Charles Woodson, Frank Beamer headline 2018 College Football Hall of Fame class
The National Football Foundation unveiled the 2018 College Football Hall of Fame class on Monday morning.
There are some big names in this year’s class, which is made up of 10 players and three coaches. The group is headlined by Michigan’s Charles Woodson, the only defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, longtime Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer and Mack Brown, who coached Texas to a national title in 2005.
Here is the full class, which was whittled down from 75 players and six coaches and will be inducted Dec. 4 in New York City:
PLAYERS
Trevor Cobb, RB, Rice (1989-92): Cobb, the 1991 Doak Walker Award winner, rushed for 4,948 yards at Rice, the second-most in Southwest Conference history. His 6,512 career all-purpose yards is the all-time conference record. Cobb, the seventh Rice player to make the CFB Hall of Fame, holds 17 school records.
Kerry Collins, QB, Penn State (1991-94): Collins led Penn State to a 12-0 record and its first Big Ten title in 1994 when he won the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Award and finished fourth in Heisman voting. Collins had a 40-9 record during his time with the Nittany Lions and finished his career with 5,304 yards and 39 touchdowns.
Dave Dickenson, QB, Montana (1992-95): Dickenson, the second Montana player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, is the school’s all-time leading passer. Dickenson led Montana to an FCS national title and won the Walter Payton Award (top FCS player) in 1995. Overall, he threw for 5,676 yards and 51 touchdowns at Montana.
Dana Howard, LB, Illinois (1991-94): The 1994 Butkus Award winner, Howard remains atop the Illinois record books with 595 career tackles. Howard was also a two-time first team All-American and earned All-Big Ten honors in his four seasons with the Illini.
Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech (2004-06): Before his standout NFL career, Johnson was twice named an All-American and earned All-ACC honors three times. He finished his career with 2,927 receiving yards, 28 touchdowns and 13 100-yard games, all school records. He also won the Biletnikoff Award.
Paul Palmer, RB, Temple (1983-86): Palmer will be the first Temple player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Palmer, the 1986 Heisman runner-up, rushed for 1,866 yards and set an NCAA record for all-purpose yards that season. Palmer, Temple’s all-time leading rusher (4,895 yard), set 23 school records.
Ed Reed, DB, Miami (1998-2001): Reed, a two-time first-team All-American, was a catalyst on Miami’s national championship team in 2001 that finished 12-0. His 21 interceptions stand as a Miami and Big East record. He returned four of those interceptions for a touchdown before going on to a standout NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens.
Matt Stinchcomb, OL, Georgia (1995-98): Stinchcomb was a two-time first-team All-American as an offensive tackle for Georgia. In 1998, Stinchcomb won the Campbell Trophy, which is awarded to the top football scholar-athlete in the country. He now becomes the third Campbell Trophy winner to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Aaron Taylor, OL, Nebraska (1994-97): Taylor is the only Nebraska player to be named an All-American at two positions: guard and center. Taylor won the 1997 Outland Trophy and helped the Huskers win three national championships.
Charles Woodson, DB, Michigan (1995-97): Woodson became the first and only defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy when he did so in 1997. He also won the Walter Camp Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award and Jim Thorpe Award. Woodson finished that season eight interceptions while also scoring as a rusher, receiver and punt returner. The Wolverines went on to win the national title that year.
COACHES
Frank Beamer: Murray State (1981-86) and Virginia Tech (1987-2015)
Beamer, who led Virginia Tech to its first national title game appearance in 1999, ranks No. 6 in FBS history with 280 wins (280-144-4 overall). Before his retirement, Beamer coached the Hokies to a bowl game in 23 straight season. Virginia Tech finished in the top 10 five times, won three Big East titles and four ACC titles during Beamer’s tenure.
Mack Brown: Appalachian State University (1983), Tulane University (1985-87), University of North Carolina (1988-97), University of Texas (1998-2013)
Most known for his tenure at Texas, Brown has a 244-122-1 career record as a head coach. His 244 wins are 10th in FBS history. At North Carolina, Brown had a winning record in his final eight seasons with the program, including three 10-win seasons and our top 25 finishes. At Texas, Brown holds the best winning percentage (76.7) in program history and led UT to the 2005 national title, two Big 12 titles and at least 10 wins in nine straight seasons.
Mel Tjeerdsma: Austin College (1984-93), Northwest Missouri State University (1994-2010)
Tjeerdsma is the winningest head coach in Austin College and Northwest Missouri State history and has a 74.4 winning percentage. At Northwest Missouri State, he won three national championships in 1998, 1999 and 2009. His 242 career wins are the 10th most for a Division II coach.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
