Home » Sports » NCAA College Football » Jackson Among Dozen Elected To College Hall

Jackson Among Dozen Elected To College Hall

© Chuck Bednar

Auburn running back and former Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson headlined the 12 athletes recently selected for the College Football Hall of Fame.

Jackson gained notoriety as a two-sport star, playing professional football with the Los Angeles Raiders as well as Major League baseball with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, and California Angels. He lettered in both sports as well as track at Auburn, and was honored as the Most Valuable Player in the 1989 Major League Baseball All-Star game. His career came to a disappointing end following hip replacement surgery in 1992.

It is sheer athletic ability that is most associated with Jackson's name.

"How good an athlete was he? Maybe the best to suit up anywhere," Hall of Fame committee chairman Gene Corrigan told reporters at an April 14 press conference. "His career was cut short by bad hips, but anybody who ever saw him play knew he was one of the best that ever played."

Joining Jackson is former three-time Western Athletic Conference MVP Jim McMahon. McMahon, an alumnus of Brigham Young University, played quarterback for the Chicago Bears' Super Bowl 1986 championship team.

McMahon is a former recipient of the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top college quarterback. He was an All-American and third in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1981.

Of those inducted, only former Northwestern linebacker/center Alex Sakisian and Illinois defensive back Al Brosky were in attendance.

"It's a great feeling to be inducted into the most prestigious of the halls of fame," Sarkisian, a 1948 All-Big Ten selection, told AP reporters. "It makes me feel humble to be part of the great names already there."

"Life is a circle," said Brosky, who set an NCAA record with 29 career interceptions during his three-year career. "It's the same thing in sports. I got so many awards and nominations, but something was lacking. Making the Hall of Fame...I feel like somebody knighted me with a sword. That's how good I feel."

Also selected to the Hall of Fame were:

• USC guard and 1979 Lombardi Award recipient Brad Budde.

• Bill Fralic, who played tackle for the Pittsburgh Panthers in college as well as the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions.

• Ohio State linebacker Randy Gradishar, an All-American and seven-time pro bowler with the Denver Broncos.

• Defensive tackle Mel Long of Toledo, the 1971 Mid-American Conference defensive player of the year.

• Jim Ritcher, who won the 1979 Outland Trophy as a center at North Carolina State.

The copyright of the article Jackson Among Dozen Elected To College Hall in NCAA College Football is owned by Chuck Bednar. Permission to republish Jackson Among Dozen Elected To College Hall in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.