The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame and Michigan State University will pay tribute to 2001 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Brad Van Pelt with an On-Campus Salute Saturday. 

The Spartans will honor the former All-America defensive back when they host Penn State on Saturday, Nov. 24. During a half-time ceremony, Van Pelt will be recognized and will help present Michigan State with his Hall of Fame plaque for the university's permanent display. He will receive his plaque at the 44th Annual Awards Dinner in New York City on Dec. 11, 2001. 

The rest of the 2001 Hall of Fame Class was honored with On-Campus Salutes at their respective alma maters throughout the 2001 college football season. 

HONOREE BIOGRAPHIES 
Brad Van Pelt - Defensive Back, Michigan State University, 1970-72 - While playing defensive back at Michigan State, Brad Van Pelt's presence made the Spartans one of the toughest teams in the nation to run or pass against. In 1971 Van Pelt's team leading 92 hits, four interceptions, and two touchdowns helped the Spartans to a #2 ranking in Big Ten total defense. A two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, Van Pelt recorded 84 hits and six interceptions in 1972 to aid the Spartan defense in holding their opponents to only 2.4 yards per rush. Earning First Team All-America recognition in 1971 and unanimous honors in 1972, Van Pelt was the Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year, the Columbus Touchdown Club Defensive Back of the Year, and the first defensive back ever to win the Maxwell Award, as the nation's top collegiate player. He closed out his career with 256 tackles and was number two on the school's career interception list with 14. Van Pelt finished 13th in the Heisman Trophy balloting and saw action in the College All-Star Game, the East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl. The gridiron leader also earned varsity letters in baseball and basketball and went on to a brilliant 14 year career in the NFL with the New York Giants, being named All-Pro five times. The New York Giants named him Player of the Decade for the 1970s. 
 
The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit educational organization comprised of more than 11,000 members in 118 chapters nationwide, dedicated to the promotion of amateur football, scholarship, citizenship, and superior athletic performance. Through various programs and initiatives, such as Play It Smart and the NFL/NFF Coaching Academy, the Foundation endeavors to promote the positive values learned through participation in sport. The College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana serves as the shrine where those who exemplify the Foundation's ideal of excellence both on and off the field are immortalized.