Illinois CFBÂ Hall of Fame Members | Dana Howard Photo Gallery
2018 Inductees | CFBHall.comÂ
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Dana Howard, one of the all-time great Illinois linebackers, will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation announced Monday. Howard will join 16 previously selected Fighting Illini in the hall of fame, including college football legends Red Grange (inducted 1951), Dick Butkus (inducted 1983) and most recently David Williams (inducted 2005). Howard won the Butkus Award in 1994 as the nation's top linebacker, Illinois' first major national award.
"I am so honored and humbled to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018," said Howard. "I want to thank God for blessing me with the ability. I praise my Mom and Dad for always telling me there are no limits in life, only the ones you put on yourself. Thanks to my family and friends who have been there since day one. An extra special thanks to my wife, the Bonnie to my Clyde. Thanks to The City of East St. Louis - all 89 blocks."
Howard, who left Champaign as the Big Ten's all-time leading tackler, was one of the best collegiate defenders of the 1990's. He recorded at least 147 tackles in each of his four seasons from 1991-94 and totaled 595 career tackles, along with 30 TFLs, 10 sacks, four interceptions and seven fumble recoveries.
The East St. Louis, Illinois, native was the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year in 1993 and 1994 and was named a first team All-American in both seasons. Howard was a consensus All-American during his Butkus Award winning senior season in 1994.Â
A four-time All-Big Ten honoree, Howard earned first team recognition in his last three seasons after making the second team as a freshman. The 1994 team captain and two-time team MVP, he led the Illini in tackles all four seasons of his career, and all four marks still rank among Illinois' top-10 single-season tackling performances.
"I want to acknowledge my teammates, because I wouldn't and couldn't be in this position without them," said Howard. "I want to thank my coaches for taking me from a good player to great one, and most importantly, I give all credit to the University of Illinois for making me a great student-athlete. I-L-L!"
Howard was a fifth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played with the St. Louis Rams in 1995 and spent two seasons with the Chicago Bears from 1996-97 before playing for the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe.
Howard is a member of several foundations in the East St. Louis, Ill., area, including the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation. An avid guest speaker, he also helps organize the City of Champions Football Classic to benefit the East St. Louis school district. He now is the owner of Zoie LLC DBA Dana Howard Construction Company based in Belleville, Illinois.
The announcement of the College Football Hall of Fame's 2018 class was made live on ESPN's SportsCenter in Atlanta, the site of the College Football Playoff National Championship. Ten players and three coaches were selected of the 75 All-America players and six coaches on the ballot from the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Of the over five million individuals to play college football since its beginning in 1869, only 997 players (0.02%) and 217 coaches have been enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Induction for the Class of 2018 will take place Dec. 4, 2018, during the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Illini in the College Football Hall of Fame
Alex Agase, G (inducted 1963)
Bob Blackman, coach (inducted 1987)
Al Brosky, DB (inducted 1998)
Dick Butkus, LB (inducted 1983)
Chuck Carney, WR (inducted 1966)
J.C. Caroline, RB (inducted 1980)
Pete Elliot, coach (incudcted 1993)
Jim Grabowski, RB (inducted 1995)
Harold "Red" Grange, RB (inducted 1951)
Edward K. Hall, coach (inducted 1951)
Dana Howard, LB (inducted 2018)
Bart Macomber, RB (inducted 1972)
Bernie Shively, G (inducted 1982)
David Williams, WR (inducted 2005)
George W. Woodruff, coach (inducted 1963)
Claude "Buddy" Young, RB (inducted 1968)
Robert Zuppke, coach (inducted 1951)Â
2018Â College Football Hall of Fame Class
PLAYERS
TREVOR COBB – RB, Rice (1989-92)
KERRY COLLINS – QB, Penn State (1991-94)
DAVE DICKENSON – QB, Montana (1992-95)
DANA HOWARD – LB, Illinois (1991-94)
CALVIN JOHNSON – WR, Georgia Tech (2004-06)
PAUL PALMER – RB, Temple (1983-86)
ED REED – DB, Miami [Fla.] (1998-2001)
MATT STINCHCOMB – OT, Georgia (1995-98)
AARON TAYLOR – C/OG, Nebraska (1994-97)
CHARLES WOODSON – DB, Michigan (1995-97)
COACHES
FRANK BEAMER – 280-144-4 (65.9%); Murray State (1981-86), Virginia Tech (1987-2015)
MACK BROWN – 244-122-1 (66.6%); Appalachian State (1983), Tulane (1985-87), North Carolina (1988-97), Texas (1998-2013)
MEL TJEERDSMA – 242-82-4 (74.4%); Austin College [Texas] (1984-93), Northwest Missouri State (1994-2010)
College Football Hall of Fame Quick Facts
» Including the 2018 Hall of Fame class, only 997 players and 217 coaches, have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.26 million who have played or coached the game during the past 149 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (0.02%) of the individuals who have played the game have been deemed worthy of this distinction.
» Founded in 1947, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame inducted its first class of inductees in 1951. The first class included 32 players and 19 coaches, including Red Grange, Notre Dame's Knute Rockne, Amos Alonzo Stagg and Carlisle's Jim Thorpe.
» 308 schools are represented with at least one College Football Hall of Famer.
» Induction for this class of Hall of Famers will take place Dec. 4, 2018, during the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Selection Criteria
» First and foremost, a player must have received First Team All-America recognition by a selector organization that is recognized by the NCAA and utilized to comprise their consensus All-America teams.
» A player becomes eligible for consideration by the Foundation's honors courts ten full seasons after his final year of intercollegiate football played.
» While each nominee's football achievements in college are of prime consideration, his post football record as a citizen is also weighed. He must have proven himself worthy as a citizen, carrying the ideals of football forward into his relations with his community and fellow man. Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether or not the candidate earned a college degree.
» Players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50 years*. For example, to be eligible for the 2018 ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1968 or thereafter. In addition, players who are playing professionally and coaches who are coaching on the professional level are not eligible until after they retire.
» A coach becomes eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he is at least 70 years of age. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.
* Players that do not comply with the 50-year rule may still be eligible for consideration by the Football Bowl Subdivision and Divisional Honors Review Committees, which examine unique cases.
