Tag: college football hall of fame

Scott Turner opens tenure as Raiders OC with moving tribute to recently passed Hall of Fame coach

In Scott Turner’s first press conference as Raiders offensive coordinator, he gave tribute to recently passed Hall of Fame coach, John Robinson.

Thursday, Scott Turner took to the podium for his first press conference since being named the Raiders interim offensive coordinator. But before he answered any questions, he had to pay his respects to a legendary coach who was a big part of his life.

“The sports/football world, and the Las Vegas community specifically, lost someone this past week in Coach John Robinson,” said Turner.

“He was my college coach, had a big impact on my life both professionally and personally. And then my dad [Norv Turner], who just joined the staff, obviously you guys know that, he played for him [Coach Robinson] at Oregon, he coached for him, and that’s how my dad met my mom, when she was his secretary at USC. So, obviously, a big, big part of our family, a tough loss, and it’s a tough loss for everybody in the football community. A legendary coach, College Football Hall of Fame.”

It’s hard to imagine a coach having more ties to a family than Robinson did with the Turner family. To coach both father AND son in college and also be the reason Norv met his wife and Scott’s mom?

In 1975, the San Mateo native Robinson returned home to coach running backs for the Raiders for a season before USC came calling for him to take their head coaching job. With the Trojans he went on to win four straight Rose Bowls and a National Championship (1978).

He then went on to the NFL as the head coach the LA Rams for eight seasons from 1983-91 before returning to USC for seasons.

His ties to Las Vegas came in 1999 when he took over as head coach at UNLV and in his final two seasons as a college head coach in 2003-04 Scott Turner played for him. Now two decades later, he recalled what stuck with him the most about playing for Robinson.

“The big thing that he did as the head coach, and what I said before is like, this is a relationship business, and I learned that from him, just like how he truly cared about all the players on the team,” Turner added. “And it didn’t matter if it was a walk-on or the highest recruit that we had there at the time, he knew about them and he found time to build relationships with guys to try to help them be the best that they can be. And that’s what coaching is about, and that’s why you get in this business.”

In 2009 — five years after Robinson’s retirement — he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. He passed away on November 11 at the age of 89.

Nebraska to honor Hall of Fame coach Frank Solich on Saturday

Nebraska will honor the former head coach on Saturday evening!

It’s already expected to be a big day on Saturday evening in Lincoln, as the Nebraska Cornhuskers will take on the Colorado Buffaloes on primetime television.

To make the day even bigger, the Cornhuskers announced on Wednesday that the program will honor former head coach Frank Solich with an on-campus salute on Saturday ahead of the game.

The on-campus event will be a joint effort from the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame and is the first of numerous traditions that take place before Solich is inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame later this year.

Solich was the Huskers’ head coach from 1998 through 2003, leading the program to a 58-19 record over 77 games and a 1999 Fiesta Bowl victory. After being fired following a 9-3 season in 2003, Solich took over the Ohio Bobcats program in 2005 and coached in Athens until 2020.

Over his entire collegiate coaching career, Solich was 173-101, including 77-46 in conference matchups. His trophy shelf includes one Big 12 championship, three Big 12 North Division championships, four MAC East Division championships, a Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, two Big 12 Coach of the Year Awards, and a MAC Coach of the Year award.

Of course, Solich was also a former Husker. He played for the program as a fullback between 1963 and 1965 and earned first-team All-Big Eight honors in 1965.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

Notre Dame receiver named to Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List

Don’t mess with Texas.

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that’s especially true when it comes to football. In fact, there’s a college football award that revolves entirely around players with some connection to the Lone Star State. And a Notre Dame receiver could win it this year.

Irish receiver [autotag]Jaden Greathouse[/autotag] has been named to the watch list for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award. To be eligible, a player must play on the offensive side of the ball and either was born in Texas or played football at a high school, junior college or university based in the state. The player must also share characteristics with the Hall of Fame running back the award is named for.

This award first was given out in 2013. So far, only quarterbacks and running backs have won it, and only one winner has played for a college team based north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Time for Greathouse to make some history.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Oklahoma to honor Switzer era national championship teams during season opener

Sooners to celebrate Barry Switzer’s 1974 and 1975 national title teams during the first game of the 2024 season

The Oklahoma Sooners are less than two weeks away from beginning the 2024 college football season. Third-year head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] leads OU from the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] in a much-anticipated move.

When the Temple Owls come into Norman on Aug. 30, Oklahoma will combine the journey to their new future with a glimpse into the past.

The university announced via a press release on Friday that the 1974 and 1975 teams that won back-to-back national championships will be honored that night on Owen Field. This year marks 50 years since the ’74 squad won the national title.

According to the press release, “Former head coach [autotag]Barry Switzer[/autotag] and many of his players, coaches and support staff members from those two teams will be recognized on Owen Field at halftime of the contest against the Owls. They will also be celebrated during a private Thursday night gathering.”

In addition, halftime festivities will get started with a National Football Foundation salute to former OU defensive lineman [autotag]Dewey Selmon[/autotag], a member of the 1974 and ’75 teams who will become the 24th Sooner inducted into the [autotag]College Football Hall of Fame[/autotag] this December. Dewey will join his late brother, college teammate and fellow defensive lineman [autotag]Lee Roy Selmon[/autotag] in the Hall of Fame.

Two of the greatest teams in OU history, the ’74 and ’75 teams won national titles Nos. 4 and 5 in program history. They were the first of the three championships of the Switzer era. The University of Oklahoma highlighted both teams in detail.

“The 11-0 1974 squad was the only unbeaten team in the nation and featured eight first-team All-Americans: center Kyle Davis, defensive back Randy Hughes, split end Tinker Owens, guard John Rouse (consensus), Dewey and LeeRoy Selmon, linebacker Rod Shoate (consensus) and running back Joe Washington (consensus). The Sooners that year averaged a nation-leading 43.0 points per game and allowed only 8.4. They outscored opponents 473-92 and didn’t allow any foe to more than 14 points. OU posted three shutouts, won three contests by more than 60 points and seven by more than 30 points. It also set a still-existing NCAA FBS record of 73.9 rushes per game. The 1975 Sooners, who finished 11-1, also sported eight first-team All-Americans: Owens, Dewey and Lee Roy Selmon (both consensus), Washington, split end Billy Brooks, defensive end Jimbo Elrod (consensus), offensive tackle Mike Vaughan and guard Terry Webb. Lee Roy Selmon won the Outland Trophy and Vince Lombardi Award before being selected No. 1 in the NFL Draft the following spring. OU’s defense held five opponents to seven or fewer points and seven teams to 10 or fewer. Seven of the Sooners’ victories came against AP top-20 teams, including three over top-5 squads (24-17 over No. 5 Texas, 35-10 over No. 2 Nebraska and 14-6 over No. 5 Michigan in the Orange Bowl). Both OU teams were quarterbacked by Steve Davis, who was posthumously inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame last week.”

OU’s season opener against Temple will kick off at 6 p.m. Central on ESPN. The contest was moved up a day, agreed upon by the Sooners, the Owls, ESPN and the SEC. This allows Oklahoma’s first game as a member of the conference to take place in prime time on a Friday night.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

USC head coach Lincoln Riley states ‘Hall of Fame is not complete without Mike Leach’

Another prominent head coach has voiced his support to bring the Pirate to the CFB Hall of Fame.

On Wednesday USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley took the podium at Big Ten media days to discuss the upcoming season.

He addressed several topics including the astounding number of missed tackles, hiring D’Anton Lynn to help the defense, Zachariah Branch, and even his brisket skills. Without anyone asking him about the topic, Riley weighed in on his former mentor and his Hall of Fame credentials.

Currently, for a head coach to qualify for the College Football Hall of Fame they would need a career-winning percentage of 60%. The former Texas Tech, Washington State, and Mississippi State head coach falls just short of that criteria. Perhaps we should make an exception for someone with the impact that the Pirate had on the game.

“Before I get into our team, I also want to mention I know a couple of my counterparts have said some of the same things regarding this notion,” Riley stated. “But obviously Mike Leach meant a lot to my career, instrumental in my upbringing.

“I know there’s been a lot of debate and talk about him belonging in the College Football Hall of Fame, and certainly want to voice my support for that happening here on this stage. That’s something that’s very important to me. He changed the game and changed a lot of people’s lives, mine included, in the process of it.

“I know there’s technicalities and rules that have to happen, but I totally agree that the Hall of Fame is simply not complete without Mike Leach being in that, and just certainly wanted to be able to represent that here on this stage.”

Riley started his collegiate football career as a walk-on out of Muleshoe, Texas, with the Red Raiders in 2002. He would backup Kliff Kingsbury, who he later hired as an assistant at USC. Riley interned under Mike Leach as a student assistant and then graduate assistant before landing a job as an assistant under his mentor.

When Leach was fired in 2009 ahead of the bowl game against the Michigan State Spartans, Riley would call the plays for the offense. He would follow Ruffin McNeil to East Carolina for his first offensive coordinator job. After working his way to associate head coach with East Carolina after five seasons, he left for the Oklahoma Sooners offensive coordinator job. He certainly has incorporated the Air Raid principles into his offense.

Riley isn’t the only head coach who has voiced his support for Mike Leach to be in the Hall of Fame. Current Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz and former Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops have stated that he should be in the Hall of Fame.

Perhaps as more coaches discuss his HOF candidacy, we get closer to bringing the Pirate to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Klein Cain High School honored for athletic, academic excellence in Texas

Klein Cain High School in Texas earned an impressive honor

Everything is bigger in Texas. That makes the honor Klein Cain High School received more impressive. Klein was honored Tuesday as the school with the best record for academic and athletic excellence.

The National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame were proud to honor Klein Cain.

“The NFF commends Klein Cain High School for their exceptional accomplishments,” NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell said. “The dedication of the players, coaches, administrators, and their families is truly commendable. By fostering the same competitive spirit in the classroom as on the field, we aim to better prepare high school football players for lifelong success.”

The NFF release cited some impressive statistics:

Led by Head Coach James Clancy and Athletics Director Darby Young, the 2023 Hurricanes team boasted an impressive 3.874 GPA. Among its 65 roster players, the team had 47 Academic All-District Selections, 12 Academic All-State Selections, and one Academic All-State Elite Team Selection.

  1. . The team went 8-4 last season, claiming their fourth consecutive bi-district championship, with the senior class finishing the year with the most wins as a class in program history.

[lawrence-related id=101526030,101526016,101526004,101525988]

Highlights: Four former Jaguars entering CFB Hall of Fame

Highlights: Four former Jaguars entering CFB Hall of Fame

Four former Jaguars, including wide receiver Justin Blackmon and linebacker Paul Posluszny, will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this December.

The National Football Foundation is celebrating the Class of 2024 electees, sharing available highlight compilations of incoming Hall of Fame members via social media, including the following videos of Blackmon with Oklahoma State and Posluszny with Penn State.

Watch the highlights below.

Blackmon became Jacksonville’s first-round, No. 5 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft after his two-time unanimous All-American career with the Cowboys. He caught 253 passes for 3,564 yards and 40 touchdowns over three seasons at Oklahoma State.

Blackmon’s explosive debut campaign with the Jaguars, in which he led the team with 64 receptions and all rookie wide receivers with 865 yards, was thought to be the beginning of an uber-productive NFL career.

But multiple suspensions and arrests on offenses related to substance abuse between 2012-14, resulting in fines, placement in the NFL’s substance abuse program and eventually probation, effectively brought his career to an end after four appearances in 2013.

Blackmon was denied reinstatement by the league in 2015 while on the Jaguars’ reserve/suspended list. He was never officially removed from the list.

Posluszny, a two-time consensus All-American at Penn State, racked up 372 tackles including for loss, nine sacks, two interceptions and three forced fumbles over 37 games with the Nittany Lions, before his second-round draft selection by Buffalo in 2007.

Posluszny signed with Jacksonville as a free agent in 2011 and spent seven seasons with the Jaguars before he retired from the NFL in 2018. He accumulated 816 tackles with 45 for loss, 13 sacks, 11 interceptions, 36 defended passes and four forced fumbles in that stretch and earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2013.

Additionally, former Jaguars defensive back Deon Figures (Colorado) and running back Toby Gerhart (Stanford) will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame later this year.

Bridges was a first-round pick by Pittsburgh in 1993 and spent four years with the Steelers before signing with Jacksonville in 1997. He recorded five interceptions in his first season with the Jaguars and logged another two picks the following campaign, his last in the NFL.

A second-round pick by Minnesota in 2010, Gerhart signed with the Jaguars in 2013 after four seasons with the Vikings. He rushed for 370 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 23 yards in 21 games with Jacksonville before his release and exit from pro football in 2016.

College Football Hall of Fame delays long-needed reforms

Pete Carroll and Mike Leach should be in the CFB Hall of Fame, but they aren’t. Time to reform the process.

You might have noticed that USC football coach Lincoln Riley recently said Mike Leach should be in the College Football Hall of Fame. Yet, Leach is not in the Hall. Why? The College Football Hall of Fame has a strict requirement: Coaches must have won at least 60 percent of their games. If it’s 59 percent, not good enough, period. No debate. No discussion. No allowance for context.

Leach coached at Washington State, Texas Tech, and Mississippi State, all hard places to win. If a coach goes 9-3 at Ohio State, that’s a failure, but it’s still a .750 winning percentage. Winning percentages should be guidelines, not absolute requirements.

Pete Carroll of USC isn’t in the Hall of Fame because the College Football Hall of Fame requires coaches to have coached at least 10 seasons. Carroll coached only nine, so he’s out.

This is dumb:

Pete Carroll, beyond any shadow of a doubt, should be in the College Football Hall of Fame. USC won 34 straight games and two national titles under Carroll, plus an additional appearance in the BCS National Championship Game at the 2006 Rose Bowl, viewed by many as the greatest college football game ever played. Carroll made a BCS (now New Year’s Six) bowl in seven consecutive seasons. He won the Rose Bowl four times. He won the Pac-10 title six straight years, seven if you include the shared title in 2002 with Washington State.

Pete Carroll is easily a Hall of Fame-level coach in college football. We’re all wondering the same thing: Why hasn’t the College Football Hall of Fame reformed its standards and its rules for induction? What’s taking so long?

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

Lincoln Riley says Mike Leach should be in College Football Hall of Fame

Lincoln Riley says what every rational person thinks and knows: Mike Leach should be in the Hall.

Lincoln Riley could not have said it any more clearly. The USC football coach thinks the late Mike Leach, who coached Riley at Texas Tech and was one of his foremost mentors in the football industry, should be in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Why is Leach, one of the foremost innovators in college football since the late 1990s, not in the Hall of Fame? The College Football Hall of Fame has specific requirements which, many people agree, are far too rigid and need to be modified or at least given some degree of elasticity. If coaches don’t have a .600 winning percentage and have not coached for at least 10 seasons, they’re not eligible. Leach coached long enough, but his winning percentage is slightly below .600. The point to make with Leach and other coaches in terms of winning percentage is that they took on less-than-elite coaching jobs at places where it is harder to win. They shouldn’t be penalized for that, but they are.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

Bob Stoops, others supportive of Mike Leach to the College Football Hall of Fame

Mike Leach may not meet the criteria for consideration into the College Football Hall of Fame, but Bob Stoops believes he’s more than deserving.

Few coaches have had as much influence on the game of football as former Oklahoma Sooners offensive coordinator and long-time college football head coach [autotag]Mike Leach[/autotag]. His deployment of the Air-Raid first with OU as the coordinator and then as the head coach at Texas Tech, Washington State, and Mississippi State revolutionized offense at every level of the sport.

His passing in December of 2022 was felt by coaches, players, and fans around the sporting world. He was beloved for his personality and for the way he supported his players over the years.

After the most recent group of nominees for the College Football Hall of Fame was released, support for Leach has come from all corners of college football. Fans of teams he coached and those of rival programs took to social media to critique the Hall of Fame’s criteria for induction.

According to the College Football Hall of Fame’s website

A coach becomes eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he is at least 70 years old. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.

Leach’s career-winning percentage is just shy of the .600 threshold. But that didn’t stop Hall of Fame coach and former colleague [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag] from throwing his support behind Leach for the Hall of Fame. Oklahoma’s former head coach argued his winning percentage of .596 rounds up to .600.

Stoops said on X, “Mike is deserving of the College HOF! His influence in football is as strong as any Coach I can think of. RIP Mike.”

Josh Pate of the Late Kick Show also lobbied for Leach to receive consideration because of his influence on the sport back in 2022, but reiterated that support this week.

Social media account Blinkin Riley had an idea for both Texas and Oklahoma to vacate a win over Leach’s Red Raiders to help get him into the hall.

Leach is one of the sport’s legends, and his influence extends beyond his coaching record. At some point, that influence needs to be recognized and enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Or, as College Sports Wire Regional Editor Patrick Conn put it:

Despite the fact that he has under a 60% winning percentage, despite the fact that he hasn’t won a national championship, I would say that Mike Leach is definitely one of those cases I would make to either change the criteria or have a way to say this guy deserves it… the fact that he changed the game of college football is why I would say he deserves to be in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.