Bill Snyder, Jim Tressel, 15 players inducted into Hall of Fame

The National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame announced the names of the 15 players and two coaches who make up the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class on Friday morning.

All 15 players recognized were first team All-America selections during their playing careers and both coaches inducted, Ohio State and Youngstown State’s Jim Tressel and Kansas State’s Bill Snyder, have won more than 65 percent of the games they coached.

Oklahoma standout linebacker Brian Bosworth and Texas running back Ricky Williams, the 1998 Heisman Trophy Award winner, headlined the 15 players who earned induction.

 

Players selected:

Trev Alberts – Linebacker, University of Nebraska (1990-93)

Alberts won the 1993 Butkus Award for top linebacker in the nation and was also named the Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year that season. He is Nebraska’s all-time leader in sacks (29.5) and is ninth in school history with 248 tackles.

Brian Bosworth – Linebacker, University of Oklahoma (1984-86)

Bosworth is the only player to win the Butkus Award twice and was a consensus first-team All-American in 1985 and 1986. He finished fourth in Heisman voting in 1986 and finished his career with 395 tackles,

Bob Breunig – Linebacker, Arizona State University (1972-74)

Breunig was a two-time WAC Defensive Player of the Year who finished his career as ASU’s all-time leader in tackles (353) and solo tackles (206). He’s now sixth and third in those two categories.

Sean Brewer – Defensive Lineman, Millsaps College (1989-92)

Brewer is the only defensive lineman in Division III history to be named first team All-America three times and is the first player from Millsaps College (Miss.) to be voted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He finished his career with 435 total tackles and 52 sacks.

Ruben Brown – Offensive Tackle, University of Pittsburgh (1991-94)

Brown was a three time All-Big East selection and an All-American in 1994 before being selected in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.

Wes Chandler – Split End, University of Florida (1974-77)

Chandler led Florida in receiving in three straight seasons and was a two-time All-SEC selection. He finished his career with 92 catches for 1,963 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Thom Gatewood – Split End, University of Notre Dame (1969-71)

Gatewood was the first African-American captain in the history of Notre Dame football and led the Fighting Irish in receiving in his three years playing. He finished his career with 157 catches for 2,283 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Dick Jauron – Running Back, Yale University (1970-72)

Jauron was the Ivy League Player of the Year in 1972 and finished his career with the Bulldogs with 2,497 yards, which was a school record until 2000. Jauron spent 28 seasons in the NFL as a coach, including stints as the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills.

Clinton Jones – Halfback, Michigan State University (1964-66)

Jones led Michigan State to back-to-back national championships in 1965 and 1966 and was a two-time All-Big Ten selection. He finished his career with 1,921 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Lincoln Kennedy – Offensive Tackle, University of Washington (1989-92)

Kennedy was a dominant lineman on Washington teams that went to three Rose Bowls and won the national championship in 1991. Washington also won three Pac-10 titles during Kennedy’s time with the program.

Rob Lytle – Running Back, University of Michigan (1974-76)

Lytle was named Big Ten Most Valuable Player and finished third in Heisman voting in 1976. He finished his career with 3,317 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Michael Payton – Quartback, Marshall University (1989-92)

In 1992, Payton led Marshall to its first-ever national championship and won the 1992 Walter Payton Award, the award given to the best player Division I-AA football. He finished his career with 9,411 yards passing and 69 touchdowns.

Art Still – Defensive End, University of Kentucky (1974-77)

Still won the 1977 SEC Defensive Player of the Year as he led Kentucky to its last 10-win season. Still, a four-year starter, finished his career with 327 tackles and his 22 tackles for loss in 1977 is still a school record.

Zach Thomas – Linebacker, Texas Tech University (1992-95)

Thomas was a two-time first-team All-America selection and also was the Southwest Conference defensive player of the year in 1994 and 1995. He also won the Butkus award in 1995. He finished his career with 390 total tackles.

Ricky Williams – Running Back, University of Texas (1995-98)

Williams won the 1998 Heisman Trophy and is third in NCAA history in rushing yards. He won back-to-back NCAA rushing titles in 1997 and 1998, setting 21 NCAA records in the process. He finished his career with 6,279 rushing yards and 72 touchdowns.

Coaches selected:

Bill Snyder – Kansas State University (1989-2005, 2009-present)

With a 187-94-1 record, Snyder is the winningest coach in Kansas State history. He is the fourth coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as an active coach, joining Bobby Bowden (Florida State), John Gagliardi (Saint John’s [Minn.]), and Joe Paterno (Penn State). Of Kansas State’s 18 all-time bowl appearances, Snyder has led the program to 16 of them. He also has coached KSU to two Big 12 championships.

Jim Tressel – Youngstown State University, Ohio State University (1986-2010)

With a 229-79-2 record, Tressel is the only coach in college football history to win national titles at both levels of Division I football. Tressel coached at Youngstown State from 1986-2000 and won four FCS national championships. He then took over at Ohio State in 2001 and led the Buckeyes to the 2002 BCS title and won a share of six Big Ten titles. Tressel is now the president of Youngstown State.