IRVING, Texas (Sept. 21, 2023) – The University of Notre Dame and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2023 College Football Hall of Fame electee Michael Stonebreaker with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The Salute will take place this Saturday, Sept. 23, during the Fighting Irish's home football game against Ohio State, which will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
"A hard-hitting linebacker with exceptional football instincts and pass-coverage abilities,
Michael Stonebreaker stood in the center of a Notre Dame defense that helped the undefeated Irish team capture the national title in 1988," said NFF President & CEO
Steve Hatchell. "We are thrilled to honor him at Notre Dame 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.
Using his exceptional football instincts and pass-coverage abilities,
Michael Stonebreaker stood in the center of a Notre Dame defense that helped the undefeated Irish team capture the national title in 1988. The River Ridge, Louisiana, native now becomes the 49
th Notre Dame player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame, joining his head coach
Lou Holtz and teammates
Tim Brown,
Raghib "Rocket" Ismail,
Aaron Taylor and
Chris Zorich as inductees.
A two-time First Team All-American, earning consensus honors in 1988 and unanimous laurels in 1990, Stonebreaker finished third in the Butkus Award voting in both 1988 and 1990. During his three seasons playing in South Bend, the Irish went 26-9, including the undefeated 1988 season, which culminated with a 34-21 victory over West Virginia in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl and Notre Dame claiming the national title. Stonebreaker registered 104 tackles in 1988, second most on the team, playing for Holtz and defensive coordinator
Barry Alvarez, who would later enter the College Football Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a head coach at Wisconsin.
Stonebreaker led Notre Dame with 95 tackles in 1990 after missing entire 1989 season. During his senior campaign, Stonebreaker was responsible for three of the biggest late-game defensive plays of the season. Against Michigan in the first game of the season, he made a game-deciding interception in the fourth quarter for a 28-24 win. The following week, Stonebreaker made another fourth quarter pick to secure a 20-19 victory over Michigan State. Midway through the season against the No. 2 ranked Miami Hurricanes, he sealed a 29-20 upset with a fourth-quarter fumble recovery at the Irish two-yard line.
The team went 9-3, earning a trip to the 1991 Orange Bowl to play Colorado who claimed a 10-9 win and a share of the national title. The Irish finished No. 6 in the final polls, and Stonebreaker received invitations to the Japan and Hula bowls. During his three seasons in South Bend, he tallied 220 career tackles, eight pass breakups and five interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
Selected in the ninth round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, Stonebreaker played three seasons in the league with Chicago, Atlanta, and New Orleans. He played one season in the World League for the Frankfurt Galaxy in 1995.
He currently resides in New Orleans, and he is the owner and operating partner of N.O. Brew Coffee, a cold-drip, handcrafted coffee product. He donates coffee grounds from N.O. Brew to The School at Blair Grocery. Stonebreaker has worked with Saveourlake.com to raise awareness for coastal erosion since 2005, and he is a member of Notre Dame NCSA Advisory Board.
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 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 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.
