IRVING, Texas – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class, which includes former Bills guard Ruben Brown, coach Dick Jauron, and defensive end Art Still.
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 25 coaches from the divisional ranks.
The 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be inducted at the 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8, 2015 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The inductees will also be honored at the National Hall of Fame Salute at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1, 2016, and they will be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with on-campus salutes during the fall. Their accomplishments will be forever immortalized in the new College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
RUBEN BROWN
University of Pittsburgh
Offensive Tackle, 1991-94
After transitioning from defensive tackle to offensive tackle before his freshman year, Ruben Brown's outstanding career at Pittsburgh culminated with his selection as a First Team All-American as a senior. He becomes the 19th Panther elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Following his All-America campaign in 1994, Brown claimed honors as the Washington D.C. Downtown Athletic Club's National Outstanding Lineman. The senior team captain was a three-time All-Big East selection, garnering unanimous First Team honors in 1994 and Second Team laurels as a junior and sophomore. Playing for coaches Paul Hackett and Johnny Majors, a 1987 College Football Hall of Fame inductee as a player from Tennessee, Brown appeared in the 1995 Senior Bowl and the 1994 Blue-Gray All-Star Classic.
Selected in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, Brown spent 11 seasons between the Bills and the Chicago Bears. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection, he was elected to the Bills' 50th Anniversary Team in 2009, and he was a member of the 2006 Bears team that appeared in Super Bowl XLI.
A three-time recipient of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, Brown has dedicated himself to community service. In 2001, he established the Ruben Brown Foundation, which raises and distributes funds to youth service and enrichment programs to ensure kids have an opportunity to enhance their personal gifts. Brown has received multiple awards for his work in the community, including the 2003 Salvation Army Community Service Award and 2010 Ralph C. Wilson Distinguished Service Award.
DICK JAURON
Yale University
Running Back, 1970-72
One of the greatest running backs in Ivy League history, Dick Jauron received the Asa S. Bushnell Cup as the league's Player of the Year in 1972. He becomes the 24th Bulldog to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
A First Team All-American following his senior year, Jauron was a First Team All-Ivy League selection all three years of his career. Yale's team MVP in 1972, he led the Bulldogs in rushing all three seasons and his 2,947 career rushing yards remained a school record until 2000. Playing under College Football Hall of Fame coach Carm Cozza, Jauron also set school records for consecutive 100-yard rushing games with five and career 100-yard rushing games with 16. Named the Outstanding Player in New England in 1972, he also received the Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award for sportsmanship as a junior, and he played in the 1973 East-West Shrine Game.
Taken in the fourth round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, Jauron spent five seasons with the Lions and three with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was named to the 1974 Pro Bowl in his second season after leading the NFC in punt return average.
After his playing career, the Swampscott, Mass., native turned to coaching, spending 28 seasons in the NFL as a defensive backs coach, defensive coordinator or head coach. Jauron served as head coach of the Chicago Bears, where he was named AP Coach of the Year in 2001, and the Buffalo Bills. Having retired from coaching, Jauron currently lives with his wife in Swampscott.
ART STILL
University of Kentucky
Defensive End, 1974-77
One of the fiercest defenders in school history, Art Still led Kentucky to its last 10-win season in 1977. He becomes the fifth Wildcat to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
Voted a unanimous First Team All-American as a senior, Still was named the 1977 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Lombardi Award. Playing for coach Fran Curci, the two-time First Team All-SEC selection led the Wildcats to the SEC Championship and a victory in the Peach Bowl in 1976. A four-year starter, Still finished his career with 327 tackles, and he holds the school record for tackles for loss in a season with 22 in 1977. The Camden, N.J., native was twice named the National Lineman of the Week, and he led Kentucky to its highest final AP ranking as the Wildcats finished No. 6 in 1977. Named the 1977 SEC Senior Player of the Year by the Birmingham Touchdown Club, Still played in the East-West Shrine Game, Hula Bowl and Japan Bowl senior all-star games.
Chosen by the Kansas City Chiefs with the second overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, Still spent 10 seasons with the Chiefs and two with the Buffalo Bills. The four-time Pro Bowl selection set Chiefs' records for sacks in a career and season, and he currently ranks second in team history with 992 tackles.
A member of the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame, Still had his jersey retired, and he is a member of the school's All-Time Team. Named to the Quarter Century All-SEC team, he is also enshrined in the Kansas City Chiefs and State of Missouri Sports Halls of Fame. Still is a Kansas City Chiefs Ambassador, and he volunteers with Big Brothers, DARE, the Sickle Cell Foundation and the Special Olympics.
2015 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS
Players:
TREV ALBERTS – LB, Nebraska (1990-93)
BRIAN BOSWORTH – LB, Oklahoma (1984-86)
BOB BREUNIG – LB, Arizona State (1972-74)
SEAN BREWER – DL, Millsaps (Miss.) (1989-92)
RUBEN BROWN – OT, Pittsburgh (1991-94)
WES CHANDLER – SE, Florida (1974-77)
THOM GATEWOOD – SE, Notre Dame (1969-71)
DICK JAURON – RB, Yale (1970-72)
CLINTON JONES – HB, Michigan State (1964-66)
LINCOLN KENNEDY – OT, Washington (1989-92)
ROB LYTLE (deceased) – RB, Michigan (1974-76)
MICHAEL PAYTON – QB, Marshall (1989-92)
ART STILL – DE, Kentucky (1974-77)
ZACH THOMAS – LB, Texas Tech (1992-95)
RICKY WILLIAMS – RB, Texas (1995-98)
Coaches:
BILL SNYDER – 187-94-1 (66.5%); Kansas State (1989-2005, 2009-Present)
JIM TRESSEL – 229-79-2 (74.2%); Youngstown State (1986-2000) and Ohio State (2001-10)
