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The National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame announce the 13 players and two coaches who will be the newest members inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
WALDORFT-ASTORIA--Upon entering the renowned Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, one can only help but to find themselves in awe of the historical building and its aura.
So it was only fitting The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame chose to announce the 2008 College Football Hall of Fame Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) Class on May 1 between those hallowed walls.
From a ballot of 75 candidates and hundreds of eligible nominees, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced the 2008 class, which included 13 First Team All-America players and two legendary coaches.
Troy Aikman, Billy Cannon, Jim Dombrowski, Pat Fitzgerald, Wilber Marshall, Rueben Mayes, Randall McDaniel, Don McPherson, Jay Novacek, Dave Parks, Ron Simmons, Thurman Thomas and Arnold Tucker, along with coaches John Cooper and Lou Holtz were the recipients of these honors.
“We are very, very excited to preserve forever their achievements at college football’s mountain top”, NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell said. “It’s a very, very special place for the hall-of-famers.”
 McPherson and Fitzgerald Listen On As Holtz Speaks “How in the world did this happen?” Holtz asked. ”This is pretty amazing for a guy with a lisp and who finished in the lower half of his high school class.”
Holtz, who is most famous for his time on the sidelines leading Notre Dame, is the only coach in NCAA history to have led six different programs to bowl games. During his time in South Bend, Holtz led the Fighting Irish to the 1988 National Championship and recorded 100 wins from 1986-1996 while with the Irish.
Holtz also coached at William & Mary, NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, and South Carolina, all while accumulating a career record of 249-132-7 over the years.
“Football teaches you about life: you persevere; you care about one another and help one another,” he said.
“You miss the game; I had to tell my wife that when I was coming back into coaching at South Carolina. We have moved 16 times in 48 years. She supported me throughout, and someday I want to be known as Skip Holtz's dad. He's the head coach at East Carolina... I have great memories of all the schools where I coached. It isn't all about talent; it's about what's inside a person, too."
Fitzgerald, who played from 1994-1996, holds the honor of being the only two-time winner of both the Chuck Bednarik and Bronco Nagurski awards. While at Northwestern, he led the Wildcats to their first Rose Bowl in 47 years, and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 1995 and 1996. He was also a two-time consensus First Team All-American selection and recorded 299 career tackles, including 20 for losses.
"This truly is a dream come true,” Fitzgerald said. “My mother started me playing football in the second grade. I wanted to quit, but my mother and father talked me out of it and taught me perseverance.”
“My high school coaches helped me get the opportunity to play college football at Northwestern. I am glad to be part of this wonderful class. I want to thank Coach Gary Barnett and all my position coaches. I still don't consider myself a special player. I was just glad to be part of Northwestern teams that hadn't had a winning record since 1971 and then went 15-1 in the Big Ten Conference over two years."
McPherson played from 1984-1987 and won many awards during his time at Syracuse, including the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, the Maxwell Player of the Year and the inaugural Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
He finished second in the 1987 Heisman balloting, and holds or shares 11 Syracuse football records. In 1987 McPherson led the Orange to an undefeated regular season, and a No. 4 final ranking; he was also named MVP of the Sugar Bowl that year.
"We had the same 11 starters leave the locker room for the first game in 1987 and come out of the locker room at 11-0 to end the season,” McPherson said.
“What does it feel like to be a Hall of Famer? I don't know honestly if I can answer that question today or any time in the future. When I saw the ballot come out, I thought there is no way that I can make it this year. The journey I was on in my years before Syracuse was a long and difficult one, but I am honored to be working on behalf of kids. The parents, coaches, teammates, and all the support personnel are always such a part of the journey.”
“I literally played scared for 20 years and ran off the field crying when I was eight and nine years. This means a tremendous deal to me, and this is another opportunity to teach kids powerful things about football and life. I trust this will carry on for us to uphold the great responsibility and tradition of football."
According to the NFF, to be eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame a player must have received First Team All-American recognition, played intercollegiate football within the last 50 years, and must be retired from playing.
A coach becomes eligible three years after retirement, or immediately following retirement if he is at least 70 years of age. He must have been a head coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age.
The 2008 College Football Hall of Fame Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Class will be inducted at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner on December 9, 2008, at the Waldorf. They will be officially enshrined at the Hall in South Bend, Ind., during ceremonies in the summer of 2009.
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