A two-time national champion head coach, Urban Meyer was touted for his offensive innovation at college stops that included Utah, Florida and Ohio State.
While Michael Strahan’s Pro Football Hall of Fame career began as a feisty pass rusher at Texas Southern, he later developed into one of the best pass rushers to ever play the game. Joining that duo is quarterback Michael Vick, who took college football by storm by leading Virginia Tech to the National Championship Game as a redshirt freshman.
Meyer, Strahan and Vick were part of a 22-person class inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Tuesday. The class of honorees for the 67th annual awards dinner hosted by the National Football Foundation included 18 First Team All-Americans and 12 national titles won by the four coaches inducted.
Here are my takeaways:
1. Meyer lauded for offensive innovation at Utah, Florida and Ohio State
An Ohio native, Meyer won a national championship as the head coach for the Buckeyes after the 2014 season and two national titles in 2006 and 2008 while at Florida. Meyer is one of four coaches, along with Pop Warner, Howard Jones and Nick Saban, to win a major college football championship at two universities.
“He claimed three national titles and set a major college record with 165 wins in his first 15 seasons,” two-time Heisman Trophy-winner Archie Griffin said when introducing Meyer, as he did all of the inductees. “… He’s one of two coaches to win national championships at two FBS institutions.”
Meyer created the spread option offense, blending zone read principles out of shotgun sets with pro-style blocking schemes. Using that creative way to build an offense, Meyer won 85% of his games, guiding four different college football programs in Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State through successful transformation.
He became the second coach from Utah, the third from Bowling Green, the fifth from Florida and the eighth from Ohio State inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
2. A member of the Black College Football Hall of Fame, Strahan adds another title
Strahan was a two-time Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the year, finishing his college career with a school-record 41.5 sacks. Strahan was also named an All-American and the Division I-AA college player of the year his final year at Texas Southern.
“He was the NCAA FCS Defensive Player of the Year, and the Black College Defensive Player of the Year,” Griffin said.
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014, Strahan holds the single-season record for sacks with T.J. Watt at 22.5. A two-time Super Bowl champ, Strahan finished his 15-year NFL career ranked fifth all-time with 141.5 sacks, tops in Giants team history.
News of Strahan’s induction was broken to him by Jimmie Johnson live on FOX, which made for a great moment.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Strahan said on “FOX NFL Sunday” when Jimmie Johnson announced this honor. “Texas Southern University, baby. Love you.”
3. Electric Vick honored for leading Virginia Tech to prominence
“The Big East Offensive Player of the Year led the Hokies to their first and only national championship game appearance,” Griffin said as he introduced Vick.
During his two seasons leading the Hokies, Vick finished with a 22-2 record, guiding Virginia Tech to the National Championship title game his junior season. Vick completed his college career with 3,074 passing yards and 1,202 rushing yards, accounting for 36 total touchdowns.
Vick was selected No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001 draft, where he became the first quarterback in league history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in a single season, accomplishing that feat in 2006 with 1,039.
4. The ultimate champion, Nick Saban remains synonymous with winning
Saban won seven national championships, including his first at LSU and six more with the Crimson Tide, coaching for Alabama from 2007 to 2023.
Saban and Bear Bryant are the only coaches to win an SEC championship at two different school. Saban finished with a career record of 292-71-1 as college head coach.
Also, taking home the Campbell Trophy, given to the premier college football student athlete was Vanderbilt University tight end Eli Stowers, who held down a 3.92 GPA.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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