IRVING, Texas – Former Cal football players Tony Gonzalez and Ron Rivera are among the names on the 2018 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame announced Thursday. With a voting deadline of June 20 for more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers, Gonzalez and Rivera will be looking to join the 22 Golden Bears already enshrined in the esteemed Hall with Steve Bartkowski's induction in the Class of 2012 the most recent.
"It's an enormous honor to just be on the ballot when you think that more than 5.19 million people have played college football and only 987 players have been inducted," NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell said. "The Hall's requirement of being a first-team All-American creates a much smaller pool of only 1,500 individuals who are even eligible. So being in today's elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to have ever played the game, and we are extremely proud to announce their names. We look forward to revealing the 2018 Class prior to the CFP National Championship in Atlanta, the esteemed home of the College Football Hall of Fame."
"Having a ballot and a voice in the selection of the inductees is one of the most cherished NFF member benefits," added NFF Chairman Archie Manning, a 1989 Hall of Fame inductee from Mississippi. "There is no group more knowledgeable or passionate about college football than our membership, and the tradition of the ballot helps us engage them in the lofty responsibility of selecting those who have reached the pinnacle of achievement in our sport."
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.
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)
"It's an enormous honor to just be on the ballot when you think that more than 5.19 million people have played college football and only 987 players have been inducted," NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell said. "The Hall's requirement of being a first-team All-American creates a much smaller pool of only 1,500 individuals who are even eligible. So being in today's elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to have ever played the game, and we are extremely proud to announce their names. We look forward to revealing the 2018 Class prior to the CFP National Championship in Atlanta, the esteemed home of the College Football Hall of Fame."
"Having a ballot and a voice in the selection of the inductees is one of the most cherished NFF member benefits," added NFF Chairman Archie Manning, a 1989 Hall of Fame inductee from Mississippi. "There is no group more knowledgeable or passionate about college football than our membership, and the tradition of the ballot helps us engage them in the lofty responsibility of selecting those who have reached the pinnacle of achievement in our sport."
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.
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)
