Yahoo Finance Bob Stoops, Carson Palmer, Tony Romo among 2021 College Football Hall of Fame class
The National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame announced the 2021 Hall of Fame class on Monday.
The class features 11 players and two legendary coaches and was whittled down from 78 players and seven coaches who were finalists from the FBS ranks and 99 players and 33 coaches from the lower ranks of the sport.
Among the notable inductees are Tony Romo, Bob Stoops, Carson Palmer and Darren Sproles.
The official induction for the 2021 class will take place during the NFF Awards Dinner on Dec. 7 and will happen alongside the 2020 class, whose induction event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the addition of the 2021 class, there are now 1,038 players and 223 coaches who have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Below is the full 2021 class, listed in alphabetical order:
Harris Barton, OT, North Carolina (1983-86): Barton, a first-team All-American in 1986, is the sixth UNC player elected to the Hall of Fame. A four-year starter, Barton began his career at center before moving to tackle. He was the ACC’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman in 1986 and an All-ACC selection before being picked in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers.
David Fulcher, DB, Arizona State (1983-85): A two-time consensus All-American, Fulcher is the ninth ASU elected to the HOF. Fulcher earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors three times and twice led ASU in both tackles and interceptions.
Rudy Hubbard, HC, Florida A&M (1974-85): Hubbard had an 83-48-3 record at Florida A&M and became the only HBCU head coach to win the Division I-AA national championship. Florida A&M went 30-5 from 1977-79, including an 11-0 record in 1977 and the national title in 1978. Before becoming head coach at FAMU, Hubbard became the first Black assistant coach at Ohio State. He coached at OSU for six seasons, including on two national title-winning staffs under Woody Hayes.
Dan Morgan, LB, Miami [FL] (1997-2000): Morgan became the first player to win the Bednarik, Butkus and Nagurski Awards in the same season, doing so in 2000. Morgan is Miami’s all-time leading tackler with 532. He led the team in tackles three times and was a four-time All-Big East selection.
Carson Palmer, QB, Southern California (1998-2002): Palmer won the 2002 Heisman Trophy as he helped revitalize the USC program. Palmer finished his career as the all-time leading passer in Pac-10 history, was a consensus All-American in 2002 and is now the 33rd USC player to reach the Hall of Fame.
Tony Romo, QB, Eastern Illinois (1999-2002): Romo won the Walter Payton Award in 2002 as the best player at the FCS level and is now the first Eastern Illinois player inducted into the HOF. Romo was the three-time Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year and led EIU to two conference titles and three FCS playoff appearances.
Kenneth Sims, DT, Texas (1978-81): Sims was a two-time All-American for the Longhorns who finished eighth in the Heisman voting in 1981 when he finished with 23 tackles for loss. Sims ranks in the top 10 in Texas history in sacks, fumble recoveries and tackles for loss. He was the first overall pick of the New England Patriots in the 1982 NFL draft.
C.J. Spiller, RB/KR, Clemson (2006-09): Spiller was a unanimous All-American won ACC Player of the Year in 2009 as he set a conference record with 2,680 all-purpose yards. He was the first player in ACC history to have 1,000 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving in the same season. Spiller holds the NCAA record with seven career kickoff return touchdowns and is third all-time with 7,588 career all-purpose yards. Only Spiller and Reggie Bush accumulated 3,000 rushing yards, 1,500 kickoff-return yards, 1,000 receiving yards and 500 punt-return yards in a career.
Darren Sproles, RB, Kansas State (2001-04): The 5-foot-6 Sproles is Kansas State’s all-time leading rusher (4,979 yards) and still holds more than 20 school and conference records. Sproles led the nation in rushing with 1,986 yards in 2003, when he finished fifth in the Heisman voting. He led the FBS with 2,067 all-purpose yards in 2004. His 2,735 all-purpose yards in 2003 are single-season records for both Kansas State and the Big 12.
Bob Stoops, HC, Oklahoma (1999-2016): With a 190-48 record, Stoops is Oklahoma’s all-time winningest coach. Over his 18-year tenure, the Sooners won double-digit games 14 times and won the 2000 BCS National Championship and 10 Big 12 titles. Stoops won the Big 12 coach of the year six times before retiring after the 2016 season.
Aaron Taylor, OT, Notre Dame (1990-93): Taylor twice earned first-team All-American honors and was a stalwart for the Irish, who went 40-8-1 over the course of his career, winning the Sugar Bowl and two Cotton Bowls. In 1993, Taylor won the Lombardi Award and was a finalist for the Outland Trophy.
Andre Tippett, DE, Iowa (1979-81): Tippett was a first-team All-American in 1981 and helped Iowa win a share of the Big Ten title and play in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1958. Tippett twice earned first team All-Big Ten honors and had a conference-leading 20 tackles for loss as a junior. That mark is still a single-season Iowa record.
Al Wilson, LB, Tennessee (1995-98): Wilson helped Tennessee win the 1998 national championship as the only All-American on that undefeated Vols team. During Wilson’s time in Knoxville, Tennessee won two SEC titles and had four finishes in the top 10. Wilson also earned all-SEC honors twice.
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