two-time selection finished his NFL career seventh all-time in passing yards (46,233) and eighth in touchdowns (275).

The Elmont, N.Y., native currently resides in Florida where he plays an active role with the Children’s Cancer Center of Tampa. Testaverde remains among only four Hurricanes to have their jerseys retired at Miami.

Testaverde becomes the seventh Miami player to be inducted, joining (1984-87), Don Bosseler (1953-56), (1966-68), (1987-90), (1989-92) and Arnold Tucker (1943). Three coaches with stops in Coral Gables are in the hall: (1948-63), Jack Harding (1937-42, 1945-47) and Jimmy Johnson (1984-88).

Including the 2013 FBS class, only 934 players and 205 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the 4.99 million people who have played or coached the game over the past 145 years. In other words, only two ten-thousandths of one percent (.0002) of those who have set foot on the gridiron have earned the distinction. For a complete list of players and coaches in the hall, please visit www.collegefootball.org.

The 2013 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted at the 56th NFF Annual Awards Dinner, held at New York City’s historic Waldorf=Astoria Hotel on Tuesday, Dec. 10. This year’s College Football Hall of Fame FBS Class includes: Ted Brown (North Carolina State), Teddy Bruschi (Arizona), (Wisconsin), (Nebraska), Jerry Gray (Texas), Steve Meilinger (Kentucky), (Ohio State), the late Rod Shoate (Oklahoma), Percy Snow (Michigan State), Vinny Testaverde (Miami, Fla.), Don Trull (Baylor), (Florida), and coaches Wayne Hardin (Navy, Temple) and Bill McCartney (Colorado). For more information, please contact Will Rudd at [email protected] or by calling 972-556-1000.

Currently Scheduled 2013 NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes Presented by Fidelity Investments (Chronological Order)

Date Inductee School (Years Played/Coached) Opposing Team Oct. 26 Orlando Pace Ohio State (1994-96) vs. Penn State Oct. 26 Vinny Testaverde Miami [Fla.] (1982, 1984-86) vs. Wake Forest Nov. 2 Percy Snow Michigan State (1986-89) vs. Michigan Nov. 16 Rod Shoate Oklahoma (1972-74) vs. Iowa State Nov. 23 Ted Brown North Carolina State (1975-78) vs. East Carolina

The 2013 season marks the fourth season that Fidelity Investments, a leading provider of not-for-profit workplace retirement savings plans to higher education employees, is serving as the national presenting sponsor of the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes. The salutes are one component of a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and a joint commitment to higher education. Other highlights of the sponsorship include Fidelity becoming the first presenting sponsor of the organization’s prestigious NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards and helping launch the NFF Faculty Salutes Initiative, which recognizes the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives around the country.

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ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame, the NFF Scholar-Athlete Award presented by Fidelity Investments, Play It Smart, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, and scholarships of more than $1.3 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF presents the MacArthur Bowl, the William V. Campbell Trophy endowed by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. NFF corporate partners include the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the BCS, Fidelity Investments, Herff Jones, Liberty Mutual Insurance, NCAA Football, and Under Armour. For more information, please visit www.footballfoundation.org.

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