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Jerry Rice leads three HBCU enshrinees
into College Football Hall of Fame
August 12, 2006
Former Mississippi Valley
State and NFL standout receiver Jerry Rice
led three HBCU products enshrined into the
College Football Hall of Fame Saturday evening
in ceremonies in South Bend, IN. Rice was joined
by former Jackson State defensive back Kevin
Dent and former Maryland State (now
Maryland-Eastern Shore) coach Vernon “Skip” McCain
as members of the Class of 2006.
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HOF Photos
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Jerry Rice |
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Kevin Dent |
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Vernon McCain |
Other enshrinees were former players Cornelius
Bennett (Alabama), Tom Curtis (Michigan), Anthony
Davis (Southern Cal), Keith Dorney (Penn State),
Jim Houston (Ohio State), John Huarte (Notre
Dame), Roosevelt Leaks (Texas), Mark May (Pittsburg),
Joe Washington (Oklahoma), Paul Wiggin (Stanford),
David Williams (Illinois), John Friesz (Idaho)
and Ronnie Mallett (Central Arkansas). Coaches
enshrined along with McCain included Pat Dye
(East Carolina, Wyoming & Auburn), Don
Nehlen (Bowling Green & West Virgina),
Dick Farley (Williams College) and John Gagliardi
(Carroll College [Montana] & Saint John’s
University [Minnesota].
Widely regarded as one of the greatest wide
receivers in football history on any level,
Rice joined teammate Willie Totten as both
ends of the famed Delta Devils "Satellite
Express" are now members of the College
Football Hall of Fame. A two-time First Team
All-America selection, Rice finished ninth
in the 1984 Heisman Trophy voting as he set
numerous Division I-AA records including single-season
receptions (103) and receiving yards (1,450).
A three-time First Team All-Conference pick,
Rice was named the 1984 SWAC Player of the
Year and Offensive Player of the Year for the
State of Mississippi. A member of the Super
South 11, he shattered school records with
310 career receptions, 4,856 receiving yards
and 51 touchdowns and caught an NCAA record
24 passes against Southern in 1983.
Drafted in the first round of the 1985 NFL
Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, Rice became
arguably the greatest player in NFL history.
In 20 seasons, he was named to the Pro Bowl
13 times, won three Super Bowls and broke
virtually every receiving record. His NFL
totals exceed 1,500 receptions, 22,000 receiving
yards and 200 touchdowns.
Dent became the first defensive player and
third overall in school history to enter the
College Football Hall of Fame, joining legends
Walter Payton and Willie Richardson. Dent is
the school’s only three-time First Team
All-America selection (1986-88). A three-time
Sheridan Black College National Defensive Player
of the Year, he led the nation in interceptions
in 1986 and currently ranks among the Top 25
in NCAA Division I-AA history with 21 career
picks.
At 6-foot-2, 196 pounds, Dent was the leader
of a defense that vaulted the Tigers to three
consecutive Southwest Athletic Conference championships
and a remarkable 27-1 conference record. He
was twice named SWAC Defensive Player of the
Year and is a two-time Mississippi Sports Writers
All-Mississippi Team selection. His 11 interceptions
in 1988 is currently the fourth-highest single-season
mark in school history
For more than a quarter of a century Maryland
State College was regarded as a football powerhouse
among historically black colleges. The architect
of 16 of these teams was McCain. Named Coach
of the Year by the Pigskin Club of Washington
in 1950, McCain led his teams to four Central
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles
and never recorded a single losing season in
16 years at the helm. With a career record
of 102-21-5, McCain is one of only 28 coaches
in the history of college football to have
a winning percentage greater than .800 among
those whom have coached at least nine seasons.
A leader of men, he guided MSC to three undefeated
seasons and seven seasons of seven wins or
more.
For all of his accomplishments, he was named
to the MSC and Langston University Halls of
Fame. In the community, McCain served as the
school’s athletics director, head baseball
coach and head basketball coach during his
career. An active member of the Metropolitan
United Church, he was a member of the Alpha
Phi Alpha Fraternity and the Langston University
Alumni Association.
The enshrinement dinner and show served as
a finale for a three day festival that included
a celebrity golf scramble, Enshrinement Festival
Parade through downtown South Bend this morning
followed by a day-long FanFest which included
a youth football clinic, celebrity flag football
game and more.
The first class of College Football Hall of
Fame inductees was selected in 1951. That inaugural
class included 54 legends and pioneers of the
game like Walter Camp, Jim Thorpe, Red Grange,
Amos Alonzo Stagg and Knute Rockne. Today more
than 900 players and coaches from
NCAA Division I-A, I-AA, II, III and the NAIA
are enshrined in the Hall.
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