The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced on Monday the 2019 College Football Hall of Fame Class, which includes the names of 13 First Team All-America players and two standout coaches. The inductees were selected from the national ballot of 76 All-America players and six elite coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and the 100 players and 32 coaches from the divisional ranks.
Former San Francisco 49ers All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis will be immortalized in Atlanta, Ga. after some standout years at the University of Mississippi. Other 49ers that will be inducted alongside Willis are Defensive lineman Dennis Green who played for the team in 2002 and Dennis Erickson was the head coach of the 49ers from 2003-2004.
2019 College Football Hall of Fame Class
Players
- Terrell Buckley, DB, Florida State (1989-91)
- Rickey Dixon, DB, Oklahoma (1984-87)
- London Fletcher, LB, John Carroll [OH] (1995-97)
- Jacob Green, DL, Texas A&M (1977-79)
- Torry Holt, WR, North Carolina State (1995-98)
- Raghib Ismail, KR/WR. Notre Dame (1988-90)
- Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas (2005-07)
- Jake Plummer, QB, Arizona State (1993-96)
- Troy Polamalu, DB, Southern California (1999-2002)
- Joe Thomas, OL, Wisconsin (2003-06)
- Lorenzo White, RB, Michigan State (1984-87)
- Patrick Willis, LB, Mississippi (2003-06)
- Vince Young, QB, Texas (2003-05)
Coaches
- Dennis Erickson - 179-96-1 (65%): Idaho (1982-85, 2006), Wyoming (1986), Washington State (1987-88), Miami [Fl.] (1989-94), Oregon State (1999-2002) and Arizona State (2007-11).
- Joe Taylor - 233-96-4 (70.6%): Howard (1983), Virginia Union 1984-91), Hampton (1992-2007), Florida A&M (2008-2012)
"We are extremely proud to announce the 2019 College Football Hall of Fame Class," said Archie Manning, NFF Chairman and a 1989 College Football Hall of Famer from Mississippi. "Each of these men has established himself among the absolute best to have ever played or coached the game, and we look forward to immortalizing their incredible accomplishments. The Class will be part of a momentous year as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of college football this season."
The announcement of the 2019 Class was made today live on ESPN's "SportsCenter" in Santa Clara, California, the site of the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship, which will be played tonight at Levi's® Stadium between No. 1 Alabama (14-0) and No. 2 Clemson (14-0). Raghib "Rocket Ismail (Notre Dame) and Patrick Willis (Mississippi) and will be participating in the coin toss on the field during the championship game.
The tradition of announcing the College Football Hall of Fame class in conjunction with the CFP National Championship began in 2015 before the inaugural CFP title game in Dallas. The 2019 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 62nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10, 2019, at the New York Hilton Midtown. The inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the fall. Their accomplishments will be forever immortalized at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
"We would like to thank CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock and his staff for the continued opportunity to announce the Hall of Fame Class in conjunction with the championship game," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are also grateful for the guidance, knowledge and vision of honors court chairmen Archie Griffin (FBS) and Jack Lengyel (divisional) for the essential role that they each play in guiding the committees in the selection of the inductees."
