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The new College Hall of Fame opened Aug. 23 in to rave reviews

Inside: Profiles of the 2014 Hall of Fame inductees presiDent’s message

From Steve Hatchell, NFF President & CEO

Welcome to the latest issue of the Footballetter . We hope that you’re enjoying the 2014 college football season, which marks several historic milestones for our sport. We have ushered in the new (CFP), and the season will culminate with four teams vying to play in the national title game on Jan. 12, 2015, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, . We announced early this year that we’ll reveal the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class as part of the festivities in Arlington, and we want to thank everybody at the CFP Committee, especially CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock, for using the title game’s national stage to help us promote the game’s greatest legends. The start of the season also witnessed the opening of the new College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. The state-of-the-art building defies description, and media and fans alike have described the experience of visiting the Hall with rave reviews. The completion of the project creates a special moment for our sport, providing us all with a powerful platform for promoting every - thing right about our game. The team in Atlanta, led by College Football Hall of Fame President & CEO John Stephenson, deserves huge credit for making this vision a reality. We give you a glimpse of some of the exhibits on the following pages, and we hope you’ll be inspired to be one of the projected 500,000 annual visitors. Inside the magazine, we also take a look at the Hall’s newest inductees in advance of their Dec. 9 induction at the 57th Annual NFF Awards Dinner in . We hope that you will enjoy reading about their accomplishments, which are simply astounding. Their collective accomplishments include multiple consensus and unanimous First-Team All-American honors, four conference players of the year, four NFF National Scholar-Athletes, five MVPs and nine first- round NFL draft picks and lots more. NFF Historian Dan Jenkins, who never fails to delight with his prose, has sent us his latest insights on the game’s greatest passers, and we proudly share his latest missive with you. We also profile two key new relationships with Fidelity Investments and the New York Athletic Club, who are both taking on new roles in supporting the William V. Campbell Trophy . As you read the Footballetter, we encourage you to remember the valuable role football has played in your life, and we ask you to think about how you can give back to our sport. This organization is yours. Reach out to us with your ideas. Connect with your local chapter. Get involved. Become a member at www.football - foundation.org/membership . Thank you for your continued support, passion, creativity and interest.

Respectfully,

Steve Hatchell NFF President and CEO 2014-15 Key Dates special notes

• Oct. 30: Announcement of the 2014 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented A special thanks to Steve Richardson, the former sports journalist with the Dallas by Fidelity Investments — Irving, Texas Morning News and the current executive director of the Football Writers Association • Dec. 8: The Asa S. Bushnell Cup Presentation to the Ivy League Football Players of America, who wrote the Hall of Fame bios in this issue of the Footballetter. An of the Year at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel — New York City accomplished author, Richardson’s latest book, “100 Things to Do in Dallas-Fort • Dec. 9: NFF Chapter Awards Luncheon, presented by Under Armour, at the Waldorf Worth Before You Die” was released in February 2014. Astoria Hotel — New York City • Dec. 9: 57th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel — New York Please consider including the NFF in your annual gift planning. To learn more about City making a financial gift, please contact NFF Director of Finance Sue Tuggle at 972- • Dec. 9: 25th presentation of the William V. Campbell Trophy , presented by Fidelity 556-1000 or by email at [email protected] . The NFF is a 501(c) (3) Investments and hosted at the NYAC, to the nation’s top scholar-athlete at the tax-exempt organization, and your financial contribution may be eligible for tax Waldorf Astoria Hotel — New York City benefits based on your individual circumstances. • Dec. 9: Induction of the 2014 College Football Hall of Fame Class at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel — New York City The photos of Hall of Famers and in the story by Dan Jenkins were obtained from their • Jan. 1: 10th Annual NFF National Hall of Fame Salute at the Allstate — respective universities. The photo rights are reserved by their respective owners. • Jan. 8: NFF Leadership Hall of Fame Induction Dinner — Dallas On the cover, the façade of the new College Football Hall of Fame with inset photos. • Jan. 9: Announcement of the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Inductees — Dallas 1. The Clark Atlanta University Marching Band. 2. Hall of Famers • Jan. 10: FCS National Championship Game at Toyota Stadium — Frisco, Texas (), (Maryland Eastern Shore), (Georgia Southern) and • Jan. 12: Inaugural College Football Playoff Championship at AT&T Stadium — Kevin Butler (Georgia). 3. Several of the iconic trophies displayed in the Hall. Arlington, Texas www.footballfoundation.org 2 October 2014 a TribuTe To JohN ToNer NFF Footballetter

John Toner presents (Purdue) with his John Toner joins fellow board members during an NFF Annual Awards John Toner, NFF Vice Chairman from 2000 to 2008 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award in 2000. Dinner, L-R: Jack Lengyel, Mike Cleary, John Toner and . Former NFF Vice chairmaN JohN ToNer Passes away

ohn Toner, a leading figure in college athletics for more than five decades when the All-American and Hall of Fame QB arrived at BU, Toner J and a former National Football Foundation (NFF) vice chairman, passed switched to defense, playing safety and . away Sept. 23 in Savannah, Ga. He was 91. Toner, who claimed the NFF After his BU football career, Toner stayed on as a graduate student and as - Distinguished American Award in 1986, served in numerous prominent positions sistant coach to Buff Donelli. In 1954, Toner left BU, starting a three-year stint during his illustrious career, including head football coach at Connecticut, ath - as the head football coach at New Britain (Conn.) High School. In 1955 and 1956 letics director at Connecticut, NCAA president, NACDA president and assistant his New Britain teams went undefeated with only a 1956 tie to mar a perfect coach at Columbia. record. “John Toner stood as a giant among athletic administrators, and the mere In 1957, Donelli left University to take the head coaching job at Colum - mention of his name meant integrity and respect,” said NFF Chairman Archie bia University, replacing Hall of Fame coach Lou Little. Donelli immediately re - Manning. “He brought immediate credibility to the efforts of the National Foot - cruited Toner as an assistant. At Columbia, Toner participated on the coaching Foundation, and he served on the NFF board with extreme passion and staff that guided the Lions to the 1961 Ivy League Championship, which was enormous impact. He put the scholar-athlete first, and his opinions and actions captained by NFF Board Member Bill Campbell. He served as an assistant at Co - helped shape the NCAA and the college football landscape for decades.” lumbia from 1957-1965, and his impact at Columbia still resonates today. John Toner joined the NFF board of directors in 1988, and he took on the role In 1966, Toner became the 21st head football coach at the University of of NFF vice chairman in 2000, serving in that capacity until 2008 and subse - Connecticut. He coached for five seasons, and in his third season he added quently becoming an emeritus member until his passing. In recognition of his director of athletics to his responsibilities. In his last three seasons as football stature and the high esteem that his name carried, the NFF established the coach, his Huskies tied for two Yankee Conference championships, and he John L. Toner Award in 1997, annually honoring an outstanding athletics director finished his coaching career in 1970 by winning the Yankee Conference title who demonstrated superior administrative abilities, especially in the area of outright. college football. The list of past recipients includes some of the most admired When Toner relinquished his football coaching duties to become the fulltime names in athletics administration, and their acceptance speeches universally director of athletics, his first task was to hire his football replacement. Toner paid tribute to the award’s namesake, citing the personal significance of receiv - hired Bob Casciola, who would later serve as the president of the National Foot - ing an award that carried the name of a revered mentor. ball Foundation. Toner also hired Hall of Fame coaches Geno Au - “John Toner was a good friend and supporter long before I arrived at the Na - riemma (women’s baskeball) and Jim Calhoun (men’s basketball). He was tional Football Foundation,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “And that responsible for Connecticut becoming a founding member of The Big East Con - trust only grew as we served together on the NFF Board. His insights and guid - ference in 1979, and he oversaw the funding and construction of Gampel Pavilion. ance helped frame the direction of our organization during the past two During his tenure as the top administrator at Connecticut from 1969 until decades, and he provided critical counsel on numerous occasions, especially as 1987, Toner became one of the most respected leaders in the field. He was in it related to NCAA matters. When John spoke, people listened, and it is a fitting the forefront of activity when in 1972 the Congress enacted Title tribute that the ultimate award in college administration is given in his name IX, a law that required every college receiving Federal funding to pass three tests each year.” of equal opportunity, and Toner was among the first athletic director to speak Born, May 4, 1923, Toner enrolled at Boston University on a football scholar - up for women's sports. ship, but before he had a chance to play, he left school to serve a three and a After serving on the NCAA Council, Toner was elected secretary-treasurer of half year hitch with the U.S. Army (1942-46). He served in the European Theatre the NCAA (1981-83) and then served as NCAA president (1983-85). Toner also during World War II. In 1946, he returned to Boston University, playing four sea - served as president of the National Association of College Directors of Athletics sons for the Terriers. He was starting in 1947 and 1948, but in 1949, (NACDA) in 1980-81 and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

www.footballfoundation.org 3 October 2014 Hall of fame Inductees

Class of 2014

Mike Bellotti Dre Bly

Shane Conlan Joe Hamilton John Huard Jerry Moore

his year, 14 First Team All-America players and two legendary coaches will take their places in the College Football Hall of Fame alongside the greatest of tall time. Of the 5.06 million individuals who have played college football since Princeton first battled Rutgers on Nov. 6, 1869, only 1,155 champions of the gridiron (948 players and 207 coaches, including this year’s class) have earned the right to be immortalized in the sport’s ultimate shrine. In other words, only two ten-thousandths of one percent (.0002) of those who have played the game have earned the distinction.

class of 2014 Inductees

PLAYERS 1. DRE BLY – DB, North Carolina (1996-98) 11. LEONARD SMITH – CB, McNeese State (1980-82) 2. TONY BOSELLI – OT, Southern (1991-94) 12. (deceased) – LB, Alabama (1985-88) 3. DAVE BUTZ – DT, Purdue (1970-72) 13. LaDAINIAN TOMLINSON – TB, TCU (1997-00) 4. – LB, Penn State (1983-86) 14. WESLEY WALLS – TE, Mississippi (1985-88) 5. JOE HAMILTON – QB, (1996-99) 6. JOHN HUARD – LB, Maine (1964-66) COACHES 7. – HB, Stanford (1977-78, 1980-81) 15. MIKE BELLOTTI – 137-80-2 (63%); Chico State (Calif.) (1984-88) and 8. – OL, Tech (1989-92) Oregon (1995-08) 9. – QB, UCLA (1972-75) 16. JERRY MOORE – 242-135-2 (64.1%); North Texas (1979-80), 10. – WR, South Carolina (1983, 1985-87) Texas Tech (1981-85) and Appalachian State (1989-12)

www.footballfoundation.org 4 October 2014 hall of fame inductees Class of 2014

Darrin Nelson Willie Roaf John Sciarra Sterling Sharpe

Leonard Smith Derrick Thomas LaDainian Tomlinson Wesley Walls

DAVEY O’BRIEN NATIONAL QUARTERBACK AWARD WINNER BUTKUS AWARD WINNER CONSENSUS FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICANS 1 AWARD WINNER 7 MEMBER OF A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM

2 UNANIMOUS FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICANS 9 FIRST-ROUND NFL DRAFT PICKS

COACHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 3 THREE MULTI-YEAR FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICANS COACHING CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS 12 BOWL COACHING APPEARANCES NFF NATIONAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETES CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR HONOREES 4 MEMBERS OF CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 18 PLAYOFF COACHING APPEARANCES 5 BOWL GAME MVPS

www.footballfoundation.org 5 October 2014 HaLL of famE

Class of 2014

DRE BLY Defensive Back North Carolina 1996-98

re Bly’s freshman season at North Carolina was so sen - D sational that he left himself a very tough encore during his remaining two years in Chapel Hill. After Bly led the country in in 1996 and became the first freshman in history on defense to be named a consen - sus All-American, teams started to throw to the other side of the field. But Bly still managed to pick off nine more passes as a soph - omore and junior and become the only player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to be named first-team All-America three times. He entered the NFL Draft after his junior season, and he was selected in the second round by St. Louis, eventually playing on the Rams’ XXXIV -winning team. “I was fortunate to play with a great group of guys in Chapel Hill who pushed me every day to become a better player,” Bly said. “We had one of the best defenses in the country with future NFL players all over the field. I wouldn’t be accepting this honor without them and the great coaching staff under the lead - ership of Mack Brown (the North Carolina head coach Bly’s first two seasons).” During Bly’s sensational freshman season, he intercepted fel - low 2014 Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Hamilton of Georgia Tech three times in the Tar Heels’ 16-0 victory over the Yellow Jackets. Hamilton, also a freshman, didn’t complete a pass until about two minutes remained in the third quarter. “As a redshirt freshman all I had to do was just hold up my of the bargain along with Robert Williams on the other side who came in with me as well,” Bly told WRAL Radio. “It sort of made my job easier having the vets around (Greg Ellis, , Brian Simmons)… All I had to do was sort of play my man and make plays.” Interestingly, two of Bly’s interceptions that season — in the Tar Heels’ 20-13 victory on Jan. 1, 1997 — didn’t count at the time in NCAA statistics. So Bly actually had 13 intercep - tions and four multi- games his freshman season. Brown said after that Gator Bowl game: “We know once again after today why Dre Bly is the best corner in the country.” His next two seasons had dazzling moments. Against Virginia in 1997, Bly’s interception and return for a tied the score at 20-20, and the Heels went on to a 48-20 rout. Also in 1997, his interception late in the fourth quarter in the preserved a 17-10 Tar Heels’ victory at Clemson. In 1998, he made some big plays against North Carolina State receiver DRE BLY: Up CLosE in a 37-34 North Carolina overtime victory. He finished his North Carolina career with 102 tackles, 27 pass breakups and the 20 • Three-time First-Team All-American, twice consensus, and a member of ACC 50- interceptions, two of which he returned for . The two-time Pro Bowler played Year Anniversary Team. 11 seasons with St. Louis, , Denver and San Francisco. • His 11 -season interceptions in 1996 and 20 for a career remained Tar Heel Bly, who lives in Charlotte, N.C., with his wife and five children, was informed on his 37th records entering the 2014 season. birthday, May 22, that he was headed to the College Football Hall of Fame in December. He • Led Tar Heels to three straight bowl games and two top 10 finishes. is involved with several youth development programs in Charlotte and Virginia. • Becomes the fourth Tar Heel to enter the Hall. www.footballfoundation.org 6 October 2014 Congratulations!

Congratulations to the 2014 inductees into the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame.

UÊ ÀiÊ ÞÊ— University of North Carolina UÊ /œ˜ÞÊ œÃiˆÊ— University of Southern California UÊ >ÛiÊ ÕÌâÊ— P u r d u e U n i v e r s i t y UÊ - >˜iÊ œ˜>˜Ê— Pennsylvania State University UÊ œiÊ>“ˆÌœ˜Ê— G e o r g i a T e c h UÊ œ ˜ÊÕ>À`Ê— University of Maine UÊ >ÀÀˆ˜Ê iÃœ˜Ê— Stanford University UÊ 7ˆˆiÊ,œ>vÊ— Louisiana Tech University UÊ œ ˜Ê-Vˆ>ÀÀ>Ê— University of California, UÊ -ÌiÀˆ˜}Ê- >À«iÊ— University of South Carolina UÊ iœ˜>À`Ê-“ˆÌ Ê— McNeese State University UÊ iÀÀˆVŽÊ/ œ“>ÃÊ— University of Alabama UÊ > >ˆ˜ˆ>˜Ê/œ“ˆ˜Ãœ˜Ê— Texas Christian University UÊ 7iÏiÞÊ7>ÃÊ— University of Mississippi

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Class of 2014

TONY BOSELLI Offensive Southern California 1991-94

ony Boselli was a highly decorated offensive tackle for T the USC Trojans under two top coaches. He remem - bers all the good times at the Los Angeles Coliseum, but he tends to focus on one of those fleeting moments in a loss against UCLA. “The one that sticks out more than any to me is 1993,” Boselli said of a 27-21 loss. “We are on the 3-yard line to go in and win against UCLA. We score a touchdown there, we go to the Rose Bowl. We were not able to stick it in, and as an offensive lineman that always sticks in your craw for a long time. That’s a game I always look back on and say, ‘Man, we were first and goal on the three, and we didn’t get it done.’” USC went to three other bowls in his career — two Free - dom Bowls and then a Cotton Bowl in his final game, where the Trojans blew away Texas Tech, 55-14. Boselli was All-Pac 10 three of his seasons, and as a senior he won the league’s best offensive lineman award. He started with Larry Smith as coach, and he finished with Hall of Fame Coach John Robin - son. “I enjoyed both of them and I respect both of them tremendously,” Boselli said. “Larry Smith brought me to USC, where he was able to allow me to experience college football. He was very structured and disciplined. John Robinson came in, and he was a guy who really helped take my game to the next level … Coach Robinson was still tough and demanding as far as the level at which we played, but different. He had more of a pro style.” Boselli was a Boulder (Colorado) Fairview High School standout when the Colorado Buffaloes were contending for national titles in the early 1990s. But he was born in California, and he enjoyed vacationing in Southern California, where he had relatives. That and a visit to the USC campus sealed the deal. He became the consummate student-athlete, majoring in business administration and earning accolades as NFF National Scholar-Athlete. “Football is the ultimate team sport, and the offensive line is the ultimate team position,” he said. “It is five guys working together. I owe a lot to all the guys I played with at USC who lined up on the offensive line with me. Individually, you can only do so much.” Selected No. 2 overall in the 1995 NFL Draft by Jacksonville, he played seven seasons for the Jaguars, one in , and was a five-time selection. In his post-professional playing days, he is now on the Jaguars’ radio broadcast team, and he runs the Boselli TONY BOSELLI: Up CLOSE Foundation with his wife, Angi. “Right after I got out of USC, we started the Boselli Foundation,” Boselli said. “And • Named an NFF National Scholar-Athlete in 1994. early on we gave grants to different children’s organizations and teachers at public • Two-time First-Team All-American (consensus in 1994). schools. Around the mid 2000s we determined we were going to start after-school • Finalist for as a senior. programs. We started to fund our own programs, and today we work with about 100 • Becomes the 31st USC player to enter the Hall. kids every single day in Jacksonville.” www.footballfoundation.org 8 October 2014

HAll of fAmE

Class of 2014

DAVE BUTZ Defensive Tackle Purdue 1970-72

verything athletically growing up for Dave Butz was E done with one thing in mind: becoming the best football player that he could be. On the way to that goal he became an All-America lineman for the and one of the great defensive pass rushers of the era. “Everything I did was geared towards football,” said Butz, the leader of Purdue’s “Doom Platoon” defense. “I went out for football to learn how to play football. I went out for basketball to learn to cover a littler, quicker guy. Then I went out for track to build myself up with weights, so I could continue in the foot - ball season the following year.” The 6-7, 315-pound Butz was a gargantuan size for the era, but could move well. He impressed enough college basketball coaches to receive at least 132 letters inquiring about his serv - ices while he was at Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Ill. “That’s the letters my mom kept count on,” Butz recalled. “The only one I have kept and still have is signed by Coach Adolph Rupp from the University of Kentucky. I think he was going to give a new meaning to power forward because I was 6-6, 280 as a senior in high school.” But Butz chose Purdue over to play football. “The highest congratulatory thing that I ever received was from Coach Bo Schembechler,” Butz said of the legendary Wolverine football coach. “He said I was the greatest defensive lineman he had ever seen. And coming from a man that has his experience and his knowledge — I wasn’t even on his team — I thought that he went out on the limb to say that. I was for - ever appreciative of that.” Once at Purdue, Butz said he learned his trade from defen - sive line coach Tony Mason, later the head football coach at Cincinnati and Arizona. “Foot placement, hand placement, how much pressure, where a guy is looking, where his feet are angled, tells you a lot. Is one foot back further than the other? Why is it so?” Butz recalled. “He taught us how to study film.” Butz was surrounded by a bevy of future pros in West Lafayette, including Hall of Fame , quarterback , and middle guard Gregg Bingham. Butz’s uncle, Earl Butz, Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents Richard Nixon and and also a Purdue grad and one-time professor, lived there, too. “Aunt Mary Emma could really cook,” Butz said. “I can remember bringing Otis Armstrong over and Darryl Stingley. They went home with the biggest smiles on their faces. Even they remarked it was DAVE BUTZ: Up ClosE the best cooking they had ever had.” Butz played 16 seasons in the NFL, two for St. Louis and 14 for and in • Consensus All-American in 1972. three Super Bowls for the latter team. He is currently involved with numerous charities • Member of Purdue’s First 100 Years Football Team. and philanthropic efforts, including the American Cancer Society, the American Heart • Member of Hall of Fame. Association, the Special Olympics and the Ronald McDonald House. • Becomes the seventh Purdue player elected to the Hall and the fourth since 2006.

www.footballfoundation.org 10 October 2014

HALL Of fAmE

Class of 2014

SHANE CONLAN Linebacker Penn State 1983-86

inebacker Shane Conlan’s college career ended in L storybook fashion. He played one of his greatest games in his last collegiate game as the Nittany Lions shut ’s Hall of Fame quarterback and won the 1986 national title. The Hurricanes were driving late in the game before Testaverde was intercepted by Pete Giftopoulos, and Penn State came away with a pulsating 14-10 victory in the Fiesta Bowl. The Nittany Lions finished with a perfect 12-0 record, limiting every opponent, including the previ - ously unbeaten Hurricanes, to 19 points or less. “We had been on the field the whole game,” said Con - lan, who had two interceptions, one he returned 38 yards to the five-yard line that set up the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter. “We just wanted one more stop,” Conlan said. “That high-powered offense — Boy, if you could see the players on that Miami team. We caught them on a bad day … The winner had a bad day (five interceptions), and we were lucky enough to be a part of that.” It was the second straight season that Conlan had played in a national title game and starred. But he was on the losing end in the the previous season when came away with a 25-10 victory over the Nittany Lions. “We really didn’t have a star on the team,” Conlan said. “We played in two national championship games. And we were 1-1 (in those games). We all worked together.” Conlan was lightly recruited for football out of high school, and he turned down a chance to play professional . He had a tryout with the Pirates at , but his father nixed the idea of baseball in favor of a paid education at Penn State. “I was a catcher (in high school),” Conlan said. “I prob - ably would have played in the outfield … The money was - n’t that great in baseball, unless they were going to take you in the first round.” His father believed Shane would succeed despite his lean frame (6-3, 186 pounds), which had scared away all major schools except Penn State. “I think it was my aggression (that made him a star),” said Conlan, who filled out to 220 pounds. “I was a fast, aggressive guy. It was my angry genes. I have four kids, three boys and a girl. And my daughter got my angry gene. So my sons all play SHANE CONLAN: Up CLOSE on the offensive side of the ball. I think my dad knew that, the way I ran and ran through people.” • Two-time All-American: 1985 and 1986 (consensus). Conlan, who was selected eighth overall by Buffalo in the 1987 Draft, played • Finished as Penn State’s second leading career tackler; still ranks seventh. in three straight Super Bowls with the Bills from 1990-92, and he later played for • Co-captain and team MVP of the 1986 national championship team. the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams from 1993-95. He currently is vice president for • Becomes the 17th Penn State player inducted into Hall of Fame. corporate partnerships for the Pittsburgh Power of the League. www.footballfoundation.org 12 October 2014 December 10-11, 2014 The New York Marriott Marquis at Times Square | New York City

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Class of 2014

JOE HAMILTON Quarterback Georgia Tech 1996-99

eorgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton’s induction G into the College Football Hall of Fame couldn’t have happened at a better time. It pretty much coincided with the Hall’s opening this year in downtown Atlanta, close to where Hamilton was a passing machine at Stadium/Grant Field in the mid-to-late 1990s. “A lot of things went through my head, as far as it would be cool because it is now coming to Atlanta as far as the museum,” said Hamilton, now a football recruiting assistant at Georgia Tech. “There is no denying it right now, to be on a list like that, and to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame means you played football at a high level.” Certainly, the 5-foot-10, 189-pound Hamilton will have lots of chances to relive his past glories at the College Foot - ball Hall of Fame, along with his Georgia Tech coaches, teammates and fans. Those highlights include setting nine school records by the end of his college career in 1999. “Teammates and roommates and guys who played along with me are calling and saying: ‘We did it! We are in!’, when, in actuality, there is just one guy going in...,” Hamilton said. “That’s why I want the whole community of Georgia Tech and everybody associated with it to feel it. It is a team effort.” Entering the 2014 season, Hamilton still held seven Geor - gia Tech career records: (10,640 yards), touch - down responsibility (83), passing yards (8,882), yards per attempt (8.71), touchdown passes (65), passing efficiency (148.2) and completion percentage (62.0). “Joe’s leadership, competitiveness and big-moment play- making ability made him a favorite among Georgia Tech fans,” said Georgia Tech athletic director Mike Bobinski. “And his passion and obvious love for the game set him apart as one of the all-time greats in college football.” In 1998, Hamilton led Georgia Tech to a share of the ACC title, 10 victories and a No. 9 final ranking in the Associated Press poll. He was the ACC Player of the Year his senior year in 1999 when he was a consensus All-American. His final home game may have been his most thrilling performance — 435 yards of total offense — when he led the Yellow Jack - ets to a come-from-behind 51-48 overtime victory over arch-rival Georgia. Now, he is back working in the Georgia Tech football pro - gram to find other outstanding players. “That’s my whole demeanor,” Hamilton said. “That is who I am … Give, give, give all the way when it comes to Georgia Tech. What I have JOE HAMILTON: Up CLOsE been able to give to them and what they have been able to give to me: education, contacts, football at a high level, a job now. It is only my duty to give back in a way • 1999 Heisman Trophy runner-up and consensus First Team All-American. that is unselfish and humble and try and pave the way for somebody else.” • Claimed the 1999 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. • Led Yellow Jackets to three bowls, two victories. • Becomes the 13th Georgia Tech player to enter the Hall of Fame.

www.footballfoundation.org 14 October 2014

HAll Of fAme

Class of 2014

JOHN HUARD Linebacker Maine 1964-66

ohn Huard has a home office full of footballs that is high - J lighted by his prized possession: a 1968 American Foot - ball League game ball from when he intercepted Super Bowl-bound of the . Now, Huard has another one of equal stature for his collection: the football informing him that he would be inducted into the College Foot - ball Hall of Fame in 2014. It has been a half century since he starred for the Black Bears at Harold Alfond Sports Stadium. And it has been even longer since the late Alfond, one of Maine’s most generous philan - thropists and the NFF’s 1995 Gold Medal winner, predicted Huard would be a star. Alfond, the founder of Dexter Shoe Co. in 1957, was a lifelong supporter of the NFF until his passing in 2007, including fund - ing one of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards through his charitable foundation. “He (Alfond) introduced me to a couple once, saying, ‘This youngster is going to play in the NFL.’ I was probably 10 to 12 years old at the time,” said Huard. “That pretty well motivated me. I couldn’t believe that he would say that. He had that much belief in me. His motto was ‘You always have to really try … you have to put your nose to the grindstone.’ That has always been at the back of my mind and has helped me work harder than I probably would have.” Eventually, Huard played professionally for Denver and New Orleans and also in the League before hold - ing various coaching positions in Canada and the U.S. This was all after he was a dominant defensive player for Maine. “John was probably the headiest player I ever coached,” said Walt Abbott, who was a Maine assistant coach when Huard played. “He was very knowledgeable about all the details of the game. His mind worked like a computer. He was very intense, and his intensity and drive to win was contagious to all the other players around him. I think John Huard is the hardest-hit - ting football player that I’ve ever seen in a Maine uniform.” In 1963, Huard played on the undefeated Maine freshman football team. A year later in his first game as a varsity football player, he had 22 tackles against Massachusetts. Although Maine’s defensive statistics are sketchy from that era, Huard remembers once having 29-30 tackles against Vermont. “We used to have a chart on the wall, with everybody’s name and how many tackles, assists, interceptions, recoveries they had,” Huard recalled. “I always led it. After a while I stopped looking at it; it wasn’t worth looking at. I was way far beyond anybody else.” JOHN HUARD: Up ClOse Huard was a leader of the 1965 Maine team (8-2) that won the Lambert Cup as the best Division II team in the East, and he played in the Tangerine Bowl. Inducted into the • Two-time First-Team All-American. 1986 inaugural class of the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame, Huard also has been • Led Maine to Tangerine Bowl in 1965. a successful businessman in Maine and a big supporter of the state of Maine’s NFF Chap - • First member of the Alfond Stadium Ring of Honor. ter for many years. • Becomes the first Maine player to enter the Hall.

www.footballfoundation.org 16 October 2014 ,)6%!.$/. $%-!.$"2/!$#!343!#2/33!,,$%6)#%3 02/$5#4)/.425#+™!.$!$42)''%202/™3/&47!2% $9.!-)# #/.4%845!, 4!2'%4%$ -)$ 2/,,!$).3%24)/. 3%!-,%33-5,4) #!-%2!37)4#().'#534/-'2!0()#30!#+!'% #534/-.%47/2+)$%.4)49 HALL Of fAmE

Class of 2014

DARRIN NELSON Running Back Stanford 1977-78, 1980-81

arrin Nelson will return to the stage of the NFF Annual D Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria for his Hall of Fame induction 33 years after being honored as an NFF National Scholar-Athlete. He will never forget the person he sat next to on the dais back in 1981 — quarterback , who may have given him the best piece of ad - vice he has ever received. Nelson believed he was too small at 5-9, 175 pounds to play in the , and he had planned to head straight into the business world as an environmental planner. “Roger looked at me and said I was crazy,” Nelson remembered of the former Navy quarterback who was inducted into the Hall of Fame that evening. “(He said) I was about the same size as and that he had had a successful NFL career cur - rently. He also told me that because I could catch the football I would be used in a lot of different ways in the NFL. I guess you could say that Roger convinced me to play or gave me the confi - dence I could play in the NFL.” His combination of rushing and receiving skills are what made him a unique player at the time, and he became the first in NCAA history to for more than 1,000 yards and catch more than 50 passes in one season. And he did it three of four seasons at Stanford, where was the quarterback during part of his time in Palo Alto. “We ran a multi-set offense where I would line up almost any - where or go in motion out of the backfield,” Nelson said. “It was impossible to outrun his (Elway’s) arm, and his accuracy was fan - tastic as well. It was awfully difficult for a linebacker to cover me out of the backfield and even more difficult when I turned up field and ran deep routes.” Ironically, Bill Walsh, the coach at Stanford Nelson’s first two sea - sons, initially tried to turn him into a defensive back because Nelson hadn’t shown he could catch passes out of the in high school. But after talking to Nelson’s high school coach, Walsh relented and allowed Nelson to prove that he could catch the ball. During Nelson’s last two seasons at Stanford he played under Stanford head coach Paul Wiggin, who played defensive tackle at Stanford in the 1950s and was inducted into the Hall in 2005. “Darrin was probably the most popular player at Stanford in the time I’ve been around the school,” Wiggin told the website. “He was not only a great player, but had that mag - netic personality and was such an impressive guy to be around. As a player, he was exceptional. He was truly Mr. Stanford at that time. He was loved by the students, faculty, alumni and, most of all, very well respected by DARRIN NELSON: Up CLOSE his teammates.” Nelson went on to play 11 seasons in the NFL, mostly for the Minnesota Vikings, who made • Named an NFF National Scholar-Athlete in 1981. him a first round pick in the 1982 Draft. Again, he displayed his versatility, gaining more than • Only player in Stanford history to earn First-Team All-Conference honors for four 7,000 yards (combined) rushing and receiving in the professional ranks. seasons. Nelson returned to Stanford as a senior associate athletic director in 1998, and he later moved • Finished career as NCAA’s leader in all-purpose yardage at the time. to UC Irvine in 2011 in sports administration where he currently works in a wide range of areas. • Becomes the 18th Stanford player to enter the Hall of Fame. www.footballfoundation.org 18 October 2014

HALL OF FAmE Class of 2014

WILLIE ROAF Offensive Lineman Louisiana Tech 1989-92

illie Roaf developed into one of the top linemen in W college football and later in the NFL. It was in his genes despite the fact he was recruited by few col - leges for football out of Pine Bluff, Ark., and he almost wound up playing college basketball instead. “If I had been somewhat taller I might have kept playing basketball,” said the 6-foot-5 Roaf, who was a power forward. “Basketball was a sport I really enjoyed playing. I went to bas - ketball camp at the University of Central Arkansas and got offered a scholarship. So I almost continued to play basket - ball, but I thought I was a little too short.” Clifton Roaf, his father, attended Michigan State and went there to play on a football scholarship for Hall of Fame Coach Duffy Daugherty. Because of a knee injury, Clifton’s college career was over before it began. But he got his education in East Lansing, became a dentist, and just retired in 2013. “It was kind of a hard situation with dad,” Roaf said. “He hurt his knee in high school, and he hurt it in college again ... Him seeing what I did kind of made up for what he missed out on because he never reached his full potential.” Roaf cites his mother, the late Andree Layton Roaf, the first African American woman to serve on the Arkansas Supreme Court, as another source of inspiration. But it was his father who nearly had perfect attendance at Roaf’s home games at Louisiana Tech, and later in New Orleans and City during his professional career. “Win, lose or draw, it was just great for him (his father) to be there, in the stands or at the house after the game,” Willie Roaf said. “He likes to talk about coming to all the games ... he is going to be up there (in New York for the Hall of Fame Dinner) with me. He is very excited about it.” The fact Roaf played high school basketball helped him at Louisiana Tech in football. “Coordination, moving laterally,” he said. It was just a matter of time before Roaf blossomed. He entered Louisiana Tech weighing just 225 pounds, but gradually put weight on his frame. Louisiana Tech was unbeaten at home during his career. Roaf was aided by the fact he was taught by Louisiana Tech assistant coaches, including quarterback and receiver Pat Tilley, who had played professional football. “From them I got the individual guidance and direction to help me develop my skills at a program that was just going Divi - sion I; we were and still are family,” he said. Selected eighth overall in the 1993 NFL Draft by the Saints, Louisiana Tech’s team WILLIE ROAF: Up CLOsE captain eventually weighed 320 pounds. He made the Pro Bowl 11 times before retiring prior to the 2006 season. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012. • Consensus First Team All-American and a finalist for Outland Trophy in 1992. “My head coach from college (Joe Peace) is very excited for me coming into the Hall,” • Blocked for two of the top five rushers in Louisiana Tech history. Roaf said. “I have been hoping and waiting for this. This is very special to me.” • One of two football players to have his retired at Louisiana Tech. • Becomes the third Louisiana Tech player to enter the Hall of Fame.

www.footballfoundation.org 20 October 2014 HAll Of fAme

Class of 2014

JOHN SCIARRA Quarterback UCLA 1972-75

n 1972, UCLA quarterback John Sciarra began his freshman year I against No. 1-ranked Nebraska, when he made a key return that set up the winning in a 20-17 victory. He finished his Bruin career in 1975 as the starting quarterback in a 23-10 Rose Bowl upset of another top-ranked team, Ohio State. In between, Sciarra put up most of his nearly 4,500 yards total offense (career) for two different coaches — first and then . It didn’t matter whether he was in the Wish - bone (Rodgers) or the (Vermeil), Sciarra sparkled on the field and in the classroom, earning a prestigious NFF National Scholar- Athlete Award his senior season. “I had always thought when I got out of high school, I have got to get my college degree,” Sciarra said of excelling in academics. “It was something that my folks did not have — college degrees. It was important to them their children did ... Fortunately for me, I was able to get a scholarship, and that helped out financially.” Early in his UCLA career, Sciarra shared quarterback time with another NFF National Scholar-Athlete (1973) and his roommate, quarterback , who was a couple years older. “What was special about Mark,” Sciarra said, “we competed very hard ... but he never hesitated saying, ‘John, watch your footwork here, putting the ball in, here is how you pull it out.’ ... He really helped me a lot in developing my mechanical skills.” By the start of the 1974 season, Harmon had used up his eligibility, and Sciarra was the junior starter for Vermeil. In the opener against Tennessee in Knoxville, Sciarra served notice his career was in full bloom, setting a UCLA school record for total offense with 390 yards in a 17-17 tie with the Volunteers. Only a broken leg late in the season at Cal could stop him. In his senior season, 1975, Sciarra led the Bruins to the then Pac-8 title and a Rose Bowl berth. The Bruins beat USC in a sloppy game to win the league, then trailed 3-0 at halftime of the Rose Bowl before Vermeil unleashed Sciarra as a passer against Ohio State’s defense, which was stacked to stop the option. “Then we started mixing it up,” Sciarra said. “And they didn’t know how to stop us.” Four years earlier, even before Sciarra had played a football game at UCLA, the owner of the Indians (who had drafted him) came to Los Angeles to try and talk him into signing a baseball con - tract. Sciarra had dinner with the owner, but he decided to stay at UCLA and pursue a football career that eventually led to the NFL for six seasons and the CFL for two. “I decided what it was going to take, and I put a dollar amount on the table,” Sciarra recalled, “And he (the Indians owner who also was Italian) looked and me JOHN SCIARRA: Up ClOSe and said, ‘John, there is not that much money in all of Italy.’ So we had a little chuckle about that, and I stayed at UCLA.” • Named an NFF National Scholar-Athlete in 1975. After football, Sciarra used his UCLA degree well. He is now president and CEO of National • A consensus First-Team All-American as a senior. Retirement Services. He is involved in a number of charities in the Los Angeles area, including • Team captain in 1975 when he also led the Bruins in scoring. the Red Cross, the Special Olympics and the United Way. • Becomes the 12th UCLA player to enter the Hall of Fame.

www.footballfoundation.org 21 October 2014 HALL of fAmE

Class of 2014

STERLING SHARPE Wide Receiver South Carolina 1983, 1985-87

terling Sharpe rose to All-American heights as a S Gamecock wide receiver in the 1980s when South Carolina was as an obscure Division I Independent and the collegiate passing game played much less of a role than today. “Because South Carolina was a Division I Independent at the time of his career, he did not have the conference awards that would benefit him in the promotion of his collegiate career,” wrote South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner when endorsing Sharpe as a Hall of Famer. He also pointed out college teams attempted five fewer passes a game in 1986, Sharpe’s best season, than they did in 2013. “I never had any idea I would set school records in receiving, or have the longest kickoff return in school his - tory,” Sharpe said near the end of his senior year in col - lege. “I just came here to get an education, hopefully play a little football, and get a chance to play in the NFL.” By end of his senior season, he was projected as the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, and he was picked seventh overall by the in 1988. He was called the “Money Man,” the big-time receiver who set seven school records at South Carolina. Sharpe’s South Carolina quarterback during those years, Todd Ellis, said he not only was “a great route run - ner and a catcher,” but he did “an excellent job blocking, and he is a very good leader on the field. So Sterling is almost like a second quarterback out there.” Sharpe was a quarterback in high school. But going into South Carolina he almost played a different position. “Everybody wanted me to play defensive back,” Sharpe said near the conclusion of his Gamecock career. “And it was a great position, a real fun position. You are moving all the time, and you are constantly in the game at all times. But it just wasn’t a position I wanted to play. I felt I was the type of player that I had to have the foot - ball in my hands. Somehow I had to have it. Maybe three or four interceptions a year just wasn’t going to do it. I had to have it four or five times a game.” Among the South Carolina receiving records Sharpe set at the time he played: single-season receptions (74), career receptions (169), single-season receiving yards (1,106) and career receiving yards (2,497). He had 10 games of 100 yards or more receiving and returned a kickoff 100 yards for a STERLING SHARPE: UP CLoSE touchdown against Duke. Once in the NFL, he played seven seasons in Green Bay and was a five-time • First-Team All-American in 1987. Pro Bowl pick. He led the NFL in receptions three times before a neck injury • His No. 2 jersey has been retired by the school. ended his career after the 1994 season. He has been a studio analyst for the • Caught a pass in 34 straight games. NFL Network in recent years. • Becomes the second South Carolina player to enter the Hall.

www.footballfoundation.org 22 October 2014 HALL Of fAME Class of 2014

LEONARD SMITH Cornerback McNeese State 1979-82

eonard Smith was one injury away from playing in L the , probably for his hometown LSU Tigers. Then a deep thigh bruise his senior season in high school detoured his football career to McNeese State. He still launched a path to the National Football League through Lake Charles, where he starred for the Cowboys and eventually became an All-American his senior season. After his injury during his senior year at Robert E. Lee High School in Baton Rouge, La., Smith vis - ited McNeese State and several other schools. “When I visited McNeese State, they lost a game they shouldn’t have lost. Harry Price fumbled the ball,” Smith recalled. “They had a chance to win. But nobody beat him up or jumped on him. Everybody said, ‘Harry, don’t worry about it, get over it.’ He beat himself up more than any - one else could have beaten him up. And I said, ‘This is a family that I would like.’ And I truly liked it.” Smith became a special teams star with his ability to block punts, field goals and extra points. His 17 career blocks (punts, field goals and extra points), 10 career blocked field goals and four blocked field goals in season (1981) are still NCAA records for his division. “The biggest thing was just my speed coming off the corner, as well as the guys working with me giving me an opportunity to turn the corner and get a chance to block a field goal, punt, extra point, whatever,” Smith said. “At the time they started worrying about me that made my teammates even better because they now blocked punts, field goals, extra points. I took a couple of those back and scored.” Smith was part of two Southland Conference cham - pionship teams, but figured most prominently in 1980 when the Cowboys finished 10-2 after losing to Southern Mississippi, 16-14, in the Independence Bowl. Selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the then St. Louis Cardinals (17th overall), Smith remains tied with one other player (John Stephens of Northwestern State in 1988) as the highest picked player in Southland Conference history. Smith would go on to play nine sea - sons in the NFL, including in two Super Bowls for the Buf - falo Bills in the 1990 and 1991 seasons, before retiring. “When I came out, I was ranked not so much because of my blocking as my cover skills as a defensive back,” Smith said of his career LEONARD SMITH: Up CLOSE at McNeese State. “I was ranked some weeks according to different polls, the 1-2-3 corner in America. I had that cover ability. I shut down Mark Duper, who • First-team All-American in 1982. played with Northwestern (State), and I did that before his senior year.” • Became a member of the McNeese State Hall of Fame in 1996. Smith runs a family business and lives in Baton Rouge. He still attends • Louisiana Defensive Player of the Year in 1982. McNeese State games, where he had been a color commentator. • First McNeese State player ever elected to Hall and only the second from the Southland Conference. www.footballfoundation.org 23 October 2014 HAll Of fAME

Class of 2014

DERRICK THOMAS Linebacker Alabama 1985-88

he late Derrick Thomas simply was the most prolific T sack artist in college football history when he was play - ing for the Crimson Tide, and by the time he left Ala - bama, he had redefined the position, ranking among the best to have ever played the game. “He had an impact on every play,” said former Ole Miss Wesley Walls, a fellow College Football Hall of Fame inductee in 2014. “You had to account for him and know where he was, otherwise you couldn’t run the play. I stayed in on some of the pass plays, just to get a little extra hand on him. I couldn’t block him by myself. Of course, the offensive tackles, no disrespect, couldn’t either. “He had one of quickest first steps of anybody I have ever played against,” Walls added. “He would be by you so fast, especially at home (at Alabama). He just disrupted your of - fense. He was such a disrupter.” Thomas played for two coaches at Alabama, and , developing under Perkins and blossoming his final two seasons under Curry. He finished his four seasons in Tuscaloosa with 204 tackles, 52 career sacks (408 yards), 74 tackles for loss (465 yards), 10 forced , five blocked kicks and two safeties. “Derrick Thomas’ career at Alabama is legendary,” said Ala - bama Director of Athletics Bill Battle. “One of the most domi - nant to ever play the position, he was a game-changing player who, to this day, more than 25 years after the close of his college career, still owns several Crimson Tide records.” Thomas set an NCAA record with 27 sacks his senior season of 1988. That season he was 10th in the Heisman Trophy bal - loting, and he won three National Defensive Player of the Year Awards. He was named the Defensive MVP of his final colle - giate game, a 29-28 victory over Army. Selected fourth overall by the in the 1989 Draft, Thomas was named Defensive Rookie of the Year his first professional season. He was the only player to be selected to the Pro Bowl every year between 1989-97, amassing nine Pro Bowl appearances. But he never made it to the 2000 season, tragically passing away from injuries sustained in an automo - bile accident at the age of 33. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. He was scheduled to graduate from Alabama with a degree in criminal justice in the spring of 2000, a few months after his death. The degree was DERRICK THOMAS: Up ClOSE awarded posthumously to his mother, Edith Morgan, who will also represent her son at the Hall of Fame induction. • 1988 unanimous First-Team All-American. Overcoming troubled times as a youth in south Miami to become a professional ath - • 1988 Butkus Award winner and SEC Defensive Player of the Year. lete, Thomas founded the Third and Long Foundation, an organization which helps inner • Set NCAA major-college career sack record with 52. city children improve their reading skills. It is still active today in Kansas City . • Becomes the 18th Alabama player to enter the Hall of Fame.

www.footballfoundation.org 24 October 2014 HALL Of fAMe Class of 2014

LADAINIAN TOMLINSON Running Back TCU 1997-2000

hen TCU tailback LaDainian Tomlinson got the call W that he had made the College Football Hall of Fame last spring, he shed a few tears. He remembered a time when he was hardly known by college recruiters at Waco (Texas) University High School. “It has been a long road,” said the 5-10, 215-pound Tomlin - son. “There was a time in high school I didn’t know if I would make it to college because I was playing out of position (at full - back instead of tailback) … So I had doubts. I reflected at the time when he gave me the news. It was emotional.” TCU saw enough of Tomlinson’s running ability (when he finally played tailback his senior year in high school) to become the first school to offer him a scholarship. Although Horned Frog coaches saw his potential, even in Fort Worth, Tomlinson didn’t really blossom until his junior season. As a freshman, he was one of several backs on a 1-10 team, which only beat SMU in the final game of the season. As a sophomore, he wound up playing fullback again because TCU coach didn’t like what he had seen from oth - ers at the position. “He came to me after announcing I would be the starter at tailback and asked me to move to fullback,” Tomlinson said. “So, being the team guy, I said, ‘Yeah’ even though I really didn’t want to do it.” Finally, as a junior, Tomlinson started at tailback and exploded on the national scene. In each of his junior and senior seasons, Tomlinson led the nation in rushing yards per game, 1,850 yards (168.2 a game) as a junior and 2,158 yards (196.2 a game) as a senior. Among the many records Tomlinson set was the single- game FBS rushing record of 406 yards against Texas-El Paso in his junior season — a record that still stood going into the 2014 season. He had 166 yards rushing in the fourth quarter alone against the Miners. “I remember being kind of mad because I just fumbled the ball going into halftime,” Tomlinson said of his record-breaking performance. “And Franchione gave me an earful at halftime. I was within about 10 yards when I came out in the fourth quar - ter. And the Coach said, ‘You are close to the national record. Do you want to get it?’ I said, ‘Coach, we have the game in hand. I really don’t care about it.’ But my teammates, my line - men said, ‘Let’s go get the record.’” Selected as the fifth overall pick of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Chargers, Tomlinson enjoyed a successful 11-year career with the Chargers LADAINIAN TOMLINSON: Up CLOSe and Jets, including five Pro Bowl selections. Today, Tomlinson positively impacts many children and teenagers in his Touching Lives • Claimed the 2000 Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back. Foundation. He serves as a role model as his mother did for him. • Named unanimous First-Team All-American as a senior. “I learned the value of hard work from her because I would see her work two jobs • Had 21 games of 100 or more yards rushing. when I was a kid,” he said. “I would see her early in the morning and late at night. I learned • Becomes the eight TCU player to enter the Hall of Fame. the value of hard work by watching her.” www.footballfoundation.org 25 October 2014 Hall of fame

Class of 2014

Wesley Walls Tight End Mississippi 1985-88

esley Walls knows the game that changed his W outlook on football. It occurred during his senior season at Ole Miss against Alabama when he caught seven passes for 79 yards in the Rebels’ 22-12 upset of the No. 12 Crimson Tide. “That game changed my life,” Walls said. “Personally, during that game and after it, I felt I could play against any - body. People had told me that I had potential, but after that game I felt I might have a chance. The victory was the great - est football highlight of my life.” Walls, a native of Pontotoc, Miss., had originally commit - ted to Alabama, then switched choices after visiting Ole Miss in Oxford. And in his senior season, he had not only switched positions, but sides of the ball from linebacker- end to playing mostly tight end on offense. “I knew Ole Miss is where I needed to be,” Walls said. “And then to go into Tuscaloosa and beat those guys your senior season, and you have taken this chance to move positions. Well, it wasn’t really a chance. I felt better at tight end.” Walls had played linebacker-end on defense his first three seasons at Ole Miss. Then, in came Red Parker, the new , who sized up Walls’ athletic abil - ity. Parker told Walls he was a “prototypical-looking tight end,” and he asked him to at least try the position for two weeks during the spring. “Give me two weeks at tight end, and I can put you in the NFL,” Parker said. Walls, who had played tight end in the Mississippi High School All-Star Game, was reluctant at first, but finally agreed to try it again and never looked back. His senior year turned into an all-America season. “From day one in practice, it seemed like the most nat - ural position,” Walls said. “Being at linebacker, I kind of knew some of the tight end techniques (that he had played against). Coach Billy Brewer (Ole Miss head coach) said, ‘We will let you play both ways. We did it back in our day. You can do it.’” Walls tried it in the 1988 season opener against Memphis State, but at halftime he knew it was going be difficult to play both offense and defense an entire season. He scaled back to just coming in on defense on third downs and focused more on being a tight end. His senior season Walls had 36 receptions for 426 yards and three touchdowns. As a result, the 6-5, 240-pound Walls was selected by San Francisco in the second Wesley Walls: Up Close round of the 1989 Draft and spent 15 seasons in the NFL with four different teams. He made five Pro Bowls, all with the in Charlotte, where he still • Named an NFF National Scholar Athlete in 1988. resides with his family. • Named a First-Team All-American his senior season. Since retiring from football, Walls has been a real estate developer and the CEO • Inducted into the Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. of a furniture company. In 2009, he was named Distinguished American by the NFF’s • Becomes the eighth Ole Miss player to be inducted into the Hall. Ole Miss Chapter. www.footballfoundation.org 26 October 2014 HaLL Of faME Class of 2014

MIKE BELLOTTI Head Coach 137-80-2

Chico State (Calif.) (1984-88) Oregon (1995-2008) ike Bellotti knows all about comebacks — as a M player and as a head coach. Going all the way back to his junior year in college as a tight end at UC Davis, he was instrumental in a winning rally from 15 points down (29-14) with 20 seconds remaining against Cal State Hayward. “They call it the ‘Miracle Game,’“ Bellotti recalled of the 1971 contest won by UC Davis. “I caught a at the end and a pass to set up the first touchdown (in the comeback.) We won the game, 30-29. I always believe it’s possible to win a game.” Bellotti’s West Coast offense and that “never-say-die” attitude clicked at Oregon, where the passing-minded Ducks were tenacious in close games and staged several stirring comebacks. In 14 seasons, Oregon had just one los - ing record under Bellotti, who served as offensive coordinator for the Ducks under Rich Brooks from 1989-94. “We had a tremendous record in games decided by a touchdown or less,” Bellotti said. “I am a poised person. I am not a real crazy person on the … My demeanor on the sideline: It was not about that play, it is what happens on the next play. That something is poise, a belief, trust factor — the fact we were never out of a game.” The ability to come back was most apparent in his second season as Oregon’s head coach (1996). The Ducks had suffered several key injuries and had lost five straight games heading into a late-season game against Arizona. Before the game, Bellotti had said Oregon could pull off the upset if the Ducks played well. It came out, unfortunately, in the papers that he was guaranteeing a victory. “We are down 14-0 less than two minutes into a game that I ‘guaranteed’ a win,” Bellotti said. “I thought this may be one of those turning points in a career. We came back to win, 49-31, and went on to win our last three games. In my mind it was huge to have a winning season (6-5). In successive years we climbed that ladder every single year and went to some bowl game. I look back on that game as a watershed moment.” The high point at Oregon for Bellotti came in 2000 and 2001, when the Ducks MIKE BELLOTTI: Up CLOsE shared and then won the Pac-10 title outright. Since retiring from coaching, he has been an analyst for ESPN. • Coached one NFF National Scholar-Athlete, five First-Team All-Americans and “I enjoy it for a couple of reasons,” Bellotti said. “I can stay up with football, five First-Team Academic All-Americans during his career. and it is something to do 5-6 months a year. I can enjoy the victories on the field, • Took Oregon to 12 bowls in 14 seasons as head coach. and I don’t have to worry about suspensions, injuries and dismissals. I love the • Led the Ducks to a final No. 2 ranking in 2001 after topping Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl. game of college football and I always have, whether as a coach or as a player.” • Became first coach in Oregon history to post a winning record in each of his first nine seasons. www.footballfoundation.org 27 October 2014 Hall Of faME

Class of 2014

JERRY MOORE Head Coach 242-135-2

North Texas (1979-80), Texas Tech (1981-85), Appalachian State (1989-12) erry Moore had a long and adventurous coaching career, J starting in the Texas high school ranks in Corsicana in the 1960s and finishing at Appalachian State, an FCS power - house he built and coached from 1989-2012. “I knew by the end of my sophomore year (in high school) I wanted to be a football coach,” said Moore, who hails from Bon - ham, Texas, and played college football at Baylor. “I didn’t know I was going to be a college football coach. But I knew I wanted to make a difference in kids’ lives.” Moore, now retired after 31 years as a head coach, started his college coaching career as an assistant under two College Foot - ball Hall of Famers, at SMU (1965-72) and Tom Osborne at Nebraska (1973-78). He remembers Fry as an innova - tive offensive coach and Osborne as a stickler for detail. The latter fact revealed itself when Osborne invited him to join him in the press box during Bob Devaney’s final game against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. Osborne would become the Cornhuskers’ head coach the next season in 1973. “He wanted me to see how they practiced, how they handled the press box operation (calling plays),” Moore said. After six seasons, Moore left the Cornhuskers to become the head coach at North Texas (1979-80), where he fashioned a two- year 11-11 record against a brutal schedule that Fry had left him. He then jumped to Texas Tech for five seasons (1981-85), but he could never get the program turned around. In his final season, the Red Raiders lost four games by a total of six points. “I think I was the third head coach in a five-year span,” Moore said of when he started in Lubbock. “We only had 40-some play - ers in spring practice the first year I was there. I learned a lot through that experience.” After Texas Tech, he sat out of football for 18 months, enter - ing private business before taking a volunteer coaching job at Arkansas under Ken Hatfield: “I had five apartments and five car payments,” Moore recalled of trying to make ends meet. “I was living in Atlanta, Margaret (his wife) was living in Lubbock, and my three children were scattered.” Getting back in coaching paid off because he became head football coach at Appalachian State in 1989. During the next 24 seasons his teams made 18 FCS post-season appearances, won 10 Southern Conference JERRY MOORE: Up ClOsE Championships, and claimed three national titles. He may be most remembered for Appalachian State’s stunning 34-32 upset of fifth-ranked Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2007, • First coach to ever win three straight FCS titles (2005-2007). marking the first time an FCS team had beaten a ranked FBS opponent. “It was an opportunity game,” Moore said he told his players. “…. You will never do that • Coached 69 First-Team All-Americans and 176 First-Team All-Conference players. again. You had one opportunity in your life to go to do something like that.” • One of only 18 coaches to win 200 or more games at one Division I school. • Amassed 18 playoff appearances and 10 conference championships.

www.footballfoundation.org 28 October 2014 Evolution of thE GamE: The Introduction of the

BY DAN JENKINS If you care to know why college football has risen — or fallen — into a state where games these days are settled by scores of 55-48 and 36-35 and 41-35 and so on and so forth, follow me back to 1934, the year that changed the sport. You may run into Ducky Medwick and Pepper Martin, or see “The Thin Man” in a movie theater, or find yourself singing, “What a Difference a Day Makes,” but ignore all that. Think football. What happened before the ‘34 season got underway was the rules committee instituting a couple of changes, one relatively minor, but one very major. The rules committee at the time consisted of the usual suspects, crusty coaches with names like Pop, Red and Goldie — no, those names would be in a “football movie” of the era in which the quarterback escapes from the kidnappers in time to lead Normal over Tech in the big game, then meets up with the girl of his dreams at the malt shop. In real life, the rules committee consisted of Fielding H. Yost, D. X. Bible, and others of their stature. These are the men you can blame or credit for the big change that took place. First, they eliminated the five-yard penalty for throwing two incomplete passes in one series of downs. Why that rule was in there to begin with is almost laughable. But the big change was reducing the circumference of the ball to make it easier to 1 throw. The ball was basically shrunk by one inch. The change wasn’t immediately embraced by everyone. Minnesota’s Bernie Bierman and Pitt’s continued to run the fullback up the guard’s rump, and run the halfback up the tackle’s rump. To them, it was still a power game. It also happened that sportswriters of the era more or less ignored the changes. On deadline, most of them apparently had conflicts with cocktail parties or dinner engagements. That’s generally the case when news falls through the cracks. But not everybody ignored the new rules. and , unleashed by coach Frank Thomas, inflicted aerial bombardment on the sport. With the easier-to-throw pigskin, they stormed to a 9-0 regular season and then rolled to a 29-13 win over an equally undefeated Stanford team in the Rose Bowl. It was written that Dixie Howell threw the football with the speed of a Dizzy Dean, and Don Hutson caught Howell’s passes like a blue jay picking cherries off a branch. College football would never be the same again. Along with the change in the shape of the ball came the wide-open attacks first ad - vanced by three pass-happy coaches in the — TCU’s Dutch 2a Meyer, Baylor’s Morley Jennings, and Arkansas’ Fred Thomsen. It’s a impressive list of passers that have evolved since that rules change.

2b

1) Alabama’s aerial bombardment led them to 29-13 win over Stanford in the . 2a)/2b) College Football Hall of Fame coach Frank Thomas’ Alabama Crimson Tide, led by Hall of Famers Dixie Howell and Don Hutson, revolutionized the passing game in college football

www.footballfoundation.org 29 October 2014 Evolution of thE GamE: The Introduction of the Forward Pass

HISTORY REFRESHER game useless. The forward pass was legalized in 1906, but no one paid much attention until 1913 Coach Fielding H. Yost nevertheless pronounced those Wolverines his “greatest when Notre Dame’s flipped a few touchdowns to to stun team”— even superior to the unbeaten steamrollers of 1901-04, insist - a favored Army team, 35-13. ing that only the elements could have stopped Friedman-to-Oosterbaan. It’s said that “the first great passing combination” actually appeared at Minnesota However, on that same Saturday of Nov. 7, 1925, in another part of the country, in 1915 and 1916 when Arnold (Pudge) Wyman was tossing the ball to All-America the forward pass turned up alive and well. , first of the “glue-fingered” ends, as sportswriting lore has it. That day two undefeated goliaths tangled in a contest so big it attracted the pres - They went 6-0-1 in ‘15, and then in the season of ‘16 these Gophers of Dr. Henry ence of and other prominent poets. The game matched Gil Dobie’s Williams were practically handed the national championship by the end of October. Cornells, who were averaging 42 points a game, against Jesse Hawley’s Dartmouths, At that point they’d defeated their four opponents by a combined 236-0 — and the who were averaging 40 points a game. world was marveling at their passing magic. Dobie, the game’s winningest coach at the time, geared up his troops to stop Dart - When a pitiful Illinois team with three losses came to town on Nov. 4, Dr. Williams mouth’s ground game, but at the end, they were still looking skyward. invited to come watch his juggernaut. A special box was built in the Dartmouth’s Andy (Swede) Oberlander, whose hands were the size of Stockholm, stadium for Camp. What he witnessed was “the greatest upset in football history,” as threw six touchdown passes, and set up two other touchdowns with passes, in a shock - it was known for years afterward. Illinois 14, Minnesota 9. ing 62-13 victory. The decisive score came on an interception. Wyman’s pass was so far off-target, the Illi - But Cornell’s Dobie had the last word. nois player who intercepted it virtually hobbled 55 yards untouched for the touchdown. “We won the game 13-0,” Dobie said. “Passing is not football.” Those who had marveled at Minnesota’s passing game now said: “See? If you live It certainly is today. But one wonders if defense is still a part of it. by the pass, you die by the pass.” It was nine years before another “great passing combination” captured the nation’s About Dan Jenkins: Many members of the media cover college football out of a love of fancy. This was at Michigan in 1925 and 1926 when pitched, pushed the game and the opportunity for a front row seat to history. NFF Historian Dan Jenkins, and shoveled the balloon ball to , the latest in glue-fingered ends. a celebrated novelist and longtime writer at Sports Illustrated, has probably had the best The Wolverines of ‘25 outscored seven of their eight foes 225-0, but lost a weird seats of anybody during his 66-year stay in the press box, and he continues with his prolific game to Northwestern 3-2. They lost it in a steady downpour with 40-mile winds and ways today, writing novels, a monthly column for Golf Digest and periodic gems for mud five inches deep in ’s , all of which rendered the passing the Footballetter .

Bert Baston Benny Friedman Bennie Oosterbaan

Notre Dame end Knute Rockne scores a touchdown against Army

on a pass from Fighting Irish QB Gus Dorais in a 1913 game that

many historians credit with modifying the game and establishing

the forward pass. The touchdown and the use of the forward

pass helped lift the Fighting Irish to a 35-13 victory over the College Football Hall of Fame end Bert Baston (Minnesota) was Hall of Famers Benny Friedman and Bennie Oosterbaan formed the next great passing combination at Michigan in 1925 and 1926.

favored Army Black Knights. the first of the "glue-fingered" ends.

Gil Dobie Henry Williams Andy Swede Oblerlander Fielding H. Yost

Hall of Fame coach Fielding Yost called the 1925 Michigan

Hall of Fame coach Gil Dobie claimed Cornell defeated Dartmouth Hall of Fame coach Henry Williams’ 1916 Minnesota squad Hall of Fame quarterback of Dartmouth tore Wolverines his greatest team, insisting that only the elements

13-0 in 1925, asserting that "Passing is not football." outscored their first four opponents, 236-0. apart the Cornell defense in 1925 with six passing touchdowns. could have stopped Friedman-to-Oosterbaan.

www.footballfoundation.org 30 October 2014 DEfining THEir DEcaDE Top Passers of All Time —

THE 1930s Dixie Howell, Alabama (1932-34) , TCU (1934-36) , Duke (1934-36) , Purdue (1935-37)

Hall of Fame Class of 1970 Hall of Fame Class of 1951 Hall of Fame Class of 1955 Hall of Fame Class of 1967

Clint Frank, Yale (1935-37) , Arkansas (1935-37) Davey O’Brien, TCU (1936-38) , Columbia (1936-38)

Hall of Fame Class of 1955 Hall of Fame Class of 1955 Hall of Fame Class of 1960

Billy Patterson, Baylor (1936-38) Parker Hall, Ole Miss (1936-38) , Missouri (1938-40)

Hall of Fame Class of 1991 Hall of Fame Class of 1956

www.footballfoundation.org 31 October 2014 DEfining THEir DEcaDE

Top Passers of All Time — 1940s

THE 1940s Pete Layden, Texas (1939-40-41). , Stanford (1939-41) , Tulsa (1940-42) , Northwestern (1941-43)

Hall of Fame Class of 1956 Hall of Fame Class of 1980 Hall of Fame Class of 1956

Angelo Bertelli, Notre Dame (1941-43) , UCLA (1942-1943) Charley Conerly, Ole Miss (1942; 46-47) , Notre Dame (1943; 46-47)

Hall of Fame Class of 1972 Hall of Fame Class of 1966 Hall of Fame Class of 1960

Bobby Layne, Texas (1944-47) , Alabama (1944-47) , Oregon (1946-48)

Hall of Fame Class of 1968 Hall of Fame Class of 1993 Hall of Fame Class of 1966

Tobin Rote, Rice (1946-49) , TCU (1946-49) , Baylor (1949-50)

www.footballfoundation.org 32 October 2014 DEfining THEir DEcaDE Top Passers of All Time — 1950s

THE 1950s , Kentucky (1949-51) , Princeton (1949-51) , Vanderbilt (1949-51) , Washington (1949-50; 52)

Hall of Fame Class of 1982 Hall of Fame Class of 1966 Hall of Fame Class of 1987

Larry Isbell, Baylor (1950-51) Paul Larson, California (1951-54) George Welsh, Navy (1953-55) , Michigan State (1953-55)

John Brodie, Stanford (1954-56) , Purdue (1954-56) , Iowa (1956-58)

Hall of Fame Class of 1986 Hall of Fame Class of 1997

Lee Grosscup, Utah (1957-58) , SMU (1957-59)

Hall of Fame Class of 1982

www.footballfoundation.org 33 October 2014 DEfining THEir DEcaDE

Top Passers of All Time — 1960s

THE 1960s , Georgia (1958-60) , N.C. State (1959-61) , Baylor (1961-63) , USC (1961-63)

Hall of Fame Class of 1987 Hall of Fame Class of 1989 Hall of Fame Class of 2013 and 1963 NFF National Scholar-Athlete , Miami (1962-63) Roger Staubach, Navy (1962-64) Joe Namath, Alabama (1962-64) , California (1962-64)

Hall of Fame Class of 1981 Hall of Fame Class of 1992

Steve Spurrier, Florida (1964-66) , Purdue (1964-66) , Notre Dame (1964-66)

Hall of Fame Class of 1986 Hall of Fame Class of 1984

Ken Stabler, Alabama (1965-67) , Louisiana Tech (1966-69)

Hall of Fame Class of 1996

www.footballfoundation.org 34 October 2014 DEfining THEir DEcaDE Top Passers of All Time — 1970s

THE 1970s , Stanford (1968-70) Archie Manning, Mississippi (1968-70) , Notre Dame (1968-70) Pat Sullivan, Auburn (1969-71)

Hall of Fame Class of 1990 NFF Chairman and Hall of Fame Class of 1989 “Hall of Fame Class of 2003 Hall of Fame Class of 1991

Jack Mildren, Oklahoma (1969-71) , San Diego State (1969-71) , (1969-72) , Arizona State (1971-73)

1971 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame Class of 1997

Dave Jaynes, Kansas (1972-74) , Southern California (1973-74) , Rice (1973-76)

1974 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame Class of 2012

Guy Benjamin, Stanford (1976-77) , Notre Dame (1977-78)

www.footballfoundation.org 35 October 2014 DEfining THEir DEcaDE

Top Passers of All Time — 1980s

THE 1980s Jim McMahon, BYU (1977-78; 80-81) John Elway, Stanford (1979-82) , Pitt (1979-82) , Penn State (1980-82)

Hall of Fame Class of 1999 Hall of Fame Class of 2000 Hall of Fame Class of 2002

Steve Young, BYU (1981-83) , Boston College (1981-84) , Iowa (1981-85) Vinny Testaverde, Miami (1982; 84-86)

Hall of Fame Class of 2001 and 1983 NFF Na - Hall of Fame Class of 2007 and 1984 NFF Na - Hall of Fame Class of 1999 Hall of Fame Class of 2013 tional Scholar-Athlete tional Scholar-Athlete , Miami (1983-84) , Michigan (1983-86) Don McPherson, Syracuse (1984-87)

Hall of Fame Class of 2008

Troy Aikman, UCLA (1987-88) Steve Walsh, Miami (1987-88) , Southern Mississippi (1987-90)

Hall of Fame Class of 2008

www.footballfoundation.org 36 October 2014 DEfining THEir DEcaDE Top Passers of All Time — 1990s

THE 1990s , BYU (1988-91) , Miami (1989-92) , Florida State (1989; 91-93) , Penn State (1991-94)

Hall of Fame Class of 2012 Hall of Fame Class of 2009 Hall of Fame Class of 2006

Trent Dilfer, Fresno State (1992-93) , Ohio State (1993-95) Danny Wuerffel, Florida (1993-96) , Tennessee (1994-97)

1995 Campbell Trophy winner Hall of Fame Class of 2013 and 1996 Campbell 1997 Campbell Trophy winner Trophy winner Donovan McNabb, Syracuse (1995-98) , Marshall (1997-99) , Michigan (1998-99) , Virginia Tech (1999-2000)

1999 Campbell Trophy winner

www.footballfoundation.org 37 October 2014 DEfining THEir DEcaDE

Top Passers of All Time — 2000s

THE 2000s , Florida (1999-2002) , Mississippi (2000-03) , Miami (2000-03) , Miami (Ohio) (2001-03)

2003 NFF National Scholar-Athlete

Jason White, Oklahoma (2001-04) , Utah (2002-04) , California (2003-04) , Southern California (2003-05)

Cam Newton, Auburn (2010) Colt McCoy, Texas (2006-09) , TCU (2007-10) , Nevada (2007-10)

2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete 2011 NFF Hampshire Honor Society member

Robert Griffin III, Baylor (2008-11) , Stanford (2009-11) , Texas A&M (2012-2013)

2012 NFF Hampshire Honor Society member 2008 NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete and 2012 NFF Hampshire Honor Society member

www.footballfoundation.org 38 October 2014 BiLL LittLe Recognized By LongHoRns NFF Footballetter

Bill Little is joined by College Football Playoff Execu - Former UT head coach Bill Little (center) is joined by his wife Kim Scofield (left) and tive Director Bill Hancock and NFF President & CEO Mack Brown congraulates Bill Little. benefactor Marian Dozier (right) in the media center that now bears his name. Steve Hatchell. LittLe Receives Big HonoR texas pRess Box named foR Longtime media ReLations and spoRts infoRmation speciaList

ill Little, who came to be recognized as one of the nation’s leading figures in tions until his recent retirement. He served in numerous positions, including B college athletics media relations during a 47-year career at the University of Sports Information Director and Assistant Athletics Director. Texas and a powerful supporter of the National Football Foundation & College Little apprenticed under the legendary Texas’ sports information director John Hall of Fame, received a big honor August 28 when the Longhorn football and base - Ramsey, whom he succeeded in 1982, and Little carried on Ramsey’s tradition ball press boxes were named in his honor at a special celebration. of meeting every media request with aplomb. Little became a confidant of some “In college athletics, we all have the good fortune to meet many exceptional of the most significant figures in the history of UT athletics, including Hall of people, but few, if any, come close to the level of class and professionalism of Fame coach , head football coach Mack Brown and athletics director Bill Little,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell, who attended the event DeLoss Dodds. and became a close friend of Little’s during a 40 year period, which included Little traces his involvement with the NFF back to 1987, when he attended stints as the commissioner of the Southwest Conference and the Big 12 Con - his first dinner in New York. He quickly became a staunch advocate of the NFF ference. “The consummate storyteller, Bill had an exceptional ability for cap - mission, helping launch the NFF Greater Austin Chapter as a charter member turing the moment, and I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to Bill than of the board of directors. For the past eight years, Little has donated his skills having future generations of reporters carrying on the tradition of chronicling to help moderate the NFF Annual Awards Press Conference in New York City, Longhorn sports in a facility that bears his name.” interviewing the College Football Hall of Fame inductees, NFF National Scholar- Little officially retired August 31 from his most recent role at Texas, where Athletes and NFF Major Award Winner. he held the title of special assistant to the head football coach for communica - At Texas, Little broadcast more than 1,700 baseball games, accompanied tions. Marian Dozier, a longtime supporter of Texas Athletics and a personal Longhorn football teams to 36 bowl games and staffed 524 straight football friend of Little’s donated the funds to rename the facility as the “Bill Little games. He worked with four national championship football teams, two Heis - Media Center.” man winners and two runners-up, more than 100 players who earned all-Amer - "It means so much to be able to honor my great friend Bill in this way," said ican honors and 225 all-conference selectees. During his tenure, Texas boasted Dozier in a UT press release. "A passion for Texas Athletics is something we nine NFF National Scholar-Athletes, two William V. Campbell Trophy recipients have always shared, and it is through athletics that we became so close. This and ten College Football Hall of Fame inductees. For the past 14 seasons, he naming will help honor his immense life work, the legacy he has left nationally has served as the public address announcer at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial on sports media, and hopefully motivate young people to follow their passions Stadium for Texas’ home football games. in work and life." He is a member of the Longhorn Hall of Honor and the Big Country Sports Little began his career as a sports writer for the Austin American-Statesman Hall of Fame in Texas. He has authored or co-authored eight books and dozens after graduating from The University of Texas at Austin in 1964. He proceeded of award-winning magazine and web commentaries, and he has been recog - to work at the Associated Press as the sports editor and night editor of the AP nized by his peers in college sports media relations as a member of the College bureau in . In 1968, he returned to his alma mater, becoming Sports Information Directors’ Hall of Fame and winner of the organization’s assistant sports information director, and he would work in Texas media rela - most coveted honor — the Arch Ward Award.

www.footballfoundation.org 39 October 2014 Hall of fame opens in aTlanTa

To Rave Reviews

The building’s façade and the Clark Atlanta Drum Line on opening day Aug. 23, 2014.

he College Football Hall of Fame opened its doors on Aug. 23, drawing Steps from Centennial Olympic Park, the new Hall adds to an already thriving T universal praise for creating a venue that rises to the occasion of paying sports, entertainment and tourism district in Atlanta that includes the World tribute to the game’s greatest legends and the impact of the sport. of Coca-Cola, Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center, Philips Arena, Georgia Dome, Geor - “The new Hall of Fame provides an incredible and highly-interactive experi - gia World Congress Center and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. ence for fans to connect with the game,” said Steve Hatchell, the president & The state-of-the-art attraction promises to educate, entertain and engage fans CEO of National Football Foundation, which launched the Hall in 1951 and will with a continuous flow of changing exhibits and interactive events that will maintain board oversight of the operations of the new attraction in Atlanta. attract an estimated 500,000 people a year. Fans can watch a video with some “Whether it is the history created by the greatest legends or a full slate of mod - thoughts from visitors who toured the building during the opening few weeks ern events that link to the present day, the facility serves as a national platform in August and early September by clicking here . for celebrating the game. We are extremely grateful to Atlanta and all of those who have played a role in making this project a reality.” With a total project cost estimated at $68.5 million and another $15 million in state infrastructure costs, the new 94,256-square-foot facility features historic and contemporary artifacts, interactive multimedia displays, children’s activities, a theater featuring featuring an ultra-high-definition 4K film as well as unique event spaces, including a 45-yard indoor football field that can accom - modate up to 1,200 people. “We could not be more excited and honored to finally invite fans from around the country into the College Football Hall of Fame’s new home, a completely unprecedented and unique entertainment experience,” said Hall of Fame Pres - ident & CEO John Stephenson. “The Hall has written a new chapter for the home of college football in America, and we are grateful for the support from the Na - tional Football Foundation and our founding partners and official sponsors, without whom this project would not be possible.” Having inducted its first class in 1951, the Hall represents the highest level of achievement for players and coaches, and the facility plays a central role in the NFF’s mission by dramatizing the history of the game in such a way as to inspire young people to excellence throughout their lives.

www.footballfoundation.org 40 October 2014 Hall of fame opens in atlanta

To Rave Reviews

The Quad, anchored by the Helmet Wall presented by Southwest Airlines, features helmets from all 768 college teams. After registering, your RFID badge will signal the wall to light up your alma mater’s helmet.

Atlanta Highlights: and 207 coaches, including this year’s class) or less than two ten-thou - • $68.5 million project, plus $15 million in state infrastructure spending. sandths of one percent (.0002) of those who have played the game during • Construction began Jan. 2013 and opened on schedule on Aug. 23, 2014. the past 146 years. • The building is 94,256 square feet, including 30,000 square feet of exhibit • 297 schools are represented with Hall of Famers. space and a 45-yard indoor football field. • First class of inductees included notables (Illinois), • All of the nation’s 768 football playing schools are represented on a (Notre Dame), Knute Rockne (Notre Dame), (4 schools) dramatic helmet wall. and (Carlisle). • Projected attendance of 500,000 visitors annually. • The 2014 Hall of Fame Football Bowl Subdivision Class includes 12 players • Projected to generate $105 million in revenue during its first decade of and two coaches. operation. • Annual economic impact of approximately $12.7 million for the State of Legacy Brick Program : Georgia. As part of an exclusive, limited-run opportunity, fans will be able to forever own a piece of the new Hall with the purchase of a commemorative brick. Each History and Hall Facts: brick, which will remain part of the Hall in perpetuity, will be engraved with a • Founded in 1947, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame name chosen by the purchaser and a special message. Prices begin at $100. inducted its first class of inductees in 1951. For more information, please visit http://www.cfbhall.com/bricks/ or call 1- • More than 5.06 million student-athletes have played college football since 855-HOF-BRIX (463-2749). the first game on Nov. 6, 1869 • After Dec. 9, 2014, only 1,145 legends will have been inducted (948 players

www.footballfoundation.org 41 October 2014 Hall of fame opens in atlanta

To Rave Reviews

The Hall of Fame, the centerpiece to the attraction, treats fans to a unique experience via 10 augmented reality displays where they can select video and images of their favorite Hall of Fame players and coaches.

Chick-fil-A “Why We Love College Football” features a large, touch-sensitive, 52- Coca-Cola Fans’ Game Day Exhibit includes the interactive ESPN College GameDay foot media wall filled with dynamic content that engages fans based on their alma Desk Built by The Home Depot, where fans can virtually join ESPN analysts Chris mater as signaled by their RFID badge. Fowler and at the iconic College GameDay desk, recording the experience and sending a video link to visitors to enjoy after they return home.

The Game Day Theater immerses guests in an ultra- high definition 4K feature film that takes a behind- the-scenes look at the game day experience of players and coaches.

www.footballfoundation.org 42 October 2014 Hall of fame oPens in atlanta

To Rave Reviews

The Chick-fil-A Skill Zone, a 45-yard-long indoor football field, allows fans to sharpen their football skills.

The Under Armour Evolution of Equipment exhibit The William V. Campbell Trophy is part of the National A special exhibit pays homage to the Service Academies. traces the advances made in crafting protective gear Football Foundation Building Leaders presented by over time. Chick-fil-A, paying tribute to the NFF’s mission of impacting future generations.

Hall of fame tHanks Partners Hall of fame board of directors

Atlanta Convention and Georgia Power Piedmont Healthcare Steve Robinson, Chair Daryl Evans William Pate Visitor’s Bureau Foundation Regions Bank Murry Bowden Steve Hatchell A.J. Robinson AT&T Georgia World Southwest Airlines Sharon Byers Lee Hunter Albert Tarica Brasfield & Gorrie Congress Center Sporturf Bill Byrne Daphne Jackson George Weiss Chick-fil-A Home Depot State of Georgia Dan Corso Burke Magnus Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Invest Atlanta Under Armour Gene DeFilippo Scott McCune City of Atlanta Kia Motors UPS Coca-Cola Metro Atlanta Chamber Georgia Pacific Omni Hotel and Resorts

www.footballfoundation.org 43 October 2014 the nYac and nff

NFF Footballetter

Photo Credit: Gene Boyars . Photo Credit: Victoria Jackson

At ribbon cutting ceremony, L-R: NYAC Athletic Director Cedric Jones, former NYAC Athletic Chairman Brian Past recipients Chris Howard (Air Force, ‘90) and Thomas D. Burns (Virginia, ‘93) join trophy namesake Bill Healy, NYAC Secretary Richard Tashjian, NYAC Captain Christopher Cassell, NYAC President Dominic Bruzzese, Campbell at the celebration honoring 2013 recipient (Penn State) at the NYAC, L-R: Howard, Ur - NFF Board Member John Mack, NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell, NFF Board Member Jack Ford and NYAC shel, Burns and Campbell. Board Member Dave Shakespeare. nYac and nff forge relationship to Promote william V. campbell trophy Prestigious club in the heart of new York citY becomes the official home of the nation’s Premier scholar-athlete award.

he National Football Foundation (NFF) and the New York Athletic Club coaches. As part of the relationship, the organizations have begun staging a t (NYAC) conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony earlier this year, unveiling a series of events each year at the NYAC Hall of Fame with the trophy as the focal new section of the NYAC Hall of Fame that showcases the NFF William point, including a speaker series and an annual celebration with the winner of V. Campbell Trophy , presented by Fidelity Investments. The ceremony officially the award. established the NYAC as the exclusive home of the award. The centerpiece to the NFF's robust scholar-athlete program, the Campbell Founded in 1868, the NYAC boasts a strong history, and it has strong ties to Trophy was first awarded in 1990. It is named in honor of Bill Campbell, the chair - Olympic sports with its athletes having won 248 Olympic medals. The NYAC man of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the Board of Governors wanted to strengthen its ties to college football, and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal. Each winner of the trophy receives a NFF and the Campbell Trophy provided the perfect match because of the award’s 24-inch, 25-pound bronze replica and a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship, roots in the New York City and its goal of promoting the scholar-athlete ideal. endowed by HealthSouth. In 2014, Fidelity Investmen. tPsh obteoc Carmedeit :t Vhiec toofrifaic Jiaaclk psoren - "The New York Athletic Club is extremely pleased to showcase the Campbell senting sponsor of the award. With an average GPA of 3.7, past Campbell Trophy Trophy in our Hall of Fame and to partner with the National Football Foundation winners include two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman to promote all that the award symbolizes," said NYAC President Dominic winners and five first round NFL Draft picks. Bruzzese at the ribbon cutting ceremony. "The Trophy recognizes those attrib - utes — sportsmanship and a dedication to excellence — that the Club prizes in its own athletes." The Campbell Trophy , which is celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2014, has become one of college football's most sought after and competitive awards. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership, and each year it is presented at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, which takes place at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. “The New York Athletic Club provides the Campbell Trophy a powerful and versatile venue for promoting the scholar-athlete ideal,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Making the NYAC the official home of the Campbell Trophy provides the award an outstanding platform in one of the most important cities in the world. The ribbon cutting ceremony is one the first of many events, which will amplify the spotlight on the award and the National Football Foundation’s goal of inspiring student-athletes to achieve excellence in all aspects of their lives.”

The Campbell Trophy occupies a prominent section of the NYAC Hall of Fame College Football Hall of Fame coach Barry Switzer, who led the to three national opposite the organization’s prestigious Winged Foot Award, which annually rec - championships, was the keynote speaker at a football kickoff event Sept. 9 at the NYAC. Campus Insiders ognizes the Men's and Women's NCAA Division I Basketball Championship VP of Content and Brand Development and On-Air Host moderated the event.

www.footballfoundation.org 44 October 2014 The New York Athletic Club The Proud Partner of the National Football Foundation & The Official Home of the William V. Campbell Trophy Annually Presented to the Nation’s Premier Scholar-Athlete Fidelity to sponsor trophy

NFF Footballetter

President of Personal Investing at Fidelity Investments and NFF Board Member Kathleen Murphy The Fidelity Investments contingent, led by President of Personal Investing at Fidelity Investments and meets 2013 Campbell Trophy recipient John Urschel (Penn State). NFF Board Member Kathleen Murphy (fifth from the left), take in the evening's festivities at the 56th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 9, 2013. Fidelity investments named presenting sponsor of the nFF william V. Campbell trophy Four-year agreement also extends Fidelity’s support oF the national Football Foundation’s on-Campus salutes, national sCholar-athlete awards and FaCulty salutes

The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Football Hall of for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary t Fame announced Sept. 9 that Fidelity Investments®, a leading community leadership. The centerpiece to the NFF's robust scholar-athlete provider of not-for-profit workplace retirement savings plans in program, the Campbell Trophy is named in honor of Bill Campbell, the chair - higher education, has become the presenting sponsor of the William V. man of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the Campbell Trophy . The announcement represents an expanded commitment 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal. Each winner of the trophy receives to higher education between the organizations, celebrating the scholar- a 24-inch, 25-pound bronze replica and a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship, athlete ideal and promoting academic excellence on college campuses endowed by HealthSouth. The winner, selected from the pool of NFF nationwide. National Scholar-Athlete recipients, is announced each year in dramatic “We are extremely pleased to announce Fidelity has taken on presenting fashion during the NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in sponsor role for the William V. Campbell Trophy ,” said NFF President & CEO New York City in front of an audience of some of the most powerful and Steve Hatchell at the time of the announcement. “Fidelity has an authentic influential people in all of sports. The Campbell Trophy has been officially desire to make a positive impact on college campuses nationwide, and they displayed at the New York Athletic Club (NYAC), the award’s exclusive home have significantly helped us raise our profile since we began working to - since April 2014. gether in 2010. The Campbell Trophy continues to rise in stature, and today’s announcement is an acknowledgment of the significance that col - leges and universities place on what the award has come to symbolize.” The agreement between the organizations also extends Fidelity’s spon - sorship of the NFF On-Campus Salutes, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program, and the NFF Faculty Salutes, covering all of the programs for the next four years. The two organizations began collaborating in 2010, and the success and impact of the relationship has continuously expanded during the past four years. “During the past quarter century, the Campbell Trophy has become an enduring symbol of everything right about college football,” said NFF Chair - man Archie Manning, whose son Peyton was named the William V. Camp - bell Trophy winner in 1997. “All of the past recipients embody the highest level of excellence, and without exception they have gone on to impressive careers. They have established a great legacy for the award while becoming shining examples of football’s unique ability to build our nation’s greatest leaders. We are grateful to Fidelity for joining us in promoting this powerful award.” The Campbell Trophy , which is celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2014, NFF Chairman Archie Manning (left) and NFF Board Member and trophy namesake Bill Campbell recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the country (right) congratulate John Urschel (Penn State) on being named the 2013 recipient of the Campbell Trophy.

www.footballfoundation.org 46 October 2014 1996 1997 1999 Danny Wuerffel Peyton Manning Chad Pennington (Florida) (Tennessee) (Marshall)

2000 2001 Joaquin Gonzalez (Nebraska) (Miami)

2008 2010 (California) (Texas)

Since 1990, The William V. Campbell Trophy , presented by Fidelity Investments, has been awarded by the National Football Foundation to the nation’s top scholar-athlete for his combined academic success, football performance and leadership in the community. The 2014 recipient of “College Football’s Premier Scholar- Athlete Award” will be announced live at the 57th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 9 in New York City.