The Allstate Sugar Bowl to Host the 7th Annual NFF National Hall of Fame Salute
DALLAS, December 27, 2011 -
The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced today that the Allstate Sugar
Bowl will host the 7th Annual NFF National Hall of Fame Salute. The event will
honor the newest class of College Football Hall of Fame inductees on the field
during the pregame festivities of the BCS match-up between the No. 13 Michigan
Wolverines (10-2) and the No. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies (11-2). The game is set to
kickoff at 8:30 p.m. ET on January 3, 2012 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New
Orleans, La., The game will be televised on ESPN. This year's game marks the
78th edition of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic.
"It is a thrill to
welcome this year's College Football Hall of Fame inductees to the Allstate
Sugar Bowl," said Judge Lance Africk, president of the Allstate Sugar
Bowl. "Their presence adds to our year-end celebration of college football and
its rich history and pageantry."
The National Hall of Fame Salute at the
Allstate Sugar Bowl will highlight the outstanding careers of 14 players and two
coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision who established themselves among the
greatest to ever set foot on the college gridiron. Inducted into the College
Football Hall of Fame at the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on December 6 in New
York City, the hall of famers will participate in the pregame festivities,
including an introduction on the field in front of the sellout crowd. In
addition to the celebration on the field before the game, the hall of famers
will partake in a variety of activities throughout the city of New Orleans.
"We are grateful to the Allstate Sugar Bowl for shining a light on this
year's Hall of Fame Class," said NFF President & CEO Steven J.
Hatchell. "The leadership of Judge Lance Africk, Paul Hoolahan, NFF
Chairman Archie Manning and the entire Allstate Sugar Bowl family allows
us to further showcase the careers of the best the college gridiron has ever
seen."
"An invitation to play in the Sugar Bowl stands among the
greatest achievements that a college team can achieve," said Manning, a 1989
inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame who played for Ole Miss,
including as the 1970 Sugar Bowl MVP in a 27-22 victory against Arkansas. "And
for 78 years, the Sugar Bowl has produced some of the greatest memories in
college football history. Celebrating the College Football Hall of Fame Class
adds to the Sugar Bowl's powerful legacy as a crucible for the history of our
great sport."
2011 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
CLASS
PLAYERS
* Deceased and
represented by a family member.
COACHES
Since
the establishment of the Sugar Bowl in 1935, the New Orleans classic has
featured 125 future members of the College Football Hall of Fame (81 players, 44
coaches). From the most recent class of Hall of Fame inductees, the Sugar Bowl
added four more alums: Lyons, Maryland, Sanders, and Scott. Click
here for a full list of College Football Hall of Fame inductees who have
played in the Sugar Bowl.
Lyons made three winning appearances for the
Crimson Tide in the classic. After 1975 season, he played in the 13-6 victory
against Penn State. After the 1977 season, he helped Alabama score a 35-6 win
against Ohio State, and after the 1978 season, he was part of "The Goal Line
Stand" that stopped Penn State from tying the game, giving Alabama a 14-7
victory and the national title.
Maryland appeared in the Sugar Bowl
following the 1989 season as Miami topped Alabama, 33-25, for the national
championship. Sanders enabled the Seminoles to hold on, 13-7, against Auburn in
the 1989 edition by making an end-zone interception in the final seconds of the
game, and Scott suited up in the 1969 Georgia loss, 16-2, to Arkansas.
