IRVING, Texas (Oct. 7, 2021) – The University of Southern California and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2021 College Football Hall of Fame electee Carson Palmer with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments. The Salute will take place this Saturday, Oct. 9, during the Trojans' home football game against Utah. Coverage of the game will start at 5 p.m. PT on FOX.
 
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in the Hall of Fame experience.
 
During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.
 
The 2020 and 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Classes will be officially inducted during the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas Dec. 7 at the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas. (The 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19.)
 
"Carson Palmer took home the Heisman Trophy and helped usher in a new era of dominance at USC," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are thrilled to honor him at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum."
 
A consensus First Team All-American in 2002, Palmer was the first USC quarterback to win the Heisman, and he also received the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Pop Warner Award and Sporting News National Player of the Year.
 
The Pac-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year as a senior, he guided the 2002 USC squad to its first 11-win season since 1979, a share of the conference title and a No. 4 national ranking. The 2002 co-captain and team MVP capped his stellar career earning MVP honors in the Trojans' 2003 Orange Bowl victory.
 
The USC record holder with 1,569 career pass attempts, Palmer finished his time in Los Angeles as the Trojans' all-time leader in career passing yards and career total offense, and he currently ranks second in both categories. His 11,818 passing yards and 11,621 yards of total offense – both also Pac-10 career records at the time – currently rank sixth and eighth in conference history, respectively.
 
A two-time recipient of the Marv Goux Award for efforts in the annual USC-UCLA rivalry game, Palmer ranks second all-time in single-season passing at USC with 309 completions for 3,942 yards in 2002. A teammate of College Football Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu at USC, Palmer is a member of the school's Athletic Hall of Fame, and his No. 3 jersey has been retired by the program.
 
The first overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, Palmer played 15 seasons with the Bengals (2003-10), Oakland Raiders (2011-12) and Arizona Cardinals (2013-17). A three-time Pro Bowler, he was named the 2005 AFC Player of the Year after leading the Bengals to their first winning season and playoff appearance in 15 years. A member of the Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor, Palmer ranked 12th all-time in both passing yards and passing touchdowns when he retired from the NFL.
 
Off the field, he established the Carson Palmer Foundation to assist abused and abandoned children. Palmer has provided aid and support to organizations like the Boys and Girls Club, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Phoenix Children's Hospital.
 
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his wife pledged to make a challenge gift of $300,000 for Compassion International's "Fill the Stadium" initiative, which seeks to provide essential food, medical care and support for children and their families.
 
Palmer becomes the 33rd Trojan player in the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Marcus Allen (1978-81), Jon Arnett (1954-56), Johnny Baker (1929-31), Hal Bedsole (1961-63), Ricky Bell (1973-76), Tony Boselli (1991-94), Tay Brown (1930-32), Brad Budde (1976-79), Paul Cleary (1946-47), Sam Cunningham (1970-72), Anthony Davis (1972-74), Morley Drury (1925-27), John Ferraro (1943-44, 1946-47), Mike Garrett (1963-65), Frank Gifford (1949-51), Mort Kaer (1924-26), Matt Leinart (2003-05), Ronnie Lott (1977-80), Mike McKeever (1958-60), Erny Pinckert (1929-31), Troy Polamalu (1999-2002), Marvin Powell (1974-76), Aaron Rosenberg (1931-33), O.J. Simpson (1967-68), Ernie Smith (1930-32), Harry Smith (1937-39), Lynn Swann (1971-73), Cotton Warburton (1932-34), Charles White (1976-79), Richard Wood (1972-74), Ron Yary (1965-67) and Charles Young (1970-72).
 
Three former USC coaches are also in the Hall: Howard Jones (1925-40), John McKay (1960-75) and John Robinson (1976-82, 1993-97).
 
The 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Class includes Harris Barton (North Carolina), David Fulcher (Arizona State), Dan Morgan (Miami [FL]), Carson Palmer (Southern California), Tony Romo (Eastern Illinois), Kenneth Sims (Texas), C.J. Spiller (Clemson), Darren Sproles (Kansas State), Aaron Taylor (Notre Dame), Andre Tippett (Iowa), Al Wilson (Tennessee) and coaches Rudy Hubbard (Florida A&M) and Bob Stoops (Oklahoma).
 
The 2020 College Football Hall of Fame Class includes Lomas Brown (Florida), Keith Byars (Ohio State), Eric Crouch (Nebraska), Eric Dickerson (SMU), Glenn Dorsey (LSU), John "Jumbo" Elliott (Michigan), Jason Hanson (Washington State), E.J. Henderson (Maryland), E.J. Junior (Alabama), Steve McNair (Alcorn State), Cade McNown (UCLA), Leslie O'Neal (Oklahoma State), Anthony Poindexter (Virginia), David Pollack (Georgia), Bob Stein (Minnesota), Michael Westbrook (Colorado), Elmo Wright (Houston) and coaches Dick Sheridan (Furman, North Carolina State), and Andy Talley (St. Lawrence [NY], Villanova).
 
The accomplishments of both classes will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens, the official and exclusive supplier of NFF rings.
 
Including the 2020 and 2021 Hall of Fame Classes, only 1,038 players and 223 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.47 million who have played or coached the game during the past 152 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of the individuals who have played the game have earned this distinction.
 
   
Date – Honoree (Hall of Fame Class) – School (Opponent)

• Oct. 9 – Eric Crouch (2020) – Nebraska (vs. Michigan)
• Oct. 9 – Carson Palmer (2021) – Southern California (vs. Utah)
• Oct. 9 – Al Wilson (2021) – Tennessee (vs. South Carolina)
• Oct. 16 – Harris Barton (2021) – North Carolina (vs. Miami [FL])
• Oct. 16 – Jason Hanson (2020) – Washington State (vs. Stanford)
• Oct. 16 – Anthony Poindexter (2020) – Virginia (vs. Duke)
• Oct. 16 – Coach Dick Sheridan (2020) – Furman (vs. The Citadel)
• Oct. 16 – Bob Stein (2020) – Minnesota (vs. Nebraska)
• Oct. 23 – E.J. Junior (2020) – Alabama (vs. Tennessee)
• Oct. 23 – Cade McNown (2020) – UCLA (vs. Oregon)
• Oct. 30 – Keith Byars (2020) – Ohio State (vs. Penn State)
• Oct. 30 – E.J. Henderson (2020) – Maryland (vs. Indiana)
• Oct. 30 – Coach Dick Sheridan (2020) – NC State (vs. Louisville)
• Nov. 6 – David Fulcher (2021) – Arizona State (vs. Southern California)
• Nov. 13 – Steve McNair (2020) – Alcorn State (vs. Prairie View A&M)*
• Nov. 13 – Coach Andy Talley (2020) – Villanova (vs. Stony Brook)
• Nov. 13 – Andre Tippett (2021) – Iowa (vs. Minnesota)
• Nov. 26 – Kenneth Sims (2021) – Texas (vs. Kansas State)
• Nov. 27 – Lomas Brown (2020) – Florida (vs. Florida State)
• Nov. 27 – Eric Dickerson (2020) – SMU (vs. Tulsa)
• Nov. 27 – Glenn Dorsey (2020) – LSU (vs. Texas A&M)

* Tentative
 
Fidelity Investments has served as the national presenting sponsor of the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes since 2010. The salutes are one component of a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and a joint commitment to higher education. Fidelity is also the presenting sponsor of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, and it helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes in 2011, which recognize the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives around the country.
 
 
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About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Future for Football, The William V. Campbell Trophy®, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Goodyear, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.