Florida has had nine players and four coaches inducted into the CFB Hall of Fame.
IRVING, Texas – Former University of Florida offensive tackle Lomas Brown will be a member of the 2020 College Football Hall of Fame induction class as announced during the Noon ET SportsCenter on ESPN2. Brown becomes the 12th overall Gator to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Florida has now had six players selected for enshrinement since 2006 and four since 2011.
The anchor of the Gators’ offensive line known as “The Great Wall of Florida,” Lomas Brown remains one of the most dominant blockers in SEC history. The Miami native becomes the ninth Florida player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
“This has been wonderful, this whole thing,” Brown said. “I didn’t know how I would react because I don’t think you know how you are going to react to an honor like this. But I tell you what, it’s been overwhelming and it’s amazing.”
A consensus First Team All-American in 1984, Brown received the Jacobs Blocking Trophy that season as the SEC’s top blocker. The senior team captain was a two-time All-SEC selection, earning first team honors in 1984 after taking home second team laurels in 1983. During his stellar 1984 campaign, Brown guided Florida to nine consecutive wins to finish the season 9-1-1 while anchoring an offense that helped three different backs each gain nearly 700 rushing yards.
Florida’s Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1983, Brown led the Gators to three-straight bowl berths, including a win in the 1983 Gator Bowl. He started 31 of his last 33 games, guiding Florida to top 10 national rankings in 1983 (No. 6) and 1984 (No. 3). The Gators beat in-state rival Florida State all four years Brown was in Gainesville, and he capped his stellar collegiate career by playing in both the Hula and Senior bowls. A member of the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, he played for the Gators alongside fellow College Football Hall of Famer Wilber Marshall.
The sixth overall pick by the Detroit Lions in the 1985 NFL Draft, Brown played 18 seasons in the pros with the Lions (1985-95), Arizona Cardinals (1996-98), Cleveland Browns (1999), New York Giants (2000- 01) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002). The seven-time Pro Bowl selection appeared in two Super Bowls, retiring on a high note after helping the Buccaneers win Super Bowl XXXVII. Brown returned to Florida during the NFL offseason to complete his bachelor’s degree in 1996.
While still playing in the NFL, he founded the Lomas Brown Jr. Foundation benefitting educational institutions and related activities focusing on scholarships, student financial aid and awards programs. Noted for his generosity, Brown has hosted free football camps in Detroit for local high school students among many other charitable endeavors. He currently serves as the CEO of LBJB Sports, a sports marketing firm in Detroit, and he can be heard as the color commentator on the Detroit Lions broadcast team for flagship radio station WJR-AM.
The 2020 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8 at the New York Hilton Midtown. The inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the fall. Their accomplishments will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
Florida’s College Football Hall of Fame Members
Players
Position
Years at UF
Induction Year
Dale Van Sickel
E
1927-29
1975
Steve Spurrier
QB
1964-66
1986
Jack Youngblood
DE
1968-70
1992
Emmitt Smith
RB
1987-89
2006
Wilber Marshall
LB
1980-83
2008
Carlos Alvarez
WR
1967-71
2011
Danny Wuerffel
QB
1993-96
2013
Wes Chandler
WR
1974-77
2015
Lomas Brown
OT
1981-84
2020
Coaches
Years at UF
Induction Year
Charles Bachman
1928-32
1978
Ray Graves
1960-69
1990
Doug Dickey
1970-78
2003
Steve Spurrier
1990-2001
2017
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include Football Matters(r), the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, The William V. Campbell Trophy(r) Presented by Mazda, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Goodyear, Herff Jones, Mazda, the New York Athletic Club, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the Sports Business Journal and Under Armour. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.
