The 2011 National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame class, including Ohio State’s Heisman Trophy-winning tailback Eddie George, was honored at the hall’s Enshrinement Festival last weekend in South Bend, Ind.
George, who holds the single season and single game rushing records for Ohio State and ranks second only to the great Archie Griffin in career yards, becomes the 23rd Ohio State player to enter college football’s Hall of Fame. He is one of only six Ohio State individuals with his name honored in lights in the north end zone of Ohio Stadium. The University recognized George’s pending induction into the Hall of Fame at halftime of Ohio State’s Oct. 28, 2011 Homecoming game against Wisconsin.
The weekend in South Bend kicked off with a Ribs Cook-Off and Block Party. Friday evening concluded with the annual Blazer Presentation, where the Hall of Famers were formally introduced and presented with their official blazers amidst the fans and spectators. Both events were hosted at the Hall of Fame Gridiron Plaza in downtown South Bend.
The events culminated Saturday night with the Hall of Fame Enshrinement Show, hosted by FOX and NFL Network analyst Charles Davis.
George, Ohio State’s sixth Heisman Trophy winner, rushed for a school-record 1,927 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior in 1995. Included in that total were three 200-yard games highlighted by a still-standing school-record 314-yard performance against Illinois.
George rushed for 1,442 yards as a junior after a combined 399 yards rushing his first two seasons (giving him 3,768 career yards). He was drafted in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. He was named the 1996 NFL Rookie of the Year and played nine years in the league, earning four Pro Bowl berths.
He received his degree in landscape architecture from Ohio State in 2001 through the school’s degree completion program. Later that year his No. 27 jersey was retired by the Athletics Department. In 2006 he was inducted into the Ohio State University Athletics Hall of Fame.
Eddie, and his wife Taj, live in Tennessee with their two sons, Eriq and Jaire.
George’s Hall of Fame class includes:
Players
- CARLOS ALVAREZ – WR, Florida (1969-71)
- CHRIS BISAILLON – WR, Illinois Wesleyan, WR (1989-92)
- DOUG ENGLISH – DT, Texas (1972-74)
- BILL ENYART – FB, Oregon State (1966-68)
- EDDIE GEORGE – RB, Ohio State (1992-95)
- JIM HOLDER* – RB, Oklahoma Panhandle State (1961-63)
- MARTY LYONS – DT, Alabama (1975-78)
- RUSSELL MARYLAND – DT, Miami, Fla. (1986-90)
- RICHARD McGEORGE – TE, Elon (1966-69)
- REX MIRICH – OT/DG, Northern Arizona (1960-63)
- DEION SANDERS – DB, Florida State (1985-88)
- JAKE SCOTT – DB, Georgia (1967-68)
- WILL SHIELDS – OG, Nebraska (1989-92)
- SANDY STEPHENS* – QB, Minnesota (1959-61)
- DARRYL TALLEY – LB, West Virginia (1979-82)
- CLENDON THOMAS – HB, Oklahoma (1955-57)
- ROB WALDROP – DL, Arizona (1990-93)
- GENE WASHINGTON – WR, Michigan State (1964-66)
Coaches
- LLOYD CARR: 122-40-0 (75.3%); Michigan (1995-2007)
- GENE CARPENTER*: 220-96-6 (69.3%); Adams State [Colo.] (1968), Millersville [Pa.] (1970-2000)
- FISHER DeBERRY: 169-109-1 (60.8%); Air Force (1984-2006)
- WILLIAM “LONE STAR” DIETZ*: 96-62-7 (60.3%); Washington State (1915-17), Purdue (1921), Louisiana Tech (1922-23), Wyoming (1924-26), Haskell Indian Institute [Kan.] (1929-32), Albright [Pa.] (1937-42)
- RON HARMS: 218-117-4 (64.9%); Concordia [Neb.] (1962-69), Adams State [Colo.] (1970-73), Texas A&M – Kingsville (1979-99)
* Deceased
Via Press Release from OhioStateBuckeyes.com
