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Barry Alvarez, acclaimed head coach from the
University of Wisconsin, to be enshrined into the College Football Hall
of Fame this July 15-16
SOUTH BEND, Ind.- July 5, 2011- Thousands of college
football fans from across the country will join the National Football
Foundation on July 15-16 at the College Football Hall of Fame in South
Bend, Ind. for the annual Enshrinement Festival, which will pay tribute
to the storied career of Barry Alvarez from the University of Wisconsin
along with 19 other football standouts as they are formally enshrined
into the Hall of Fame.
"We are very pleased to have the opportunity to enshrine another
exceptional class of college football legends," said NFF President
& CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "Each year our hard-working honors
courts do an outstanding job ensuring the game's greatest players and
coaches find their place on college football's mountain top. We look
forward to celebrating in South Bend with this amazing class and their
loyal fans from around the country."
An iconic figure of the Wisconsin program, Barry Alvarez has given
Badger fans plenty to cheer about since first being hired as head coach
in 1990. Alvarez compiled a 118-73-4 record at Wisconsin and
captured three Big Ten Championships en route to becoming the
winningest football coach in school history. He remains the only
coach in Big Ten history to win back-to-back Rose Bowls, setting a
record as having the highest all-time bowl winning percentage (.727)
for coaches with at least 11 bowl appearances. A two-time
national coach of the year, Alvarez coached 62 first-team All-Big Ten
selections, two National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athletes,
and 34 All-Americas at Wisconsin. Upon arrival in Madison, Barry
was in charge of resurrecting a program that hadn't been to a Rose Bowl
since 1963 and was losing games at an alarming rate. Alvarez's
final six teams qualified for five bowl games and won at least nine
games three times. He joins Hayden Fry and Lou Holtz, coaches he
worked under at Iowa and Notre Dame, respectively, and Bob Devaney, the
coach he played for at Nebraska, in the College Football Hall of
Fame. Named Wisconsin's athletic director in 2004, Alvarez
continued to coach for two years before retiring to focus solely on his
administrative position, which he retains to this day. Alvarez
and his wife Cindy have three children.
"Barry Alvarez took a program that had won six games in the three
seasons prior to his arrival and turned them into a perennial
powerhouse for more than a decade. There was never a doubt that
he was headed to the Hall of Fame," said NFF President & CEO Steve
Hatchell. "He's the ultimate competitor, recruiter and tactician,
and he has been a great mentor to a slew of current head coaches."
Fans will have a variety of family-friendly and affordable
opportunities to meet and mingle with the enshrinees during this
spectacular event. The jam-packed weekend will include a celebrity golf
tournament, a fan festival, a grand parade, a youth football clinic,
ribs cook-off, and block party with live music and fireworks. The
festival will conclude with the Enshrinement Dinner & Show on
Saturday evening.
"The College Football Hall of Fame is elated to bring another
Enshrinement Festival to our community," said Hall of Fame Executive
Director Lisa Klunder. "The 2011 Enshrinement Festival promises to be
even better than the last as we continue our tradition of excellence by
enhancing each of our events that are engaging for the entire
family. We are excited to welcome the large groups of fans and
alumni that will be joining us from across the country to celebrate
with this year's class of outstanding Hall of Famers as they receive
college football's greatest honor."
Tickets for all events are on sale now. Space is limited for certain
events. For events, pricing, times, tickets, or for more
information on Barry Alvarez and his enshrinement into the Hall of Fame
visit www.enshrinementfestival.org or call 574-235-5714.
For more information concerning media credentials, satellite
coordinates, or scheduling interviews contact Kimberly Bugos, marketing
and public relations coordinator, at kimb@collegefootball.org or
630-335-1286.
2011 Enshrinement Festival Schedule of Events
FRIDAY, JULY 15
ENSHRINEMENT CELEBRITY GOLF SCRAMBLE
Warren Golf Course, South Bend, Ind.
9:00 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. ET
RIBS COOK-OFF AND BLOCK PARTY WITH LIVE MUSIC & FIREWORKS
Hall of Fame Gridiron Plaza, Downtown South Bend
11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. ET
SATURDAY, JULY 16
COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME GRAND PARADE
Downtown South Bend
9:30 a.m. ET
ENSHRINEMENT FANFEST
Hall of Fame Gridiron Plaza, Downtown South Bend
9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
HALL OF FAMER PEP RALLY& OFFICIAL BLAZER PRESENTATION
Hall of Fame Gridiron Plaza, Downtown South Bend
12:00 p.m. ET
ENSHRINEMENT YOUTH FOOTBALL CLINIC
Hall of Fame Gridiron Plaza, Downtown South Bend
1:00 p.m. ET
AUTOGRAPH SESSION WITH THE 2011 ENSHRINEMENT CLASS
College Football Hall of Fame Press Box
2:00 p.m. ET
ENSHRINEMENT RECEPTION AND SILENT AUCTION
Century Center Convention Center, Downtown South Bend
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. ET
ENSHRINEMENT DINNER AND SHOW
Century Center Convention Center, Downtown South Bend
7:30 p.m. ET
2011 College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Class
PLAYERS
·DENNIS BYRD* - North Carolina State, Defensive Tackle (1965-67)
·RONNIE CAVENESS - Arkansas, Center (1962-64)
·RAY CHILDRESS - Texas A&M, Defensive Lineman (1981-84)
·DEXTER COAKLEY - Appalachian State, Linebacker (1993-96)
·RANDY CROSS - UCLA, Offensive Guard (1973-75)
·SAM CUNNINGHAM - Southern California, Running Back (1970-72)
·MIKE FAVOR - North Dakota State, Center (1985-88)
·CHARLES HALEY - James Madison, Linebacker (1982-85)
·MARK HERRMANN - Purdue, Quarterback (1977-80)
·CLARKSTON HINES - Duke, Wide Receiver (1986-89)
·DESMOND HOWARD - Michigan, Wide Receiver (1989-91)
·MICKEY KOBROSKY* - Trinity (CT), Back (1933-36)
·CHET MOELLER - Navy, Defensive Back (1973-75)
·JERRY STOVALL - LSU, Halfback (1960-62)
·PAT TILLMAN* - Arizona State, Linebacker (1994-97)
·ALFRED WILLIAMS - Colorado, Linebacker (1987-90)
* Deceased
COACHES
·BARRY ALVAREZ - Wisconsin (1990-2005); 118-73-4 (.615)
·MIKE KELLY - Dayton (1981-2007); 246-54-1 (.819)
·BILL MANLOVE - Widener (1969-91), Delaware Valley (1992-95), La
Salle (1997-2001); 212-211-1 (.655)
·GENE STALLINGS** - Texas A&M (1965-71), Alabama (1990-96);
89-70-1 (.559)
** Selection from the FBS Veterans Committee
CRITERIA
1. First and foremost, a player must have received First Team
All-America recognition by a selector organization that is recognized
by the NCAA and utilized to comprise their consensus All-America teams.
2. A player becomes eligible for consideration by the Foundation's
Honors Courts ten years after his final year of intercollegiate
football played.
3. While each nominee's football achievements in college are of prime
consideration, his post football record as a citizen is also weighed.
He must have proven himself worthy as a citizen, carrying the ideals of
football forward into his relations with his community and fellow man.
Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether or not
the candidate earned a college degree.
4. Players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football
within the last 50 years*. For example, to be eligible for the 2010
ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1960 or
thereafter. In addition, players who are playing professionally and
coaches who are coaching on the professional level are not eligible
until after they retire.
5. A coach becomes eligible three years after retirement or immediately
following retirement provided he is at least 70 years of age. Active
coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head
coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a
.600 winning percentage*.
(* Players that do not comply with the 50-year rule and coaches that
have not won 60% of their games may still be eligible for consideration
by the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) and Divisional
Honors Review Committees, which examine unique cases.)
BACKGROUND
·Including the 2011 FBS class, only 896 players and 192 coaches
have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the
nearly five million who have played or coached the game over the past
142 years. In other words, less than one percent (.0002) have been
deemed worthy of this distinction.
·Founded in 1947, The National Football Foundation & College
Hall of Fame inducted its first class of inductees in 1951. The first
class included 32 players and 19 coaches, including Illinois' Red
Grange, Notre Dame's Knute Rockne, Amos Alonzo Stagg and Carlisle's Jim
Thorpe.
·284 schools are represented with at least one College Football
Hall of Famer.
2011 ENSHRINEMENT CLASS BIOGRAPHIES
DENNIS BYRD
North Carolina State University
Defensive Tackle, 1964-67
The first player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to be named a
three-time All-ACC selection, North Carolina State's Dennis Byrd
becomes the fourth Wolfpack player inducted into the College Football
Hall of Fame.
Twice named a First Team All-American, Byrd was the first NC State
player ever to garner consensus All-American honors. As a member of the
Wolfpack's famed "White Shoes" defense, he led NC State to a share of
the 1965 ACC title en route to earning the school's first-ever
post-season appearance, defeating Georgia in the 1967 Liberty Bowl.
Drafted as the sixth overall pick in the 1968 NFL Draft, Byrd played
only two seasons with the Boston Patriots due to a nagging knee injury
sustained in the latter part of his senior season at NC State. He then
embarked on a 30-year teaching and coaching career at the high school
level and retired in 2001.
Byrd was named an ACC Football Legend and inducted into the NC State
Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He is also the only defensive player to
have his jersey retired at his alma mater. Dennis and his wife Kimberly
have four children, and they reside in Elizabeth City, N.C.
RONNIE CAVENESS
University of Arkansas
Center, 1962-64
One of the last Arkansas players to start on both sides of the ball,
Ronnie Caveness dominated the opposition to lead the Razorbacks to the
1964 National Championship.
Named a First Team All-Southwest Conference selection at both center
and linebacker during his senior campaign, Caveness helped Arkansas to
the 1964 conference championship on a team that was coached Hall of
Famer Frank Broyles and included modern day football luminaries Jerry
Jones and Jimmy Johnson. Caveness holds the Razorbacks record for most
tackles made in consecutive seasons (309). Forty-five years later, he
also still holds the top two spots on the school's rankings for most
tackles in a game (29 and 25, respectively). The team captain was
Arkansas' leading tackler in 21-straight games.
Drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1965, Caveness spent one year with
the franchise before spending the remainder of his five-year
professional career with the Oilers and Patriots. Following his playing
days, he became a sales manager and also served as president of the
Little Rock Razorback Club.
Caveness has been named to the Arkansas All-Century Team, the Arkansas
Sports Hall of Fame and the Cotton Bowl Classic All-Decade Team for the
1960s. He and his wife Teresa have two children and reside in Little
Rock, Ark.
RAY CHILDRESS
Texas A&M University
Defensive Lineman, 1981-84
With the most tackles (360) of any lineman in the storied history of
Texas A&M football, Ray Childress joins former Texas A&M coach
Gene Stallings as a member of the 2010 College Football Hall of Fame
Class.
By career's end, Childress was second all-time in career sacks (25) at
A&M as well as second in season sacks with 15 in 1983. The 1984
team captain is credited by his former coach Jackie Sherrill for
changing the team's attitude and culture during his senior campaign. A
two-time All-SWC selection, Childress was twice named the AP Player of
the Week and helped the Aggies beat Oklahoma State in the 1981
Independence Bowl as a true freshman.
Chosen as the No. 3 overall pick in the 1985 NFL Draft, Childress
played 11 years with the Houston Oilers and finished his final
professional year with the Dallas Cowboys. He was named All-Pro six
times and made five Pro Bowl appearances. He helped Houston to seven
playoff appearances during his time with the franchise.
A 2008 inductee into the State of Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Childress
is the former Chairman & CEO of the Ray Childress Auto Group. He
also founded the Childress Foundation in the 1990s to help at-risk
youth. He and his wife Kara reside in the Houston area.
RANDY CROSS
University of California-Los Angeles
Offensive Guard, 1973-75
A staple on UCLA's offensive line during his time in Los Angeles, Randy
Cross led the Bruins past top-ranked Ohio State in the 1976 Rose Bowl.
A starter in 28-of-34 career games, including his final 23 games after
moving from center to an offensive lineman, Cross was named a First
Team All-American in 1975. He was named a First Team All-Pac-8
selection during his senior year en route to helping the Bruins to a
share of the 1975 conference title. He also won UCLA's George W.
Dickerson Award as the team's most outstanding lineman in 1974-75.
Selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1976 draft, Cross played 13
years and won three Super Bowls with the franchise. Missing only eight
games in his professional career, he was named to three All-Pro teams
and was voted the San Francisco 49ers' Man of the Year (1985) for his
work in the community.
Cross currently serves as an NFL analyst on CBS College Sports. He also
founded the Randy Cross Invitational, a golf tournament that has raised
more than $5 million for the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford's
Children's Hospital. He and his wife Patrice have three children,
Kelly, Crystal and Brendan, who is a freshman on the Wake Forest
football team. He resides in Alpharetta, Ga.
SAM CUNNINGHAM
University of Southern California
Running Back, 1970-72
Credited with inspiring College Football Hall of Fame coach Paul "Bear"
Bryant to integrate southern football, Sam "Bam" Cunningham earned the
nickname for his bruising goal line dives throughout his career with
the Trojans.
Playing for College Football Hall of Fame coach John McKay, Cunningham
rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries against Alabama
as a rookie in his first game. His performance that day in 1970 against
the Crimson Tide provided a catalyst for the integration of southern
college football. A member of the Trojans' 1972 national championship
team, Cunningham scored four touchdowns in the 1973 Rose Bowl and was
named the player of the game. Cunningham was a team captain in 1972 and
was named the USC Back of the Year. A 1972 First Team All-American,
Cunningham played in the 1973 Hula Bowl, College All-Star Game and
Coaches All-America Game.
Drafted 11th overall in the 1973 NFL Draft by the New England, he
played nine seasons for the Patriots. He was named to the AFC Pro Bowl
team in 1978.
Following his football career, Cunningham has been active in raising
money for cancer and currently works as a landscape contractor in
Englewood, Calif. He is the older brother of fellow College Football
Hall of Fame nominee Randall Cunningham (UNLV).
MARK HERRMANN
Purdue University
Quarterback, 1977-80
A unanimous All-American in 1980, Mark Herrmann graduated from Purdue
as the most prolific passer in NCAA history, holding nine NCAA passing
records including passing yards (9,188) and completions (707).
A four-year starter under center, Herrmann became the first quarterback
in NCAA history to throw for 8,000 yards in a career and would finish
as the first quarterback to throw for 9,000 yards. The offensive MVP of
both the Peach and Bluebonnet Bowls, the quarterback threw for a then-
Bluebonnet Bowl record 303 yards. A First Team All-Big Ten selection in
1980, Herrmann led the Boilermakers to a Liberty Bowl victory his
senior year after finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting the same
year. He finished his career at Purdue with 71 touchdown passes and
still holds the school record for single-season completion percentage
(.658).
Selected in the fourth round of the 1981 NFL Draft by the Denver
Broncos, Herrmann played for six teams during an 11-year NFL career
before retiring from the Indianapolis Colts in 1992.
Following his NFL career, Herrmann served as the associate director of
Education Programs for the NCAA. He has been involved in his community
as well, spending time on both the Lawrence Township Foundation Board
and the National Institute for Fitness and Sport Youth Fitness Board.
He and his wife Susie have three children, and they reside in
Indianapolis, Ind.
CLARKSTON HINES
Duke University
Wide Receiver, 1986-89
The only player in ACC History to lead the league in receiving yards
three consecutive seasons, Clarkston Hines holds the ACC record for
career touchdown receptions (38).
A two-time First Team All-American, Hines was named ACC Athlete of the
Year in 1989. He currently holds ten different receiving records at
Duke including career receiving yards (3,318) and consecutive 100-yard
receiving games (7). In 1989, he was named ACC Player of the Year en
route to leading the Blue Devils to the ACC Championship. He was a
three-time First Team All-ACC member and led the ACC in scoring in 1989
(104). Hines' holds the ACC single-season touchdown reception record
(17) and 100-yard receiving games (17). Hines graduated as Duke's all
time leader in points scored (234). He also received the Duke
University Distinguished Service Award in 1989.
Selected in the ninth round by the Buffalo Bills in the 1989 draft,
Hines played one season in the NFL.
A member of the Duke Sports Hall of Fame, Hines was named to the ACC
50th Anniversary team. He is currently the Vice President of DaVita
Inc., a large healthcare company. He and his wife Kathy reside in
Statesville, N.C., with their four children.
DESMOND HOWARD
University of Michigan
Wide Receiver, 1989-91
The 1991 Heisman Trophy winner, Michigan's Desmond Howard became the
first receiver in history to lead the Big Ten in scoring while helping
the Wolverines to three conference titles and two Rose Bowls during his
time in Ann Arbor.
During his prolific senior season, Howard was named a consensus
All-American, the Maxwell Award winner and Walter Camp Player of the
Year. He finished his career with 134 receptions for 2,146 yards and 32
touchdowns and holds the Michigan record for most touchdowns (23) and
points (138) scored in a single-season. A three year letterman, Howard
was twice named an All-Big Ten First Team pick and still holds the Big
Ten Conference single-season receiving touchdown record with 19.
Drafted fourth overall in the 1992 NFL Draft by the Washington
Redskins, Howard spent 11 seasons in the professional ranks. The Super
Bowl XXXI Most Valuable Player, Howard led the Green Bay Packers over
the New England Patriots after setting Super Bowl records for punt
return yards (90) and total returns yards (244) in a game. He also set
the Super Bowl record for longest kick return (99).
Currently a broadcaster on ESPN's College GameDay, Howard volunteers
for a variety of charities that serve the needs of children. Howard and
his wife Rebkah reside in Miami, Fla., with their three children.
CHET MOELLER
United States Naval Academy
Defensive Back, 1973-75
The 1975 East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year, Chet
Moeller revolutionized the position of safety en route to becoming one
of the most decorated football players in Navy history.
A two-time ECAC All-Conference selection, Moeller was only the sixth
Midshipmen to be selected as a unanimous All-American. He served as
co-captain and registered 275 tackles during his career at Navy. Named
an AP Player of the Week, he received the Ernie Davis Award at the
Coaches All-America Game. He was given the Navy Academy Athletic
Association Sword and named a Battalion Commander. Moeller was a second
team NCAA Academic All-American and was a finalist for the NCAA Today's
Top Five. While at the Naval Academy, he earned Navy Academy Merit List
and Superintendent's List honors.
Following his career at Navy, Moeller served as an officer in the
United States Marine Corp. He has served as a board member for the
Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a deacon in his church and is
currently serving as a church elder. He was selected to the Navy-Marine
Corps Memorial All-Stadium Secondary Team and is a charter member of
the Fairmont Hall of Fame.
Moeller now works as a computer consultant. He and his wife Jenny
reside in Montgomery, Ala., with their two children.
JERRY STOVALL
LSU
Halfback, 1960-62
A unanimous All-America selection in 1962, Jerry Stovall was a literal
"Mr. Everything" for LSU, playing halfback, defensive back, kick
returner while and also handling punting duties during his three years
in Baton Rouge.
A two-time All-SEC First Team selection, Stovall was named the
conference's Most Valuable Player in 1962 en route to finishing as the
Heisman Trophy runner-up behind Oregon State's Terry Baker. A member of
the 1961 SEC Championship team, he finished at LSU with 1,071 yards and
13 touchdowns on the ground, adding 462 yards and one touchdown
receiving. He also held the LSU record holder for highest punting
average (42.1) in a season, amassing 165 attempts for 6,477 yards by
career's end. Stovall gained nearly 700 return yards on special teams
and recorded seven interceptions as a defensive standout.
Selected in the first round of the1963 NFL Draft by the St. Louis
Cardinals, Stovall played nine years in the NFL and was twice named to
the All-Pro team. He was also selected to three Pro Bowls. Stovall
later entered coaching and returned to LSU as head coach from 1980-83.
In 1982, he was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation Coach of the
Year after leading the Tigers to an 8-3-1 record and an Orange Bowl
appearance.
Stovall currently serves as the President & CEO of the Baton Rouge
Area Sports Foundation and has served on the board of directors for the
Louisiana Senior Games. He and his wife Judy have two children, and
they reside in Baton Rouge, La.
PAT TILLMAN*
Arizona State University
Linebacker, 1994-97
The first-ever Arizona State player to be named Pac-10 Defensive Player
of the Year, Pat Tillman is the sixth Sun Devil to be named to the
College Football Hall of Fame.
A two-time First Team Academic All-Pac10 selection, Tillman led the Sun
Devils to the 1996 Pac-10 title and a berth in the Rose Bowl. Named
team MVP in 1997, Tillman finished his ASU career with 230 career
tackles. He was named Sun Bowl MVP in his senior season and has since
been inducted into the Sun Bowl Hall of Fame. Tillman was also named
the 1997 Sporting News/Honda Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1998 NFL Draft, Tillman spent
three seasons in the NFL before enlisting in the U.S. Army. Tillman, a
U.S. Army Ranger, served tours in Iraqi Freedom (2003) and Operation
Enduring Freedom (2004) before he was tragically killed. Following his
death, he was awarded a Purple Heart by the U.S. Army and a Silver Star
by the U.S. Military. Tillman was posthumously honored with the NFF's
Distinguished American Award in 2006.
The Pat Tillman Foundation was established in his name to promote
scholarship, the sprit of community service and supporting veterans,
active service members and their dependents. Its signature event, Pat's
Run, attracts over 20,000 participants each year. He is survived by his
wife Marie.
* Deceased
ALFRED WILLIAMS
University of Colorado
Linebacker, 1987-90
The 1990 Butkus Award winner, Alfred Williams led the Colorado Buffalos
to the 1990 National Championship.
A two-time Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year, Williams holds the
Colorado record for career sacks (35). A 1990 unanimous First-Team
All-American, he was a two-time unanimous All-Big Eight selection.
During his time in Boulder, the Buffs won two Big Eight Championships
and played in two Orange Bowls. As a junior, Williams was named as an
honorable mention Colorado All-Century team member.
As the first round selection of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1990,
Williams spent eight seasons in the NFL and was named an All-Pro in
1996. He won two Super Bowls rings with the Denver Broncos.
He later co-founded At Light Speed, a communications data center, and
is currently a co-host of the Big Al and D-Mac show on 104.3 The Fan in
Denver. He has been a board member for the American Red Cross and is a
volunteer Pop Warner coach in the Denver area.
Colorado honored Williams' No. 94 jersey in 1992, and he was a member
of the 2008 CU Athletic Hall of Fame Class. Williams lives in
Centennial, Colo., and has four boys.
Coaches
BARRY ALVAREZ
University of Wisconsin
Head Coach, 118-73-4
The only coach in Big Ten history to win back-to-back Rose Bowls, Barry
Alvarez sports the highest all-time bowl winning percentage (.727) for
coaches with at least 11 bowl appearances.
The winningest coach in Wisconsin history, Alvarez compiled a 118-73-4
record while at Wisconsin and captured three Big Ten Championships. He
joins College Football Hall of Fame coach Woody Hayes as the only two
coaches to win three Rose Bowls. He coached 12 First Team All-America
players, including three-time First Team selection and 1999 Heisman
Trophy winner Ron Dayne, 62 First Team All-Big Ten picks, and two NFF
National Scholar-Athletes (Jim Leonhard and Joe Thomas).
In 1993, Alvarez was named Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year, AFCA
National Coach of the Year and College & Pro Football Newsweekly
National Coach of the Year. The 1999 Victor Award (National Coach of
the Year) winner, Alvarez was a finalist for ESPN National College
Coach of the Decade.
Named Wisconsin's athletics director in 2004, Alvarez continued to
coach for two years before retiring and focusing solely on his
administrative position. Alvarez serves on the NCAA Football Issues
Committee, the Board of Directors of the MACC Fund and was appointed as
one of the chairs of the NCAA's Football Academic Enhancement Group.
Alvarez and his wife Cindy have three children.
GENE STALLINGS**
Texas A&M University, University of Alabama
Head Coach, 89-70-1
Head coach of Alabama's 1992 National Championship Team, the Crimson
Tide posted a 28-game winning streak during his tenure in Tuscaloosa.
A member of College Football Hall of Fame coach Bear Bryant's "Junction
Boys" as a player at Texas A&M, Stallings returned to his alma
mater in 1965 as head coach. In his third season, the Aggies captured
the Southwest Conference title and defeated Alabama in the Cotton Bowl.
After spending the next 17 seasons as an NFL coach, Stallings took over
as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide in 1990. Following
back-to-back bowl appearances in his first two seasons, Stallings led
the Tide to the 1992 National Championship, posting a 13-0 season
record. Stallings coached 13 First Team All-Americans during his head
coaching career.
Since his retirement from football, Stallings has served on President
George W. Bush's Commission on Intellectual Disability and wrote a book
about his late son, John Mark, who was born with Downs Syndrome. In
2005, he was appointed to the Texas A&M Board of Regents by
Governor Rick Perry.
Stallings has been inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Texas
Sports Hall of Fame, Texas A&M Hall of Fame, Gator Bowl Hall of
Fame and Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame. He and his wife Ruth Ann reside in
Powderly, Texas, and have five children.
** Selection from the FBS Veterans Committee
DIVISIONAL CLASS:
DEXTER COAKLEY
APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY
LINEBACKER, 1993-96
A three-time First Team All-American at Appalachian State, Dexter
Coakley remains the only two-time winner of the Buck Buchanan Award as
the Football Championship Subdivision's top defender and the only
player to be named the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year
three times. Coakley becomes the first inductee in school history for
Appalachian State.
With 616 career tackles, Coakley ranks second in SoCon history and
outpaces Appalachian State's second-leading tackler by 121 stops. As a
freshman, Coakley garnered SoCon Freshman of the Year honors by
recording 159 tackles, which ranked second in school history at the
time. The three-time All-SoCon performer owns four of the top six
single-season tackle marks and is also the school's all-time record
holder with 350 career solo tackles. Coakley holds school records with
37 career double-digit tackle games and seven games with 20 or more
stops. Coakley helped the Mountaineers make two appearances Division
I-AA playoffs and led the squad to the 1995 Southern Conference title.
A third round selection of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1997 NFL Draft,
Coakley enjoyed a 10-year career with the Cowboys and the St. Louis
Rams. He started 141-of-155 career games, accumulating 599 tackles, 13
interceptions, 9.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries.
Coakley also played in three Pro Bowls.
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