NEWS: Former FSU linebacker Marvin Jones will be honored during Friday’s game with an on-campus salute from the National Football Foundation. Jones was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2022:
IRVING, Texas (Nov. 22, 2022) – Florida State University and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2022 College Football Hall of Fame electee Marvin Jones with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The Salute will take place this Friday, Nov. 25, during the Seminoles’ home football game against Florida, which will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in the Hall of Fame experience.
During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.
The 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 6 at Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Click here for more information on the Awards Dinner, including options to purchase tickets online, special travel rates to the event from Delta Air Lines and a concierge service provided by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
“Marvin Jones was a dominant force on Florida State’s stellar teams in the early 1990s, and he was the school’s first player to win two national awards in the same season,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are thrilled to honor him at Doak Campbell Stadium for his upcoming College Football Hall of Fame induction.”
A two-time First Team All-American, Jones earned consensus honors in 1991 and unanimous honors in 1992. During his stellar 1992 campaign, he won the Butkus and Rotary Lombardi awards and finished fourth for the Heisman Trophy.
Jones tallied 111 tackles that year while guiding the Seminoles to the ACC title, an 11-1 record and the No. 2 final ranking after a win over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. The 1992 First Team All-ACC selection was also named the Sporting News Defensive Player of the Year and received the Jack Lambert Trophy.
In 1991, Jones tallied 125 tackles while leading Florida State to an 11-2 record and a No. 4 final ranking following a win over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. A Third Team All-American as a freshman in 1990, he guided that squad to a 10-2 record, No. 4 ranking and a win in the Blockbuster Bowl. Prior to joining the ACC in 1992, Jones was a two-time First Team All-South Independent selection.
He ranks seventh in Seminole history with 369 career tackles despite playing just three seasons. One of 11 players in school history to have his number retired, Jones was inducted into the Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000. Coached by College Football Hall of Famer Bobby Bowden, he played alongside Hall of Famers Derrick Brooks, Terrell Buckley and Charlie Ward during his time in Tallahassee.
The fourth overall selection in the 1993 NFL Draft, Jones played his entire 11-year career with the New York Jets from 1993-2003.
Now a coach in the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league, Jones has served as the head coach of the Omaha Beef since 2019. In 2021, he led the team to a victory in Champions Bowl VI. Jones also serves as general manager of NFL Draft Bible’s Pro Football Free Agent Database, which enables scouts from all pro football leagues to easily evaluate and obtain pertinent prospect information.
Jones becomes the eighth Seminole player in the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Fred Biletnikoff (1962-64), Derrick Brooks (1991-94), Terrell Buckley (1989-91), Deion Sanders (1985-88), Ron Sellers (1966-68), Ron Simmons (1977-80) and Charlie Ward (1989, 1991-93).
Two former Florida State coaches are also in the Hall: Bobby Bowden (1976-2009) and Darrell Mudra (1974-75).
