IRVING, Texas (Oct. 11, 2023) – The University of Tennessee and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2023 College Football Hall of Fame electee Eric Berry with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The Salute will take place this Saturday, Oct. 14, during halftime of the Volunteers' home football game against Texas A&M, which will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
"A two-time unanimous First Team All-American,
Eric Berry quickly etched his name among the all-time greats in Tennessee history with his acrobatic interceptions and defensive prowess," said NFF President & CEO
Steve Hatchell. "We are thrilled to honor him at Neyland Stadium as a member of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class."
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.
Berry earned unanimous First Team All-America honors in 2008, and he repeated the feat in 2009. He claimed the Jim Thorpe Award in 2009 as the nation's top defensive back after being a finalist in 2008.
A finalist for the 2009 Nagurski Trophy, he also twice claimed the Jack Tatum Award from the Touchdown Club of Columbus as the nation's top defensive back. Berry helped Tennessee to two bowl berths, including a 21-17 win over Wisconsin in the 2008 Outback Bowl, which gave the Vols a final No. 12 ranking. A Freshman All-American, Berry helped the Vols bring home the SEC East title in 2007.
A three-time All-SEC selection, including First Team honors in 2008 and 2009, Berry was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 after leading the conference with seven interceptions. Playing for Hall of Fame Coach
Phillip Fulmer and one year under
Lane Kiffin, Berry's tenure in Rocky Top established him as the SEC's all-time leader in career interception return yards (494) and single-season interception return yards (265 in 2008). He also holds the Vol record for career yards (35.3) per interception.
The two-year team captain twice led the Vols in interceptions, collecting five in 2007 and seven in 2008. He finished his career with 245 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, 14 interceptions, 31 passes defended, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
Drafted in the first round (fifth overall) during the 2010 NFL Draft by Kansas City, Berry played with the Chiefs until 2018, making five Pro Bowl appearances and earning First Team All-Pro honors three times. After being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2014, Berry was named the 2015 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Following his NFL career, Berry returned home to Fairburn, and he currently works as an entrepreneur. He established the Eric Berry Foundation in 2011, which provides safe environments for children to participate in sports, and he hosts annual youth football clinics in Atlanta, Kansas City and throughout Tennessee. He has donated more than $100k to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and he installed field turf in Duncan Park (GA) where he learned to play football.
The Fairburn, Georgia, native now becomes the 22nd Tennessee player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame, joining
Doug Atkins (1950-52),
George Cafego (1937-39),
Steve DeLong (1962-64),
Bobby Dodd (1928-1930),
Nathan Dougherty (1906-09),
Frank Emmanuel (1963-65),
Beattie Feathers (1931-33),
Herman Hickman (1929-1931),
Bob Johnson (1965-67),
Chip Kell (1968-1970),
Steve Kiner (1967-69),
Hank Lauricella (1949-1951),
Johnny Majors (1954-56),
Peyton Manning (1994-97),
Gene McEver (1928-29, 1931),
John Michels (1950-52),
Ed Molinski (1938-40),
Bob Suffridge (1938-40),
Reggie White (1980-83),
Al Wilson (1995-98), and
Bowden Wyatt (1936-38).
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class includes
Eric Berry (Tennessee),
Michael Bishop (Kansas State),
Reggie Bush (Southern California),
Dwight Freeney (Syracuse),
Robert Gallery (Iowa),
LaMichael James (Oregon),
Derrick Johnson (Texas),
Bill Kollar (Montana State),
Luke Kuechly (Boston College),
Jeremy Maclin (Missouri),
Terance Mathis (New Mexico),
Bryant McKinnie (Miami [FL]),
Corey Moore (Virginia Tech),
Michael Stonebreaker (Notre Dame),
Tim Tebow (Florida),
Troy Vincent (Wisconsin),
Brian Westbrook (Villanova),
DeAngelo Williams (Memphis), and coaches
Monte Cater (Lakeland [WI], Shepherd [WV]),
Paul Johnson (Georgia Southern, Navy, Georgia Tech),
Roy Kramer (Central Michigan) and
Mark Richt (Georgia, Miami [FL]).
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5 at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
Click here for more information on the Awards Dinner, including options to purchase tickets online, special travel rates to the event from Delta Air Lines and hotel rates at the ARIA.
The accomplishments of the 2023 Class 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 2023 Hall of Fame Class, only 1,074 players and 230 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.7 million who have played or coached the game during the past 154 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.
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.
ABOUT FIDELITY INVESTMENTS
Fidelity's mission is to strengthen the financial well-being of our customers and deliver better outcomes for the clients and businesses we serve. With assets under administration of $11.7 trillion, including discretionary assets of $4.5 trillion as of June 30, 2023, we focus on meeting the unique needs of a diverse set of customers. Privately held for over 75 years, Fidelity employs over 70,000 associates who are focused on the long-term success of our customers. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit https://www.fidelity.com/about-fidelity/our-company.
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 in 47 states, NFF programs include the selection and induction of members of the College Football Hall of Fame; 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; the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award; 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, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club, the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.
