A pair of former consensus All-Americans and two of the greatest defensive players in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference, linebacker Derrick Brooks of Florida State and defensive tackle William Fuller of North Carolina, have been tabbed for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced Friday.
“We are extremely proud that Derrick Brooks and William Fuller will join a long list of ACC players and coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “Derrick and William were two of the greatest defensive players – both in this league and nationally. They join an outstanding 2016 class, and we are pleased that they are being recognized by the National Football Foundation.”
Their induction will bring to 23 the total of former players and coaches from current ACC schools inducted into the College Hall of Fame over the last 12 years. In all, their addition to the College Hall of Fame brings the total to 131 former players and coaches who have been inducted into the Hall from the ACC’s current 14 schools.
The inductees were selected from the national ballot of 76 All-America players and five elite coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision, and the 92 players and 27 coaches from the divisional ranks.
“We are extremely proud to announce the 2016 College Football Hall of Fame Class,” said Archie Manning, NFF Chairman and a 1989 College Football Hall of Famer from Mississippi. “Each of these men has established himself among the absolute best to have ever played or coached the game, and we look forward to immortalizing their incredible accomplishments.”
The announcement of the 2016 Class was made today at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn, the media hotel for the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship, which will be played on Monday at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., between No. 1 Clemson (14-0) and No. 2 Alabama (13-1).
Brooks, a two time consensus All-American who is a native of Pensacola, Fla., is considered to be one of the greatest players in college and professional football history. The 1993 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, he was named to the NFL’s Pro Bowl an astounding 11 times and led FSU to a national championship in 1993 and Tampa Bay to the NFL title.
He earned consensus All-America honors in 1993 and 1994, leading the Seminoles to their first national championship as a junior in 1993. He earned first-team All-ACC honors three times (1992, 1993, 1994) and was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year as a junior.
A finalist for the Butkus, Lombardi and Football Writers Defensive Player of the Year Awards in both 1993 and 1994, he was as highly regarded off the field as well earning first-team Academic All-America honors in 1994, receiving the NCAA’s Postgraduate Scholarship and being named one of the National Football Foundation’s Scholar-Athletes.
The 28th player elected in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay, he played 14 NFL (1995-2008) seasons for the Bucs, earning selection to the Pro Bowl 11 times—including 10 straight seasons from 1997 through 2006. He was honored as an All-Pro nine times and was chosen as the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press in 2002 and led the Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Brooks becomes the eighth Florida State player or coach named to the College Football Hall of Fame
Fuller becomes the ninth player or coach from UNC, and second in the last three years, to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame at the induction ceremony in December. In 2014, UNC cornerback Dre’ Bly was inducted.
A dominating defensive lineman from 1980 to 1983, Fuller was a consensus All-America as a senior. He also earned first-team All-America honors as a junior and is one of only seven Tar Heel players to be named first-team All-America twice. He is one of only three defensive linemen ever to make the All-ACC team three times. He was a defensive lynchpin on UNC teams that posted a 37-11 four-year record.
Fuller, who utilized his tremendous quickness to slice through offensive lines, had 22 tackles for losses in both 1981 and 1983. He still holds the UNC career record for tackles for losses with 57 and ranks sixth with 20 sacks. He led the ACC in 1981 and 1983 in tackles for loss, and his TFL total is still the seventh-best career mark in league history.
Fuller played 13 seasons in the NFL, four times earning All-Pro honors.
Fuller joins Bly, Don McCauley, Charlie Justice and Art Weiner as the only players in the College Football Hall of Fame that played exclusively at UNC. Hunter Carpenter (1904) and Barney Poole (1943) played one season at UNC and are also in the Hall of Fame. UNC coaches Carl Snavely and Jim Tatum are also in the College Football Hall of Fame.
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Chris Graham
