Manning, Spurrier Debut On College Hall Of Fame Ballot
RALPH D. RUSSO, AP College Football Writer
Peyton Manning and his old college football nemesis, Steve Spurrier, could enter the Hall of Fame at the same time.
Manning, who lost to Spurrier's Florida teams three times as starting quarterback for Tennessee, along with the retired Head Ball Coach are both making their first appearance on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot.
The National Football Foundation released Wednesday the names of 75 former players and six retired coaches who competed in FBS that will be up for election. The latest Hall of Fame class will be announced on Jan. 6 in Tampa, Florida, the site of the College Football Playoff national championship game.
Manning, the former record-setting quarterback for the Volunteers, retired from the NFL after winning the Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos last season, making him eligible for the college hall. Spurrier retired during last season, finishing a 26-year career as the winningest coach at both Florida and South Carolina. He trails only Alabama's Bear Bryant for most Southeastern Conference victories.
Manning's Tennessee teams went 0-4 against Florida from 1994-97, the last three games with him as the starter. Manning only lost three other games as a starter in college and was the 1997 Heisman Trophy runner-up to Charles Woodson of Michigan.
Sixteen players appear on the ballot for the first time. Other notable first-timers include San Diego State running back Marshall Faulk, Southern California defensive back Troy Polamalu, California tight end Tony Gonzalez and Arizona State quarterback Jake Plummer.
The holdover players on the ballot include three Heisman Trophy winners: Colorado running back Rashaan Salaam, Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch and Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart. Coaches on the ballot include Danny Ford, who led Clemson to its only national title, and Darryl Rogers, who had success at Fresno State, San Jose State, Michigan State and Arizona State.
The ballot also has 95 players and 29 coaches who competed outside of the highest division of college football, including former Mount Union coach Larry Kehres, who won 11 Division III national titles with the Purple Raiders.
To be eligible for the ballot, a player must have been a first-team All-American by one of the five organizations used by the NCAA to determine the consensus All-America team: The Associated Press; the American Football Coaches Association, the Football Writers of America Association; the Sporting News; and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Coaches must have coached a minimum of 10 years and 100 games and won at least 60 percent of their games.
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