IRVING, Texas (Oct. 4, 2023) – The University of Wisconsin and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2023 College Football Hall of Fame electee Troy Vincent with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The Salute will take place this Saturday, Oct. 7, during the Badgers' home football game against Rutgers, which will kick off at 12:00 p.m. ET on Peacock.
"Possessing rare athletic ability, speed, agility and football intellect,
Troy Vincent established himself as one of the most dominant players in the Big Ten during his time in Madison, becoming the first player to earn First Team All-American honors under future College Football Hall of Fame Coach
Barry Alvarez," said NFF President & CEO
Steve Hatchell. "We are thrilled to honor him at Camp Randall 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.
Playing on teams that only won four games during his first three seasons and went 9-35 during his career, Vincent helped lay the groundwork for Alvarez who took over the head job in 1990 and would turn the Badgers into perennial contenders.
A First Team All-American in 1991, Vincent was named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a runner-up for the 1991 Thorpe Award. A two-time All-Big Ten selection, he earned First Team honors as a senior and Second Team honors as a junior. He led the league in punt returns (17 for 235 yards) in 1989, and he is tied for ninth all-time in punts returned for touchdowns with three in the Big Ten. In 1990, he set the UW season record for pass breakups with 13.
The team captain and team MVP as a senior, Vincent finished his college career as school leader in punt return yards (773, now third all-time) and passes defended (31, now tied for eighth all-time). He amassed 192 tackles, 31 passes defended and four interceptions during his time in Madison. He recorded 66 punt returns for 773 yards and three touchdowns, and he returned 22 kickoffs for 485 yards.
A 1992 nominee for Jesse Owens Big Ten Athlete of the Year Award, Vincent played in the Japan Bowl and the East-West Shrine Game in 1992.
Taken in the first round (seventh overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft by Miami, he played with the Dolphins (1992-95), Eagles (1996-03), Bills (2004-06) and Washington (2006). He was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro pick. Vincent is the only player in history to have received the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year award, the NFL Players Association Byron Whizzer White Award and the Sporting News Good Guy Award.
Vincent received the NCAA 2017 Silver Anniversary Award; 2017 Big Ten Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award; 2022 Black College Football Hall of Fame Founders Award. He was inducted into the to the, Pennsbury HS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003, the UW Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008, the State of Pennsylvania Football Hall of Fame in 2011, and Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame in 2012. He received the Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award from the Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation in 2000, and he has also been honored by the New Jersey General Assembly with "Troy Vincent Day."
Vincent serves as the Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the National Football League. He is the recipient of the 2012 Jefferson Award from the American Institute for Public Service for outstanding public service by an athlete, and the 2022 Council of Urban Professionals Breakthrough Leadership Award.
Vincent is an advocate against domestic violence and sexual assault. Being directly affected by domestic violence, both Vincent and his wife,
Tommi, share a passion and commitment to promoting the message of "Leadership Over Violence". They serve their community through developing and advancing policies and initiatives aimed at ending domestic violence and sexual assault.
Additionally, through their foundation, Love Thy Neighbor, the Vincent family is dedicated to humanitarian efforts defined by giving back to those in need throughout communities across America, beginning with their hometown of Trenton, NJ. Vincent serves on the board of directors for the Love Thy Neighbor Foundation, the Roundabout Theatre Company, the Ross Initiative for Sports Equality (RISE) and the Brian Dawkins Impact Foundation.
The Trenton, New Jersey, native now becomes the 11th Wisconsin player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame, joining
Alan Ameche (1951-54),
Marty Below (1918-1920, 1922-23),
Bob Butler (1911-1913),
Ron Dayne (1996-99),
Pat Harder (1941-42),
Tim Krumrie (1979-1982),
Pat O'Dea (1896-99),
Pat Richter (1960-62),
Dave Schreiner (1940-42),
Joe Thomas (2003-2006).
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
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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 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.
