Paterno and Bowden Headline 2006 Hall of Fame Class
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James Joyner | Wednesday, May 17, 2006 |
Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden have been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Since Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden failed to meet the qualifications for induction into the college football Hall of Fame, the folks who run the hall simply changed the rules. Instead of requiring a coach be retired, the National Football Foundation decided to make any active coach over 75 eligible for induction. With the red tape cut, the winningest coaches in Division I-A were elected Tuesday and can now be called Hall of Famers.
“I wasn’t expecting it because I thought you had to die first — and I didn’t want to volunteer for that,” Bowden said during a conference call. “They might have changed the rules to get me and Joe in. But I’m very excited about it.”
Paterno, who will turn 80 in December, has won 354 games and two national championships in 40 seasons as Penn State’s head coach. No one has ever coached longer and won more games at one Division I-A school. The 76-year-old Bowden leads major college football with 359 victories, 286 — and two national titles — since taking over at Florida State in 1976.
Certainly, these guys deserve it.
The two coaches will be joined by a slew of players:
• Bob Anderson — RB, Colorado, 1967-69
• Bennie Blades — DB, Miami (Fla.), 1985-87
• Carl Eller — T, Minnesota, 1961-63
• Steve Emtman — DL, Washington, 1989-91
• Thomas Everett — FS, Baylor, 1983-86
• Chad Hennings — DT, Air Force, 1984-87
• Chip Kell — OG, Tennessee, 1968-70
• Mike Phipps — QB, Purdue, 1967-69
• Mike Rozier — RB, Nebraska, 1981-83
• Jeff Siemon — LB, Stanford, 1968-71
• Bruce Smith — DT, Virginia Tech, 1981-84
• Emmitt Smith — RB, Florida, 1987-89
• Charlie Ward — QB, Florida State, 1989, 1991-93
- Jimbo Fisher FSU’s New Offensive Coordinator
- Bobby Bowden Not Quite Ready to Retire
- Joe Paterno Ties Longetivity Record
- Penn State coach Joe Paterno given three-year extension
- Reports say Florida State will annonce Jimbo Fisher as Bobby Bowden’s successor
- Tommy Bowden out as Clemson coach
- Doug Flutie for Hall of Fame?
- Erk Russell, Junkyard Dawg, Killed in Car Crash
- Joe Gordon elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Successful Head Coaches Have Varying Backgrounds
- Ex-Claimer wins Breeders Cup Dirt Mile
- Ship wreck- Navy beats Notre Dame 23-21
- NY Islander Defenseman Radek Martinek out for the year with a torn ACL
- Oh have the mighty fallen- Purdue beats Michigan 38-36
- Out of luck- Northwestern beats Iowa 17-10
- Minnesota Twins acquire SS J.J. Hardy from Milwaukee
- U of New Mexico soccer player Elizabeth Lambert suspended indefinitely
- FIU loses to Northwood 71-61
- Florida Marlins trade OF Jeremy Hermida to Boston
- San Francisco Giant P Tim Lincecum charged with marijuana possession
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