The 2014 College Football Hall of Fame class announced Thursday includes former University of Maine linebacker John Huard, the first Black Bear to receive college football’s ultimate honor.
Huard, a two-time first team All-American, guided Maine to the Tangerine Bowl in 1965. A two-time first team All-Yankee Conference selection, he recorded 22 tackles in his first game in 1964.
Named one of the top 20 athletes in the history of the state of Maine by Sports Illustrated, Huard was the first football player inducted into the Maine Athletic Hall of Fame (1986) and the first member of Alfond Stadium’s Ring of Honor.
“We are very excited and pleased for John Huard and his induction into the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame,” UMaine head football coach Jack Cosgrove said in a news release.
“This award is one of the most significant awards in our game, and John is very deserving of the recognition. All of us associated with Maine Black Bear football are proud of John and his incredible accomplishments throughout his life,” Cosgrove added. “Student, athlete, husband, father, coach or businessman, John has epitomized success.”
Huard was selected by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 1967 draft and went on to play four seasons with the Broncos and the New Orleans Saints.
He later became the head coach at Acadia University, where he led the Axemen to Canadian National Championships in 1979 and 1981. He also spent time as the head coach at Maine Maritime Academy before serving at the helm of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
Huard returned to the University of Maine as its offensive line coach in 1974-75.
Huard is an active member of the National Football Foundation’s State of Maine Chapter and also volunteers with both the Boys and Girls Club and the Susan Curtis Foundation.
A Waterville native, Huard is currently the president of Northeast Turf, Hue Inc., and serves as the Northeast representative for FieldTurf.
The induction class also includes the late Derrick Thomas, 12 other players and two legendary coaches.
Thomas, a linebacker at Alabama from 1985-88, set the school record with 27 sacks as a senior. He won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection with the Kansas City Chiefs, Thomas was 33 when he died in 2000 after an automobile accident.
Other inductees include: North Carolina cornerback Dre Bly, USC offensive tackle Tony Boselli, Purdue defensive tackle Dave Butz, Penn State linebacker Shane Conlan, Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton, Stanford halfback Darrin Nelson, Louisiana Tech offensive lineman Willie Roaf, UCLA quarterback John Sciarra, South Carolina wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, McNeese State cornerback Leonard Smith, TCU tailback LaDainian Tomlinson and Ole Miss tight end Wesley Walls.
Two coaches also are being inducted: former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, the winningest coach in Ducks history, and Jerry Moore, who won three national championships at Appalachian State.
The inductees were selected from the national ballot of 75 All-America players and six elite coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and the 87 players and 26 coaches from the divisional ranks.
The 2014 College Football Hall of Fame’s 16-man class will be inducted during the 57th National Football Foundation annual awards dinner on Dec. 9 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.
The announcement was made in Las Colinas, Texas, where it was also revealed that future College Hall classes will be announced the Friday before each year’s College Football Playoff championship game.
A summary of the other inductees:
— Bly, North Carolina, 1996-98: An ACC Rookie of the Year and two-time consensus All-American who finished with 20 career interceptions.
— Boselli, USC, 1991-94: A consensus first-team All-American in 1994 was a three-time first-team Pac-10 performer and the first draft pick in Jacksonville Jaguars history.
— Butz, Purdue, 1970-72: A consensus first-team All-American in 1972 and first-team all-Big Ten performer who played on two Super Bowl-winning teams.
— Conlan, Penn State, 1983-86: A consensus first-team All-American as a senior was one of the leaders of Penn State’s 1987 Fiesta Bowl-winning national championship team and the 1987 NFL Rookie of the Year with the Buffalo Bills.
— Hamilton, Georgia Tech, 1996-99: The 1999 Davey O’Brien Award winner left the Yellow Jackets as the ACC’s career leader in total offense and pass efficiency.
— Nelson, Stanford, 1977-78, 1980-81: The first player in college football history rush for 1,000 yards and catch 50 passes in a season (he did it three times), Nelson is the only four-time first-team All-Pac-10 player in Stanford history.
— Roaf, Louisiana Tech, 1990-92: A consensus first-team All-America in 1992, he played 11 Pro Bowl seasons in a 13-year NFL career that landed him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
— Sciarra, UCLA, 1972-75: A consensus first-team All-America in 1975, he led the Bruins to an upset of Ohio State in the Rose Bowl and remains the leading rushing quarterback in UCLA history.
— Sharpe, South Carolina, 1983, 1985-87: Considered the greatest receiver in Gamecocks history, he was a first-team All-America selection, two-time All-SEC pick and the South Carolina leader in single-season and career receptions and receiving yards.
— Smith, McNeese State, 1979-82: The highest NFL draft pick in Southland Conference history (17th), he was a first-team All-America in 1982 and holds school records for blocked kicks in a season (6) and career (17).
— Tomlinson, TCU, 1997-2000: The nation’s leading rusher in 1999 and 2000, he was a unanimous first-team All-America who set NCAA records for rushing yards in a half and in a game. He went on to be the 2006 NFL MVP, a two-time NFL rushing leader and sits fifth all-time on the league’s rushing yardage list.
— Walls, Ole Miss, 1985-88: A first-team All-America as a senior played his first three seasons with the Rebels at defensive end and added offense to his repertoire in 1988, catching 36 passes for 426 yards and three touchdowns.
— Belliotti, 137-80-2 record at Chico State, California (1984-88) and Oregon (1995-2008).
— Moore, 242-135-2 record at North Texas (1979-80), Texas Tech (1981-85) and Appalachian State (1989-2012).