New Hall of Fame Class

Jonathan Ogden is a big dude.  Big.  Nice guy too.  But he is big.  He dwarfed guys like Dave Casper, guys that we normally think of as large.
But what is funny about annually attending the National Football Foundation's press conference introducing the latest class of college hall of famers, which took place yesterday at the Waldorf Astoria, is that physically imposing players like Ogden are the rarities.  Most of the guys look like guys off the street, although of course it is not always easy to see "speed" if the main weapon the player used to gain consensus All American status was his ability to race by others.  The reality is that the majority of hall of famers are not the five star guys but the guys with the biggest heart (who also had talent, work ethic, coaching, etc).
The new hall of famer I interviewed the longest yesterday, Mark Simoneau, the great linebacker from Kansas State, epitomizes all of that.  Not a large guy, Simoneau's physical presence these days does not scream starting linebacker let alone consensus All American or long-time NFL veteran.  And not surprisingly he was not a big-time recruit out of Smith Center High School in Kansas.  Fortunately for him the one Division One program coming after him, Kansas State, was a perfect fit.  He had the talent, work ethic and chip on his shoulder after being overlooked by others and they supplied outstanding coaching and an opportunity to play right away.  He became a four-year starter, averaging exactly 100 tackles per season, for a Wildcats team that won 42 games.  And Simoneau can relate to today's Cats as his '98 team was 11-0 and one win away from a spot in the BCS title game before being upset by Texas A&M 36-33.  Although his NFL career was less heralded, he did play for close to a decade and did lead the Eagles in tackles in 2003.
I also talked for a bit with Steve Bartkowski, who definitely has the former pro-player-now-more-comfortable-on-the-golf-course look.  We laughed about how the game has changed where he could be an All America and future Hall of Famer based on throwing for 2,508y as a senior in 1974.  That is the target total for mid-season for some of the new guys.  We discussed the Falcons for a bit too and he is more active with them due to living in Georgia, although he looks forward to being active with the Hall of Fame in 2014 when it finally moves to Atlanta.  We also discussed Christmas shopping for our kids, but I won't bore you with that.
My other interview was with former Texas Tech defensive tackle Gabe Rivera, who is the rare player of Latin heritage honored for football.  Rivera is, of course, one of the poster children for wasted talent as his drunk driving accident in 1983, his rookie year with the Steelers, has kept him in a wheelchair ever since.  But this honor rightfully refocuses the attention on Rivera from what might have been to what was a truly excellent college football career.  Interior defensive lineman back in Rivera's day were known for speed while today's nose guards are behemoths.  "Senor Smoke" was both and occasionally unstoppable. He also is a proud San Antonio native and we discussed how unbelievable it is that of the 14 former players honored yesterday, four are from Alamo City.  Rivera, Scott Thomas, who was a star safety for Air Force in the 1980s, Ty Detmer, the former Heisman winner from BYU and ex Rice star QB Tommy Kramer are all products of San Antonio high schools. That is amazing.
I did not have a chance to talk to the others, Charles Alexander, Otis Armstrong, Hal Bedsole, Casper, Detmer, Kramer, Art Monk, Greg Myers, Ogden, Thomas, John Wooten and coaches Phil Fulmer, Jimmy Johnson, and R.C. Slocum. Congratulations also to the current players honored for their ability to do well in school and in the classroom and as volunteers.  All in all it was a great morning.

National Football Foundation Press Conference

I had the pleasure of attending the NFF morning press conference yesterday in which the 2011 College Football Hall of Fame class was re-introduced and the 2011 National Scholar-Athlete class was presented. As usual the event was pulled off with class and a true respect for the game and its players. Everyone got a chance to speak with Russell Maryland again earning class clown honors and Marty Lyons tearing up--again. The scholar-athletes were an impressive bunch and should do fine even if they do not make the NFL. The one-on-one interview process was a bit rushed but media are meant to have a crack at the players later that day at the dinner.
What was nice about the group of athletes voted into the Hall was that they represent different eras and different positions. While Deion Sanders and Eddie George were the big names, it was good to see four interior defensive linemen voted in and players like big Oregon State back Bill Enyart or former Florida wide receiver Carlos Alvarez get in as their careers are being overshadowed by today's games. I'll have more to report later.

More Hall of Fame Ramblings

I wanted to wrap up my reflections on the latest class of players and coaches elected to the College Football Hall of Fame with some additional coverage of last week's press conference in New York City.

Fourteen players were elected to the Hall including one each from the three Florida-based powers including Deion Sanders from Florida State and Russell Maryland of Miami. With the Florida schools now recognized as national power programs--something that was not true back when Florida inductee Carlos Alvarez played wide receiver for the Gators from 1969 through 1971--their numbers will increase over time. And it is interesting in how the voting works in that Alvarez was helped by his brilliant academic work and subsequently impressive law career, while Sanders, for one, had to be so brilliant as a player that voters overlooked his infamous stoppage of his academic pursuit mid-year when he had reached eligibility for FSU's bowl game. I am not sure if Sanders has subsequently returned to school to get his degree, although I would bet that he did so. As for Maryland, his induction was meant to reward him for his excellent play on the field during the brilliant run by the Canes in the late 1980s, early '90s and, I guess, for his being one of the team's "good guys." Maryland played the "lovable bear of a man" role perfectly at the press conference, getting laughs by recounting his humble beginnings with Miami and for thinking the call from the Hall was a joke by former teammate Cortez Kennedy.

The Big Ten has always been a dominant force with electors, thanks in part to the large numbers of Big Ten grads peppering foundation chapters throughout the Midwest and sunnier places down South. And so three graduates of Big Ten schools, Sandy Stephens of Minnesota, Gene Washington of Michigan State and Eddie George of Ohio State were elected while one of two coaches, Lloyd Carr of Michigan, earned a spot. That that group is not an overwhelming one--sure George is a former Heisman winner but he is getting in before many stars from the 1980s and early '90s--is more proof that it helps to be a Big Ten grad.

That may change a bit when the Hall moves to Atlanta. While I am not accusing the Foundation of fixing anything, it will help attendance to start including more players from the Deep South. In addition to the three Florida players mentioned, Jake Scott of Georgia and Alabama's Marty Lyons are also heading to the Hall--all in time for next fall's enshrinement festivities in...Atlanta.

Hopefully there will be some love that weekend for the others to be enshrined, Doug English of Texas, Bill Enyart as a rare Oregon State inductee, Will Shields of Nebraska (to help welcome them to the Big Ten!), Darryl Talley of West Virginia, Clendon Thomas of OU and Rob Waldrop of Arizona. The other coach elected in was Fisher DeBerry of Air Force. The National Football Foundation always treats its people right and all of the former players and coaches will all feel welcome at the induction ceremonies in New York in December and then at the Enshrinement Festival.