2006 College Football Hall of Fame Class

[BB73]

I haven't seen a list of all the nominees.

seattlepi

Thursday, March 09, 2006

College football Hall of Fame ballot released

Morristown, NJ (Sports Network) - The National Football Foundation announced the names of 77 players and seven coaches who will comprise the 2006 Division I-A Ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame on Thursday.

"Selecting the greatest players and coaches in the history of the game for induction into the Hall of Fame is an awesome responsibility," said NFF President Steven J. Hatchell. "It's our honor to preserve their legacies as an inspiration for future generations of players and fans."

Big names appearing on the ballot for the first time include Randall Cunningham (UNLV), Ahmad Rashad (Oregon), Bruce Smith (Virginia Tech) and Emmitt Smith (Florida).

The Hall of Fame Class will be announced in New York on May 16, 2006 and enshrined at the Hall in South Bend, Indiana in the summer of 2007.

[osugrad21]

ABJ

5/16

Former area stars up for college hall

<!-- begin body-content --> Former Garfield High and Michigan defensive back Dave Brown and former Massillon High and Ohio State star linebacker Chris Spielman head a list of candidates for the 2006 College Football Hall of Fame class with Northeast Ohio ties.
Brown, who died in January at age 52, played at Michigan from 1972-74. He then played in the NFL before going into coaching.
Spielman, who played in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions and was with the Browns during the team's 1999 training camp, played for the Buckeyes from 1984-87.
The two are among 77 former players under consideration along with seven former coaches, including former Ohio State coach John Cooper.
Thirteen players and two coaches will be named to the class by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame at 11 a.m. today.
Former Browns defensive lineman Bob Golic is also on the ballot. The Cleveland native, now a radio talk show host on WNIR 100.1-FM, played at Notre Dame from 1976-78.
Others with Northeast Ohio or Ohio State ties being considered:
• Rex Kern, OSU quarterback from 1968-70.
• Jim Otis, OSU fullback from 1967-69.
• Mike Phipps, Purdue quarterback from 1967-69 who later played for the Browns.
• Dick MacPherson, UMass and Syracuse coach who was an assistant coach with the Browns.

[Steve19]

Spielman, Kern, and Otis. Great memories. Gotta let these guys in.

[Dryden]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2446796

Bowden, Paterno headline 2006 college Hall class
Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Since Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden failed to meet the qualifications for induction into the college football Hall of Fame, the folks who run the hall simply changed the rules.

Instead of requiring a coach be retired, the National Football Foundation decided to make any active coach over 75 eligible for induction.

With the red tape cut, the winningest coaches in Division I-A were elected Tuesday and can now be called Hall of Famers.

"I wasn't expecting it because I thought you had to die first -- and I didn't want to volunteer for that," Bowden said during a conference call. "They might have changed the rules to get me and Joe in. But I'm very excited about it."

Paterno, who will turn 80 in December, has won 354 games and two national championships in 40 seasons as Penn State's head coach. No one has ever coached longer and won more games at one Division I-A school.

The 76-year-old Bowden leads major college football with 359 victories, 286 -- and two national titles -- since taking over at Florida State in 1976.

"I look forward to being in New York with my good friend Bobby Bowden and am delighted that we are going into the Hall of Fame together," Paterno said in a statement released by Penn State. "Hopefully, I deserve it."

Tinkering with the rules to admit Bowden and Paterno made complete sense to NFF president Steven Hatchell.

"Their legacies are intact," he said at a news conference.

Joining Paterno and Bowden are 13 players, including Heisman Trophy winners Mike Rozier of Nebraska and Florida State's Charlie Ward, who helped Bowden win his first national title in 1993.

"I think anytime a person is inducted into any kind of hall of fame, the people that are going in with him, surrounding him, is kind of a personal thing," Bowden said. "To be going in with Charlie is very good, I love that."

Florida's Emmitt Smith, who became the NFL's career rushing leader, and Virginia Tech's Bruce Smith, the NFL's all-time sacks leader, are both going into the college Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

The rest of the class is Colorado running back Bobby Anderson, Miami safety Bennie Blades, Minnesota defensive tackle Carl Eller, Washington defensive lineman Steve Emtman, Baylor safety Thomas Everett, Air Force defensive lineman Chad Hennings, Tennessee guard Chip Kell, Purdue quarterback Mike Phipps and Stanford linebacker Jeff Siemon.

They will be inducted in New York in December and enshrined at the Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., in the summer of 2007.

Paterno took over at Penn State in 1966 after 16 years as an assistant with the Nittany Lions. The kid from Brooklyn with the thick black-framed glasses and high-water pant cuffs went on to build one of the country's most successful programs.

He won national titles in '82 and '86, and led his teams to five undefeated seasons. His program fell on hard times with four losing seasons from 2000-04, but he orchestrated a remarkable turnaround last year.

Penn State won the Big Ten for the second time and finished 11-1 and ranked No. 3 in the nation. Paterno won AP coach of the year, and the Nittany Lions completed their revival with a triple-overtime victory over Bowden and Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

Bowden began his head coaching career at Samford in 1959 and took over at West Virginia in 1970 before moving on to Florida State.

Before he arrived in Tallahassee, the Seminoles had won four games in the previous three seasons. He turned them into a powerhouse by never shying away from the best teams, even if it meant playing on them road.

Bowden led the Seminoles to national titles in '93 and '99, during an unprecedented streak of 14 consecutive seasons finishing in The Associated Press top five.

Ward might have been his best player. An elusive runner and accurate passer, he won the Heisman in '93. A two-sport star, Ward was a first-round draft pick by the New York Knicks and played 11 seasons in the NBA.

Ward, who attended the news conference with fellow inductees Bruce Smith and Hennings, said Bowden taught him about leadership.

"It's all about knowing who you are and what you do and getting people your trust around you," said Ward, now working in player development with the Houston Rockets.

Rozier became the second player to run for more than 2,000 yards when he won the Heisman in 1983 and ran for 2,148 yards.

[tedginn05]

Thats some bull crap, Spielman doesn't get in?

[Bucklion]

Originally Posted by tedginn05

Thats some bull crap, Spielman doesn't get in?

Relax...he'll get in. He just didn't get in this time. There are a lot of deserving college players, and it will take longer for all of them to get enshrined because of volume alone...but they (he) will.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

5/17/06

COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

Paterno, Bowden get in; OSU shut out

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Ralph Russo
ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden, the winningest coaches in Division I-A football, were elected yesterday to the college football Hall of Fame.

Former Ohio State coach John Cooper and former OSU players Rex Kern, Jim Otis and Chris Spielman were nominated for the Hall of Fame but were not chosen.

At first, Paterno and Bowden didn’t meet the qualifications for induction into the Hall of Fame, so the folks who run the hall simply changed the rules.

Instead of requiring a coach be retired, the National Football Foundation decided to make any active coach older than 75 eligible for induction.
With the red tape cut, both were elected.

"I wasn’t expecting it because I thought you had to die first — and I didn’t want to volunteer for that," Bowden said. "They might have changed the rules to get me and Joe in. But I’m very excited about it."

Paterno, who will be 80 in December, has won 354 games and two national titles in 40 seasons as Penn State’s coach. No one has ever coached longer and won more games at one Division I school.

Bowden, 76, leads majorcollege football with 359 wins, including 286 — and two national titles — since taking over at Florida State in 1976.

Joining Paterno and Bowden in the 2006 Hall of Fame class are 13 players, including Heisman Trophy winners Mike Rozier of Nebraska and Florida State’s Charlie Ward, who helped Bowden win his first national title in 1993.

Florida’s Emmitt Smith, who became the NFL career rushing leader, and Virginia Tech’s Bruce Smith, the NFL career sacks leader, are both going into the college Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

The rest of the class is Colorado running back Bobby Anderson, Miami safety Bennie Blades, Minnesota defensive tackle Carl Eller, Washington defensive lineman Steve Emtman, Baylor safety Thomas Everett, Air Force defensive lineman Chad Hennings, Tennessee guard Chip Kell, Purdue quarterback Mike Phipps and Stanford linebacker Jeff Siemon.
They will be inducted by the National Football Foundation in New York in December and enshrined at the Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., in the summer of 2007.