NEW HALL OF FAMERS
The College Football Hall of Fame’s 2015 class, announced Friday:
Trev Alberts, LB, Nebraska, 1990-93
Brian Bosworth, LB, Oklahoma, 1984-86
Bob Breunig, LB, Arizona State, 1972-74
Sean Brewer, DL, Millsaps (Miss.), 1989-92
Ruben Brown, OT, Pittsburgh, 1991-94
Wes Chandler, SE, Florida, 1974-77
Thom Gatewood, SE, Notre Dame, 1969-71
Dick Jauron, RB, Yale, 1970-72
Clinton Jones, HB, Michigan State, 1964-66
Lincoln Kennedy, OT, Washington, 1989-92
Rob Lytle (deceased), RB, Michigan, 1974-76
Michael Payton, QB, Marshall, 1989-92
Art Still, DE, Kentucky, 1974-77
Zach Thomas, LB, Texas Tech, 1992-95
Ricky Williams, RB, Texas, 1995-98
Coaches:
Bill Snyder, Kansas State (1989-2005, 2009-present), 187-94-1 (.665)
Jim Tressel, Youngstown State (1986-2000) and Ohio State (2001-10), 229-79-2 (.742)
Lincoln Kennedy, who came to Atlanta as the Falcons’ first-round draft pick in 1993, will return as a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Kennedy, a standout offensive tackle at the University of Washington from 1989-92, was among 15 players and two coaches announced Friday by the National Football Foundation as this year’s selections for induction into college football’s shrine, now located in downtown Atlanta.
Kennedy will enter the Hall of Fame with a group that includes former Texas running back and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams, former Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth, Kansas State coach Bill Snyder and former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.
The announcement of the hall’s 2015 class was made in Dallas in conjunction with the College Football Playoff Championship game, which will be played Monday in the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium.
Kennedy said Friday that he “started to shed a tear” when informed of his selection.
“I was stunned and surprised and floored to be here with these great players,” Kennedy said in a news-conference webcast from Dallas. “Those that know me best know that the main reason I played football was to get out of the hood and get an education. I never thought I was that good to be here around these guys.”
Kennedy — the ninth overall pick of the 1993 draft — was with the Falcons for three years, starting all 16 games as a rookie but making only six starts over the next two seasons. The Falcons traded him in May 1996 to Oakland, where he played eight seasons and made the Pro Bowl three times.
His election to the Hall of Fame, though, reflects his college career at Washington. He was a unanimous first-team All-American in 1992 and helped lead the Huskies to three consecutive Rose Bowls and a share of the 1991 national championship.
He is a member of the Raiders’ radio broadcast team and co-hosts a weekly show on Fox Sports Radio.
Other headliners in the Hall of Fame class unveiled Friday include Williams, the 1998 Heisman winner, and Bosworth, the Butkus Award winner as the nation’s best collegiate linebacker in 1985 and 1986.
One of the more controversial players in college football history, Bosworth was suspended from what would have been his final college game for failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs.
Bosworth said Friday that that his election to the Hall of Fame “took my breath away.”
“Honestly, I can say I started to cry,” said Bosworth, recalling his reaction to the phone call from National Football Foundation CEO Steve Hatchell informing him of his election. “The honor is something I never thought would ever come across my doorstep. Then I had to Google the name (of Hatchell) to make sure he wasn’t pulling my chain.”
Tressel was elected to the Hall of Fame despite being forced to resign as Ohio State’s coach in May 2011 after withholding information about players receiving impermissible benefits. He later was found by the NCAA to have engaged in unethical conduct for not reporting the violations.
Snyder became only the fourth active coach elected to the Hall of Fame. He was eligible for election while still coaching because he turned 75 last year.
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