COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS

Thomas heads College HOF class

The Sports Xchange

May 22, 2014 at 1:29 pm.

Sep 13, 1998; Jacksonville, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Derrick Thomas (58) in action against the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Tony Boselli (71) during the 1998 season at Alltel Stadium. RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

The 2014 College Football Hall of Fame class announced Thursday includes the late Derrick Thomas, 13 other players and two legendary coaches.

Thomas, a linebacker at Alabama from 1985-88, set the school record with 27 sacks as a senior. He won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection with the Kansas City Chiefs, Thomas was 33 when he died in 2000 following an automobile accident.

Other inductees include: North Carolina cornerback Dre Bly, USC offensive tackle Tony Boselli, Purdue defensive tackle Dave Butz, Penn State linebacker Shane Conlan, Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton, Maine linebacker John Huard, Stanford halfback Darrin Nelson, Louisiana Tech offensive lineman Willie Roaf, UCLA quarterback John Sciarra, South Carolina wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, McNeese State cornerback Leonard Smith, TCU tailback LaDainian Tomlinson and Ole Miss tight end Wesley Walls.

Two coaches also are being inducted: former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, the winningest coach in Ducks history, and Jerry Moore, who won three national championships at Appalachian State.

The inductees were selected from the national ballot of 75 All-America players and six elite coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and the 87 players and 26 coaches from the divisional ranks.

The 2014 College Football Hall of Fame’s 16-man class will be inducted during the 57th National Football Foundation annual awards dinner on Dec. 9 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

The announcement was made in Las Colinas, Texas, where it was also revealed that future College Hall classes will be announced the Friday before each year’s College Football Playoff championship game.

The 2014 inductees:

–Dre Bly, North Carolina, 1996-98: An ACC Rookie of the Year and two-time consensus All-American who finished with 20 career interceptions.

–Tony Boselli, USC, 1991-94: A consensus first-team All-American in 1994 was a three-time first-team Pac-10 performer and the first draft pick in Jacksonville Jaguars history.

–Dave Butz, Purdue, 1970-72: A consensus first-team All-American in 1972 and first-team all-Big Ten performer who played on two Super Bowl-winning teams.

–Shane Conlan, Penn State, 1983-86: A consensus first-team All-American as a senior was one of the leaders of Penn State’s 1987 Fiesta Bowl-winning national championship team and the 1987 NFL Rookie of the Year with the Buffalo Bills.

–Joe Hamilton, Georgia Tech, 1996-99: The 1999 Davey O’Brien Award winner left the Yellow Jackets as the ACC’s career leader in total offense and pass efficiency.
–John Huard, Maine, 1964-66: A two-time first-team All-America, Huard is the first Black Bears player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
–Darrin Nelson, Stanford, 1977-78, 1980-81: The first player in college football history rush for 1,000 yards and catch 50 passes in a season (he did it three times), Nelson is the only four-time first-team All-Pac-10 player in Stanford history.
–Willie Roaf, Louisiana Tech, 1990-92: A consensus first-team All-America in 1992, he played 11 Pro Bowl seasons in a 13-year NFL career that landed him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
–John Sciarra, UCLA, 1972-75: A consensus first-team All-America in 1975, he led the Bruins to an upset of Ohio State in the Rose Bowl and remains the leading rushing quarterback in UCLA history.
–Sterling Sharpe, South Carolina, 1983, 1985-87: Considered the greatest receiver in Gamecocks history, he was a first-team All-America selection, two-time All-SEC pick and the South Carolina leader in single-season and career receptions and receiving yards.
–Leonard Smith, McNeese State, 1979-82: The highest NFL draft pick in Southland Conference history (17th), he was a first-team All-America in 1982 and holds school records for blocked kicks in a season (6) and career (17).
–Derrick Thomas, Alabama, 1985-88: College football’s all-time sack leader at the conclusion of his career, he was a unanimous All-America selection and Butkus Award winner in 1988.
–LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU, 1997-2000: The nation’s leading rusher in 1999 and 2000, he was a unanimous first-team All-America who set NCAA records for rushing yards in a half and in a game. He went on to be the 2006 NFL MVP, a two-time NFL rushing leader and sits fifth all-time on the league’s rushing yardage list.
–Wesley Walls, Ole Miss, 1985-88: A first-team All-America as a senior played his first three seasons with the Rebels at defensive end and added offense to his repertoire in 1988, catching 36 passes for 426 yards and three touchdowns.

–Coach Mike Belliotti, 137-80-2 record at Chico State, California (1984-88) and Oregon (1995-2008).

–Coach Jerry Moore, 242-135-2 record at North Texas (1979-80), Texas Tech (1981-85) and Appalachian State (1989-2012).