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Ed Reed, Megatron highlight stellar College Football Hall Of Fame class

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While Alabama and Georgia prepare to play for the national championship, some of college football’s biggest names learned Monday that they’ll be entering hallowed ground themselves.

Ten players and three coaches will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, including two defensive backs you wouldn’t want to try and pass against.

Ed Reed and Charles Woodson helped define their positions of safety and cornerback, and now they’ll be immortalized forever.

Reed was a two-time All-America at the University of Miami, winning a national championship in 2001.

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Then, to prove it was no fluke, he joined Ray Lewis to form one of the greatest defenses in NFL history, winning a Super Bowl in Baltimore with the Ravens.

Woodson had an even more impressive resume, also winning a title, and being a two-time All-American. The Michigan stalwart won the Heisman Trophy in 1997. He, too, won a Super Bowl, with Green Bay.

Imagine those two defenders trying to stop Megatron. That’s what the hall of fame is all about.

Calvin Johnson was one of the most dangerous receivers in college football history at Georgia Tech, catching 178 passes and scoring 28 touchdowns with the Yellow Jackets.

In 2006, he was named ACC Player of the Year and won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver.

Johnson went to Detroit as the second pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, and was a six-time Pro Bowler.

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Former Texas head coach Mack Brown led the Longhorns to one of college football’s biggest upsets, beating USC for the national title in the 2005 Rose Bowl. Now an ESPN analyst, Brown will be going to the hall as well.

Frank Beamer never led Viriginia Tech to a championship, but he put the Hokies on the map during his 28-year run in Blacksburg. The idea that a coach from a school that wasn’t known for football is now a hall of famer speaks to his contributions to the game.

Here’s a look a the full list of new hall of fame inductees — some are household names, but all made their mark on Saturdays.

PLAYERS

Trevor Cobb, RB, Rice (1989-92)
Kerry Collins, QB, Penn State (1991-94)
Dave Dickenson, QB, Montana (1992-95)
Dana Howard, LB, Illinois (1991-94)
Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech (2004-06)
Paul Palmer, RB, Temple (1983-86)
Ed Reed, DB, Miami (1998-01)
Matt Stinchcomb, OT, Georgia (1995-98)
Aaron Taylor, OL, Nebraska (1994-97)
Charles Woodson, DB, Michigan (1995-97)

COACHES

Frank Beamer — Murray State, Virginia Tech
Mack Brown — Appalachian State, Tulane, North Carolina, Texas
Mel Tjeerdsma — Austin College, Northwest Missouri State

All of these men will officially become hall of famers at the induction ceremony in New York City on Dec. 4.

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Mike is an 11-time Michigan Emmy Award winner who has spent nearly 30 years working in sports media.
Mike has spent nearly 30 years in all aspects of sports media, including on-air, 10 at ESPN and another 10 at Fox Sports Detroit. He now works as a TV agent, and lives with his family in West Bloomfield, MI.
Birthplace
Sudbury, Massachusetts
Honors/Awards
11-time Michigan Emmy winner
Education
Emerson College
Books Written
The Longest Year: One Family's Journey Of Life, Death, And Love/If These Walls Could Talk: Detroit Tigers/If These Walls Could Talk: Detroit Lions
Topics of Expertise
Sports




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