Football

2011 Divisional College Football Hall of Fame Class Announced

DALLAS, May 24, 2011 - Archie Manning, chairman of The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF), announced today the 2011 Divisional Hall of Fame Class, which considers players and coaches from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), Divisions II, III, and the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) for induction. This year's class will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame during the Enshrinement Festival, July 15-16, in South Bend, Ind. The class includes:

2011 DIVISIONAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS
PLAYERS:

  • DEXTER COAKLEY - Appalachian State, LB (1993-96)

  • MIKE FAVOR - North Dakota State, C (1985-88)

  • CHARLES HALEY - James Madison, LB (1982-85)

  • MICKEY KOBROSKY* - Trinity (Conn.), B (1933-36)

COACHES:

  • MIKE KELLY - 246-54-1 (81.9%); Dayton (1981-2007)

  • BILL MANLOVE - 212-111-1 (65.5%); Widener (Pa.) (1969-91), Delaware Valley (Pa.) (1992-95), La Salle (1997-2001)

* Deceased, selection from the Divisional Veterans Committee

"We are very proud to highlight the outstanding careers of the 2011 Divisional Class," said Manning, a 1989 Hall of Fame inductee from Ole Miss. "They have reached the pinnacle of success in our sport, and they should be applauded for their induction into college football's ultimate shrine. We look forward to celebrating with them and their families this summer."

The NFF launched its Divisional Hall of Fame program in 1996 during its annual enshrinement festival. A total of 130 players and coaches, counting this year's class, have been inducted from the divisional ranks, including Terry Bradshaw (Louisiana Tech), Walter Payton (Jackson State), John Randle (Texas A&M-Kingsville), Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State), and coach Eddie Robinson (Grambling State). Of the 4.79 million who have played college football since 1869, the newest class of inductees joins only 896 players and 192 coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame.

CRITERIA
1. First and Foremost, a player must have received First Team All-America recognition by a selector organization that is recognized by the NCAA and utilized to comprise their consensus All-America teams.

2. A player becomes eligible for consideration by the Foundation's Honors Courts ten years after his final year of intercollegiate football played.

3. While each nominee's football achievements in college are of prime consideration, his post football record as a citizen is also weighed. He must have proven himself worthy as a citizen, carrying the ideals of football forward into his relations with his community and his fellow man with love of his country. Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether or not the candidate earned a college degree.

4. Players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50 years*. For example, to be eligible for the 2011 ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1961 or thereafter. In addition, players who are playing professionally and coaches who are coaching on the professional level are not eligible until after they retire.

5. A coach becomes eligible three years after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he is at least 70 years of age. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage*.

*Players that do not comply with the 50-year rule and coaches that have not won 60% of their games may still be eligible for consideration by the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) and Divisional Veterans Committees, which examine unique cases.


DEXTER COAKLEY
APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY
LINEBACKER, 1993-96

A three-time First Team All-American at Appalachian State, Dexter Coakley remains the only two-time winner of the Buck Buchanan Award as the Football Championship Subdivision's top defender and the only player to be named the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year three times. Coakley becomes the first inductee in school history for Appalachian State.

With 616 career tackles, Coakley ranks second in SoCon history and outpaces Appalachian State's second-leading tackler by 121 stops. As a freshman, Coakley garnered SoCon Freshman of the Year honors by recording 159 tackles, which ranked second in school history at the time. The three-time All-SoCon performer owns four of the top six single-season tackle marks and is also the school's all-time record holder with 350 career solo tackles. Coakley holds school records with 37 career double-digit tackle games and seven games with 20 or more stops. Coakley helped the Mountaineers make two appearances Division I-AA playoffs and led the squad to the 1995 Southern Conference title.

A third round selection of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1997 NFL Draft, Coakley enjoyed a 10-year career with the Cowboys and the St. Louis Rams. He started 141-of-155 career games, accumulating 599 tackles, 13 interceptions, 9.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries. Coakley also played in three Pro Bowls.

A 2002 recipient of the Dallas Cowboys Unsung Hero Award for his work in the community, Coakley works with the Salvation Army, the Children's Cancer Fund Fashion Show, the Dallas Cowboys Courage House and Let Us Play! Sports Camps for Girls. A 2008 Appalachian State Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Coakley's No. 32 is retired by ASU. Coakley resides in Dallas, Texas.


MICHAEL FAVOR
NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY
CENTER, 1985-88

A two-time First Team All-America selection, Michael Favor helped drive North Dakota State to three Division II national championships. He becomes the third College Football Hall of Famer from North Dakota State.

Favor started 51 games in four years and helped the Bison achieve a 44-6-1 overall record, enjoying two undefeated seasons in 1986 and '88. In addition to twice earning All-America accolades, Favor was named a First Team All-North Central Conference performer as a junior and a senior and was the league's Most Valuable Lineman in 1988. He also blocked for Harlon Hill Award winners, quarterbacks Jeff Bentrim and Chris Simdorn.

Favor possesses a bachelor's degree in social work and coaching and a master's degree in urban education from Hamline University. He formerly served as the head football coach and assistant principal at Minneapolis North High School from 1992 to 1996 and later tackled similar duties as the head football coach and dean of sophomore students at St. Louis Park High School. Favor currently serves as the principal of Robbinsdale Cooper High School in Crystal, Minn.

Favor was selected to the NCAA Division II Football Team of the Quarter Century in 1997 and inducted into the Division II Football Hall of Fame in 2001. He resides in Maple Grove, Minn.


CHARLES HALEY
JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY
DEFENSIVE END, 1982-85

A First Team All-American in 1985, Charles Haley remains the all-time leading tackler at James Madison. Haley is the first Duke to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.

A pioneer of James Madison football, Haley was the school's first First Team All-American and the first NFL Draft pick ever from the school. The team's defensive Most Valuable Player from 1983 through 1985, he led the team in tackles as a sophomore and a junior. He also registered more than 100 tackles in each of his final three collegiate seasons. Haley was named the Roanoke Times & World News' Virginia Defensive Player of the Year in 1985 and finished his JMU career with 506 tackles, three interceptions and 17 quarterback sacks.

A fourth-round selection of the San Francisco 49ers in the 1986 NFL Draft, Haley played 13 seasons split between the 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. A two-time First Team All-Pro, Haley appeared in five Pro Bowls and was named the NFC's Defensive Player of the Year in 1990. In all, Haley recorded 100.5 career sacks and is the first player in NFL history to be a member of five Super Bowl championship teams.

A 2006 inductee to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and a member of the JMU Sports Hall of Fame, the Dallas native has also served as a recruiter for the National Marrow Donor Program.


MICKEY KOBROSKY
TRINITY COLLEGE (CONN.)
BACK, 1933-36

A two-time First Team All-American, Mickey Kobrosky is considered the greatest athlete to ever play at Trinity College. A selection of the Divisional Veterans Committee, Kobrosky becomes the first Bantam player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Kobrosky earned 11 letters during his four years at Trinity, three in football and four each in basketball and baseball. He was a three-time All-Connecticut and All-New England selection. A member of Trinity's undefeated team in 1934, Kobrosky led the Bantams to a 19-2 mark in his three seasons on varsity. 

Kobrosky led the College All-Stars against the New York Giants in 1937, standing out as the passing star of the game and contributing to the collegians' only touchdown in a 14-7 defeat.

He joined the Giants for the 1937 season and played in seven games. Kobrosky, who was elected class president as a junior and a senior, graduated from Brandeis University's medical school and served in the Medical Corps in Italy during World War II, earning the rank of Lt. Colonel. Kobrosky continued to practice for 45 years in New England after the war.

Kobrosky passed away on May 29, 2003, at age 88 in Longmeadow, Mass.


MIKE KELLY
UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON
HEAD COACH, 246-54-1

With three national championships and seven national Coach of the Year awards to his credit, Mike Kelly is the winningest coach in Football Championship Subdivision history winning 82 percent of his games. With 27 years and a 246-54-1 all-time record at Dayton, Kelly places among the top 20 for coaches across all divisions in both wins and winning percentage.

Kelly began his coaching career in 1981 with a 12-1 mark and Kodak Coach of the Year honors. In all, Kelly's teams won national championships in 1989 (Division III), 2002 and 2007 (I-AA Mid-Major). Kelly also dominated the Pioneer Football League, winning nine titles in 15 years and taking home Coach of the Year honors six times. He took the Flyers to the Division III playoffs eight times, enjoyed two unbeaten seasons and 12 double-digit win seasons. Kelly shares the distinction with College Football Hall of Fame coaches Tom Osborne, Joe Paterno and Barry Switzer as the only coaches to reach the 150-win mark by their 16th season at the helm. He joins Coach Harry Baujan (1923-46) in the hall, marking the second inductee from Dayton.

Kelly coached 56 First Team All-Americans, 94 First Team All-Conference players and 44 Academic All-Americans, including 2007 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Brandon Cramer. He is the only Flyers coach to receive Dayton's Lackner Award, which is awarded to a member of the university community who demonstrates high character in service to the school.

A recipient of the Silver Hope Award from the Miami Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Kelly serves on the NFF Dayton Chapter board of directors and as a trustee for the Huesman Heart Foundation. A 2008 inductee to the Dayton Athletics Hall of Fame, Kelly currently serves as the senior associate director of athletics at Dayton and lives in Kettering, Ohio.


BILL MANLOVE
WIDENER UNIVERSITY (Pa.), DELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE (Pa.),
La SALLE UNIVERSITY
HEAD COACH, 211-111-1

Leading Widener to two NCAA Division III national championships and 21-consecutive winning seasons, Bill Manlove ranks among the Top 10 in Division III history with 211 career victories to his name.

The winningest coach in Widener history, Manlove led the Pride to two national championships, seven Division III playoff berths, 10 Middle Atlantic Conference championships, and a streak of 21-straight winning seasons from 1970-1990. The two-time ABC/Chevrolet Division III Coach of the Year and nine-time Middle Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year took over the head coaching duties at Delaware Valley College from 1992-95 and later resurrected the football program at La Salle University that had been dormant since 1941. He led La Salle to a winning season in only four seasons and concluded his head coaching duties in 2001.

A resident of Doylestown, Pa., Manlove coached 10 First Team All-Americans, including College Football Hall of Famers Billy "White Shoes" Johnson (1996) and Tom Deery (1998), both from Widener. He also coached 115 First Team All-Conference players during his career and led Team USA to two Aztec Bowl victories in 2006 and '07.

Manlove formerly served as president of the American Football Coaches Association in 1991 and was a member of the organization's board of trustees from 1982-91. In 1995, he was named the recipient of the NFF Philadelphia Chapter's Distinguished American Award, and he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. Manlove currently serves as an assistant football coach at Delaware Valley College.

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