The 2016 class of the College Football Hall of Fame inducted 16 new members into its ranks on Friday.
Randall Cunningham (as a punter!) and 15 others in 2016 College Football Hall of Fame class
Randall Cunningham, Rod Woodson and Derrick Brooks all earned passage into the hall of greatness.
UNLV/Collegiate Images/Getty Images`
Luminaries like Rod Woodson and Derrick Brooks join UNLV’s Randall Cunningham, Ohio State’s Tom Cousineau and Harvard’s Pat McInally -- the only player in NFL Draft Combine history to record a perfect score on the Wonderlic test.
Cunningham is officially designated as a punter and not as the dual-threat quarterback he became known as in the NFL, thanks to the Hall of Fame’s eligibility requirements. Players are only available for nomination if they’ve been named a first-team All-American by a major publication.
Since Cunningham’s AA nods came after averaging 45.1 yards per punt in 1983 and 1984, he’ll go down in the Hall’s rolls as one of the highest-scoring punters in NCAA history. He threw for 8,290 yards and 61 touchdowns in three seasons at UNLV before becoming a two-time NFL MVP with the Philadelphia Eagles. He had 20 punts -- including a 91-yarder -- in his professional career.
Here’s the full class of 2016.
| 2016 College Football Hall of Fame Inductees | ||
| Inductee | School | Position |
| Bill Bowes | New Hampshire | Coach |
| Marlin Briscoe | Nebraska-Omaha | QB |
| Derrick Brooks | Florida State | LB |
| Tom Cousineau | Ohio State | LB |
| Randall Cunningham | UNLV | QB/P |
| Troy Davis | Iowa State | RB |
| William Fuller | North Carolina | DT |
| Frank Girardi | Lycoming | Coach |
| Bert Jones | LSU | QB |
| Tim Krumrie | Wisconsin | DT |
| Pat McInally | Harvard | TE |
| Herb Orvis | Colorado | DE |
| Bill Royce | Ashland | LB |
| Mike Utley | Washington State | OG |
| Scott Woerner | Georgia | DB |
| Rod Woodson | Purdue | DB |
For the 23rd straight year, Eric Dickerson failed to make the cut.
Dickerson was the third-place finisher in the 1982 Heisman Trophy voting and a two-time All-American, but has yet to progress beyond candidate in the HOF voting. He only ranks 56th all-time in total yards and rushing touchdowns, but the real reason for his inability to get elected may be his ties to NCAA violations at SMU. He courted controversy during his recruitment and claimed that the program paid him to play in the years before their 1987 "Death Penalty" punishment.
See More:
