Brown, Testaverde on Football HOF Ballot
DALLAS – University of Miami Hurricanes legends Jerome Brown and Vinny Testeverde are among the 77 FBS players who comprise the 2013 College Football Hall of Fame ballot, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced Tuesday.
Brown, who played defensive tackle from 1983-86, led the Canes to four consecutive New Year’s Day bowl games. A unanimous first-team All-America selection in 1986, Brown was a finalist for both the Outland and Lombardi trophies as a senior. He ranks 10th all-time in school history with 21 career sacks.
A 1987 graduate of The U, he founded the Jerome Brown Football Camp, a free camp for local youth in his hometown of Brooksville, Fla. The community center – Jerome Brown Community Center – in Brooksville was also named in his honor.
He was drafted No. 9 overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1987 NFL Draft and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection for the Eagles. His life was tragically cut short when he was killed in an automobile accident in October 1992. A member of both the UM and Florida Sports Halls of Fame, his No. 99 was retired by the Philadelphia Eagles.
One of the greatest quarterbacks in school history, Testaverde was Miami’s first Heisman Trophy winner in 1986, while also winning the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien Trophy. He led the Hurricanes to three bowl berths, including the 1987 Fiesta Bowl, which determined the national champion. A consensus first-team All-American, he led the Hurricanes to a 21-1 regular-season record as a starter over two years.
Testaverde finished his career with 6,058 passing yards and 48 touchdown passes. He later became the No. 1 overall selection in the 1987 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played 21 seasons in the NFL with seven different franchises. He was a 1998 inductee in to the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.
Nine Hurricanes have been enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame – Bennie Blades (2006), Don Bosseler (1990), Andy Gustafson (1985), Jack Harding (1980), Ted Hendricks (1987), Jimmy Johnson (2012), Russell Maryland (2011), Gino Torretta (2009) and Arnold Tucker (2008).
The ballot was mailed this week to more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF’s Honors Court, which deliberates and selects the class. Chaired by Gene Corrigan, a former ACC Commissioner and NCAA president, the 14-member NFF Honors Court includes an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletics directors, conference commissioners, Hall of Famers and members of the media.
The FBS Hall of Fame Class will be announced live in New York City during a noon press conference May 7 from the NASDAQ OMX Market Site and inducted at the 56th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10, 2013 at the Waldorf Astoria.
To be eligible for the ballot, players must have been named a first-team All-America by a major/national selector as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least ten years prior; played within the last 50 years and cannot be currently playing professional football. Coaches must have coached a minimum of 10 years and 100 games as a head coach; won at least 60 percent of their games; and be retired from coaching for at least three years. If a coach is retired and over the age of 70, there is no waiting period. If he is over the age of 75, he is eligible as an active coach. In both cases, the candidate’s post-football record as a citizen may also be weighed.
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