TheDOCTORdre
05-16-2006, 02:48 PM
NEW YORK (AP) - Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden, the winningest coaches in Division I-A football, were elected Tuesday to the college football Hall of Fame.
Paterno, who will turn 80 in December, has won 354 games and two national championships in 40 seasons as Penn State's head coach. No one has ever coached longer and won more games at one Division I school.
The 76-year-old Bowden leads major college football with 359 victories, 286 - and two national titles - since taking over at Florida State in 1976.
Joining Paterno and Bowden in this year's Hall of Fame class are 13 players, including Heisman Trophy winners Mike Rozier of Nebraska and Florida State's Charlie Ward, who helped Bowden win his first national title in 1993.
Florida's Emmitt Smith, who became the NFL's career rushing leader, and Virginia Tech's Bruce Smith, the NFL's all-time sacks leader, are both going into the college Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.
The rest of the class is Colorado running back Bobby Anderson, Miami safety Bennie Blades, Minnesota defensive tackle Carl Eller, Washington defensive lineman Steve Emtman, Baylor safety Thomas Everett, Air Force defensive lineman Chad Hennings, Tennessee guard Chip Kell, Purdue quarterback Mike Phipps and Stanford linebacker Jeff Siemon.
They will be inducted by the National Football Foundation in New York in December and enshrined at the Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., in the summer of 2007.
Paterno took over at Penn State in 1966 after 16 years as an assistant with the Nittany Lions. The kid from Brooklyn with the thick black-framed glasses and high-water pant cuffs went on to build one of the most successful programs in the country.
He won national titles in '82 and '85, and led his teams to five undefeated seasons. His program fell on hard times with four losing seasons from 2000-04, but he orchestrated a remarkable turnaround last year.
Penn State won the Big Ten for the second time and finished 11-1 and ranked No. 3 in the nation. Paterno won AP coach of the year, and the Nittany Lions completed their revival with a triple-overtime victory over Bowden and Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
Bowden began his head coaching career at Samford in 1959, took over at West Virginia in 1970 and moved on to Florida State in 1976.
Before he arrived in Tallahassee, the Seminoles had won four games in the previous three seasons. He turned Florida State into a powerhouse by never shying away from the best teams, even if it meant playing on them road.
He led the Seminoles to national titles in '93 and '99, during an unprecedented streak of 14 consecutive seasons finishing in The Associated Press top five.
Ward was an elusive runner and accurate passer who won the Heisman in 1993 and set a school-record with 6,636 career yards of total offense. A multi-sport star, Ward was a first-round draft pick by the New York Knicks and played 11 seasons in the NBA.
Rozier became the second player to run for more than 2,000 yards when he won the Heisman in 1983 and ran for 2,148 yards. He set NCAA records with 29 rushing touchdowns and 179 yards rushing per game that season as part of a Nebraska offense that ranks among the most prolific in college football history.
Emmitt Smith ran for 3,928 yards and 36 touchdowns for the Gators from 1987-89, then was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. He played 15 NFL seasons, breaking Walter Payton's career rushing mark in 2002.
Bruce Smith was an Outland Trophy winner in 1984 as the nation's top interior linemen before being draft first overall by the Buffalo Bills.
Paterno, who will turn 80 in December, has won 354 games and two national championships in 40 seasons as Penn State's head coach. No one has ever coached longer and won more games at one Division I school.
The 76-year-old Bowden leads major college football with 359 victories, 286 - and two national titles - since taking over at Florida State in 1976.
Joining Paterno and Bowden in this year's Hall of Fame class are 13 players, including Heisman Trophy winners Mike Rozier of Nebraska and Florida State's Charlie Ward, who helped Bowden win his first national title in 1993.
Florida's Emmitt Smith, who became the NFL's career rushing leader, and Virginia Tech's Bruce Smith, the NFL's all-time sacks leader, are both going into the college Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.
The rest of the class is Colorado running back Bobby Anderson, Miami safety Bennie Blades, Minnesota defensive tackle Carl Eller, Washington defensive lineman Steve Emtman, Baylor safety Thomas Everett, Air Force defensive lineman Chad Hennings, Tennessee guard Chip Kell, Purdue quarterback Mike Phipps and Stanford linebacker Jeff Siemon.
They will be inducted by the National Football Foundation in New York in December and enshrined at the Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., in the summer of 2007.
Paterno took over at Penn State in 1966 after 16 years as an assistant with the Nittany Lions. The kid from Brooklyn with the thick black-framed glasses and high-water pant cuffs went on to build one of the most successful programs in the country.
He won national titles in '82 and '85, and led his teams to five undefeated seasons. His program fell on hard times with four losing seasons from 2000-04, but he orchestrated a remarkable turnaround last year.
Penn State won the Big Ten for the second time and finished 11-1 and ranked No. 3 in the nation. Paterno won AP coach of the year, and the Nittany Lions completed their revival with a triple-overtime victory over Bowden and Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
Bowden began his head coaching career at Samford in 1959, took over at West Virginia in 1970 and moved on to Florida State in 1976.
Before he arrived in Tallahassee, the Seminoles had won four games in the previous three seasons. He turned Florida State into a powerhouse by never shying away from the best teams, even if it meant playing on them road.
He led the Seminoles to national titles in '93 and '99, during an unprecedented streak of 14 consecutive seasons finishing in The Associated Press top five.
Ward was an elusive runner and accurate passer who won the Heisman in 1993 and set a school-record with 6,636 career yards of total offense. A multi-sport star, Ward was a first-round draft pick by the New York Knicks and played 11 seasons in the NBA.
Rozier became the second player to run for more than 2,000 yards when he won the Heisman in 1983 and ran for 2,148 yards. He set NCAA records with 29 rushing touchdowns and 179 yards rushing per game that season as part of a Nebraska offense that ranks among the most prolific in college football history.
Emmitt Smith ran for 3,928 yards and 36 touchdowns for the Gators from 1987-89, then was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. He played 15 NFL seasons, breaking Walter Payton's career rushing mark in 2002.
Bruce Smith was an Outland Trophy winner in 1984 as the nation's top interior linemen before being draft first overall by the Buffalo Bills.