Former tight end becomes the sixth Cougar Inductee
PROVO -- The National Football Foundation (NFF) today announced that former BYU All-American tight end Gordon Hudson has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
From the national ballot of 76 candidates and a pool of hundreds of eligible nominees, Archie Manning, chairman of The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, announced the 2009 College Football Hall of Fame Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) Class, which includes the 16 first-team All-America players and two former coaches.
“I’m thrilled to hear that Gordon has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame,” BYU Director of Athletics Tom Holmoe said. “Gordon and I were teammates at BYU so I know from first-hand experience just how good of football player he was. This is a great honor for both Gordon and BYU.”
Hudson is the sixth former Cougar to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. Legendary coach LaVell Edwards was most recently inducted in 2004, while former BYU quarterbacks Gifford Nielsen (inducted 1994), Marc Wilson (inducted 1996), Jim McMahon (inducted 1998) and Steve Young (inducted 2001) are also College Football Hall of Famers. Hudson is the first non-quarterback to represent BYU as a player in the Hall.
“Gordon was tremendous,” Edwards said. “No one played the tight end position like he did at that time. He is richly deserving of being in the Hall of Fame. I’m very excited for him.”
The 2009 College Football Hall of Fame Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Class will be inducted at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner on December 8, 2009, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. The 2009 Class will be officially enshrined at the Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., during ceremonies in the summer of 2010.
A unanimous All-America First Team pick in 1982 and 1983, Hudson is still the NCAA FBS record holder for most passes caught per game by a tight end (5.4), most career yards per game by a tight end (75.3) and most yards in a single game by a tight end (259). Hudson helped BYU win four conference championships (WAC) and earn four Holiday Bowl invitations during his career from 1980-83. He totaled 2,484 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns during his All-American career.
Other former players selected for induction in 2009 include Pervis Atkins (New Mexico State, 1958-60), Tim Brown (Notre Dame, 1984-87), Chuck Cecil (Arizona, 1984-87), Ed Dyas (Auburn, 1958-60), Major Harris (West Virginia, 1987-89), William Lewis (Harvard, 1892-93), Woodrow Lowe (Alabama, 1972-75), Ken Margerum (Stanford, 1977-80), Steve McMichael (Texas, 1976-79), Chris Spielman (Ohio State, 1984-87), Larry Station (Iowa, 1982-85), Pat Swilling (Georgia Tech, 1982-85), Gino Torretta (Miami, 1989-92), Curt Warner (Penn State, 1979-82) and Grant Wistrom (Nebraska, 1994-97). Two legendary coaches—Dick MacPherson (Massachusetts, 1971-77; Syracuse, 1981-90) and John Robinson (USC, 1976-82, 1993-97; UNLV, 1999-2004)—complete the 2009 Class.
Hudson and Robinson are the 31st and 32nd members of the College Football Hall of Fame who played or coached at a Mountain West Conference institution. TCU has a league-high 11 members, followed by BYU (6), Wyoming (5), San Diego State (3), Air Force (3), Colorado State (2), Utah (1) and UNLV (1). Of the 4.6 million individuals who have played college football, only 846 players have earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. From the coaching ranks, 182 individuals have achieved Hall of Fame distinction.
The 2009 Class was selected through a process that includes voting from more than 12,000 members of the NFF and current Hall of Fame members. Their votes were tabulated and submitted to the NFF’s Honors Court, which deliberated and selected the class. Chaired by Gene Corrigan, a former ACC Commissioner and NCAA president, the 13-member NFF Honors Court included an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletics directors, conference commissioners, Hall of Famers and members of the media.
To be eligible for consideration on the ballot, players must have been named All-America First Team by a major/national selector as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least 10 years prior; played within the last 50 years; and cannot be currently playing professional football. Coaches must have coached a minimum of 10 years and 100 games as a head coach; won at least 60 percent of their games; and be retired from coaching for at least three years; be retired from coaching and over the age of 70 (no waiting period); or over the age of 75 (active coaches eligible).
2009 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS
PLAYERS
PERVIS ATKINS – HB, New Mexico State (1958-60)
TIM BROWN – WR, Notre Dame (1984-87)
CHUCK CECIL – DB, Arizona (1984-87)
ED DYAS – FB, Auburn (1958-60)
MAJOR HARRIS – QB, West Virginia (1987-89)
GORDON HUDSON – TE, Brigham Young (1980-83)
WILLIAM LEWIS* – C, Harvard (1892-93)
WOODROW LOWE – LB, Alabama (1972-75)
KEN MARGERUM – WR, Stanford (1977-80)
STEVE McMICHAEL – DT, Texas (1976-79)
CHRIS SPIELMAN – LB, Ohio State (1984-87)
LARRY STATION – LB, Iowa (1982-85)
PAT SWILLING – DE, Georgia Tech (1982-85)
GINO TORRETTA – QB, Miami (Fla.) (1989-92)
CURT WARNER – RB, Penn State (1979-82)
GRANT WISTROM – DE, Nebraska (1994-97)
* Selection from the FBS Veterans Committee, deceased
COACHES
DICK MacPHERSON – 111-73-5 (.601) – Massachusetts (1971-77), Syracuse (1981-90)
JOHN ROBINSON – 132-77-4 (.629) – Southern California (1976-82, 1993-97), Nevada-Las Vegas (1999-2004)
CLASS NOTES
PLAYERS
— Two Heisman Trophy winners (Brown, Torretta)
— Seven unanimous First Team All-Americans (Brown, Hudson, McMichael, Spielman, Station, Torretta, Wistrom)
— Five consensus First Team All-Americans (Cecil, Lowe, Margerum, Spielman, Station)
— Seven multiple-year First Team All-America honorees (Brown - 2, Hudson - 2, Lowe - 3, Margerum - 2, Spielman - 2, Station - 2, Wistrom - 2)
— One Maxwell Award winner (Torretta)
— Two Walter Camp Players of the Year (Brown, Torretta)
— One Davey O'Brien Award winner (Torretta)
— Two Lombardi Award winners (Spielman, Wistrom)
— Two NFF National Scholar-Athletes (Dyas, Wistrom)
— Five Academic All-Americans (Cecil, Dyas, Margerum, Station, Wistrom)
— Four members of National Championship teams (Lowe, Torretta, Warner, Wistrom)
— Eight members of conference championship teams (Atkins, Hudson, Lowe, McMichael, Spielman, Station, Torretta, Wistrom)
— Six decades and two centuries represented: 1890s (1) - Lewis; 1950s (2) - Atkins, Dyas; 1960s (2) - Atkins, Dyas; 1970s (4) - Lowe, Margerum, McMichael, Warner; 1980s (10) - Brown, Cecil, Harris, Hudson, Margerum, Spielman, Station, Swilling, Torretta, Warner; 1990s (2) - Torretta, Wistrom
COACHES
— Nine Conference Championships (MacPherson - 4, Robinson - 5)
— 15 Bowl berths (MacPherson - 6, Robinson - 9)
— 32 First Team All-Americas coached (MacPherson - 14, Robinson - 18)
— Seven NFF National Scholar-Athletes Coached (MacPherson - 2, Robinson - 5)