The National Football Foundation released this year’s nominees for the College Football Hall of Fame and it includes two legendary California Golden Bears. Congratulations to TE Tony Gonzalez and LB Ron Rivera!
The votes of NFF members and current Hall of Famers will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF’s Honors Courts, which will deliberate and select the class. The FBS Honors Court, chaired by NFF Board Member and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Griffin from Ohio State, includes an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletic administrators, Hall of Famers and members of the media.
The announcement of the 2018 Class will be prior to the CFP National Championship on Jan. 8, 2018, and the official induction will occur during the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 4, 2018.
If you need a little education on Gonzalez and Rivera, then the official Cal website has got you covered for their careers at Cal, in the NFL, and currently:
Tony Gonzalez, TE (Cal, 1994–96)
• Consensus first-team All-American and first-team All-Pac-12 selection in his final collegiate season when he had career highs of 46 receptions for 699 receiving yards and five touchdown catches
• Shares Cal’s bowl record for most receptions with nine in the 1996 Aloha Bowl vs. Navy
• A two-sport standout at Cal who also starred in basketball and helped the Bears to the Sweet 16 of the 1997 NCAA Tournament
• A member of the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade Team who played in the league for 17 seasons and ranks among the all-time leaders in receptions (2nd, 1325), receiving yards (5th, 15,127) and receiving touchdowns (T6th, 111)
• Recently hired for the FOX NFL Kickoff pregame show after having spent three seasons following his playing career with CBS
Ron Rivera, LB (Cal, 1980–83)
• Consensus first-team All-American, Lombardi Award finalist, East-West Shrine Game MVP and Pac-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 1983
• Led Cal in tackles for each of his final three seasons (1981–83) and set the school’s career record with 336
• Had a successful nine-year NFL playing career with the Chicago Bears (1984–92) including a victory in Super Bowl XX to cap the 1985 season
• Has coached in the NFL since 1997 and will be entering his seventh season as the Carolina Panthers’ head coach in 2017
• Two-time NFC champion as a coach (2006, ‘15) and AP NFL Coach of the Year (2013, ‘15)
The full list of nominees is available here. The other Pac-12 nominees are Washington State Cougars K Jason Hanson, Stanfurd Cardinal WR (and breeder of Christian) Ed McCaffrey, UC Los Angeles Bruins LB Ken Norton Jr., USC Trojans QB Carson Palmer, Arizona State Sun Devils QB Jake Plummer, and Colorado Buffaloes RB Rashaan Salaam.
Congrats and best of luck to Tony Gonzalez and Ron Rivera!