Bowden enshrined into College Football Hall of Fame
South Bend, IN - Bobby Bowden, the winningest coach in major college football history, led a group that was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Other notables included former Heisman Trophy winners Mike Rozier and Charlie Ward, as well as defensive standout Bruce Smith and the NFL’s all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith.
Bowden turned Florida State into a perennial power since taking over in 1976, guiding the Seminoles to 29 bowl appearances and a pair of national championships while accruing a staggering 286 wins in 365 games. He is the only head coach to guide an NCAA team to at least 11 straight bowl victories.
Penn State coach Joe Paterno was also enshrined as was Bruce Smith, who was a fierce defensive lineman for Virginia Tech before starting a sensational pro career with the Buffalo Bills in 1985. A two-time First-Team All-American, Smith set Hokie records for single-game sacks (four), single-season sacks (22) and career sacks (46). He made 180 career tackles during his college career from 1981-84.
Emmitt Smith had similar success on the offensive end during his playing days with the University of Florida from 1987-89. Smith set 58 school records with the Gators and amassed 3,928 yards and 36 touchdowns in just three seasons. Prior to winning three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, Smith was a unanimous First-Team All-American and an SEC Player of the Year while with the Gators.
Ward is one of the most accomplished college football players ever, winning a national championship, a Heisman Trophy and a slew of other accolades as signal-caller for Florida State from ‘91-93. He is a two-time ACC Player of the Year winner and broke 19 school records before opting to play for the New York Knicks rather than try his hand at the NFL upon graduation.
Rozier, a former Nebraska running back, ran for 2,148 yards in 1983 alone to become only the second player in NCAA history to reach the 2,000-yard plateau in a single season. He set NCAA records for single-season rushing yards per game (179) and rushing TDs (29) en route to a Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award. Rozier played eight seasons in the NFL with the Oilers and Atlanta Falcons.
The rest of the 2006 Class consisted of running back Bobby Anderson (Colorado, 1967-69); defensive back Bennie Blades (Miami-Florida, ‘85-87); tackle Carl Eller (Minnesota, ‘61-63); defensive lineman Steve Emtman (Washington, ‘89-91); safety Thomas Everett (Baylor, ‘83-86); defensive lineman Chad Hennings (Air Force, ‘84-87); offensive lineman Chip Kell (Tennessee, ‘68-70); quarterback Mike Phipps (Purdue, ‘67-69); and linebacker Jeff Siemon (Stanford, ‘68-71)
