(AP MODIFIED) — Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald were among 19 players and three coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame class announced Monday.
Warrick Dunn of Florida State, Toby Gerhart of Stanford, Julius Peppers of North Carolina and Danny Woodhead of Chadron State also were elected to the Atlanta-based hall by the National Football Foundation.
Coaches elected were Frank Solich of Nebraska and Ohio, Mark Dantonio of Cincinnati and Michigan State and Danny Hale of Division II West Chester and Bloomsburg.
Dantonio, the coach with the most wins in Michigan State football history, retired in 2020 after 13 seasons as the Spartans' head coach. He will be the fifth former Michigan State head coach to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Dantonio said the following in a statement:
“I felt very humbled and overwhelmed by the significance of the moment... When I became a head coach, we wanted to build things that would last and have a positive impact on each individual.
“There are so many people involved in this honor. I want to thank my family; my staff and their families and everyone that was a part of this program; the administration; Spartan fans; and most importantly the players. I feel extremely blessed to be included in this 2024 prestigious group.
“There are so many great coaches and people to thank throughout my coaching journey. Jim Tressel brought me to Youngstown State and later Ohio State. Nick Saban brought me to Michigan State, and Bob Goin (former Cincinnati athletic director) hired me for my first head coaching position. My high school coach Ron Apperson and (college position coach) Coach (Dale) Evans at South Carolina gave me the idea that coaching would be a great profession, regardless of the level it would be at. Randy Hart brought me in as a GA at Ohio State, and things took off from there.
“Mark Hollis and Lou Anna Simon hired me back to MSU and were always very supportive; Coach Izzo has just been unbelievable. Tom has been there for me the whole time and I can’t thank him enough for everything he has done for me over the years on and off the field.
“There were five things that I always talked about and tried to maintain and build: personal relationships, the importance of an education, a solid work ethic, being a light in the community and winning. Winning comes in many, many forms. We didn’t just win on the field. I thought we won with our player development, our people, and our staff. I especially want to thank the players again for all their dedication and hard work that made the success we had as a program possible.”
Moss, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018, was one of college football’s most electric performers in his two seasons at Marshall. He was an All-American as both a receiver and return man. He caught 174 passes for 3,529 yards and 54 touchdowns in his career and was the 1997 Biletnikoff Award winner. His 26 touchdown receptions that season were a Bowl Subdivision record. He played for five teams over 14 NFL seasons and was the league’s leading receiver five times.
Fitzgerald was the 2003 Heisman Trophy runner-up and Biletnikoff Award winner while playing for Pittsburgh, where he totaled 161 catches for 2,677 yards and a school-record 34 touchdowns over his two seasons. He caught a touchdown in 18 consecutive games to set an NCAA record. He was the third overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft and 11-time Pro Bowl selection in 17 years with the Arizona Cardinals.
Dunn, who led Florida State to the 1993 national title, became the first Seminoles player to rush for 1,000 yards in three straight seasons. He finished his career in 1995 as the school's all-time leader in career touchdowns, all-purpose yards and rushing yards.
The hard-running Gerhart won the 2009 Doak Walker Award at Stanford and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up. Gerhart ran for 1,871 yards and 28 touchdowns to lead the nation in his senior year.
Peppers, who played at UNC, won the 2001 Bednarik and Lombardi awards. In 2000, he led the nation with 15 sacks and a school-record 24 tackles for loss. He was the second overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft and was a first-team All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowl pick over 17 seasons with three teams.
Woodhead played at Division II Chadron State in Nebraska from 2004-07 and finished his career as college football's all-time rushing leader for all divisions with 7,962 yards. He twice won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the top DII player. Woodhead signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and spent 10 years in the NFL with four teams.
The rest of the 2024 class includes Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State, Paul Cameron of UCLA, Tim Couch of Kentucky, Armanti Edwards of Appalachian State, Deon Figures of Colorado, Dan Hampton of Arkansas, Steve Hutchinson of Michigan, Antonio Langham of Alabama, Paul Posluszny of Penn State, Dewey Selmon of Oklahoma, Alex Smith of Utah, Kevin Smith of Texas A&M and Chris Ward of Ohio State.
The class will be inducted during the NFF's awards dinner in Las Vegas in December.
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