Former national championship coaches Nick Saban and Urban Meyer were selected to the College Football Hall of Fame’s 2025 class in their first years on the ballot, the organization announced Wednesday.
Former Virginia Tech and NFL star Michael Vick and broadcaster Michael Strahan, who played defensive end at Texas Southern before a long NFL career, are also part of the class of 18 players and four coaches who will be inducted on December 9 at an event in Las Vegas. Las Vegas.
Other selections include former West Virginia All-America running back Steve Slaton, Heisman finalist Montee Ball of Wisconsin and Oregon defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.
Saban, who retired from college coaching a year ago, won an FBS-record seven national championships — six at Alabama and one at LSU — during his 28 seasons as a college head coach . Meyer, who last coached in college in 2018 at Ohio State, won two national titles at Florida and another with the Buckeyes while amassing a career record of 187-32 (.853).
Coaches become eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame three seasons after retirement or immediately after retirement if they are 70 or older. It was the first year of eligibility for Saban, who retired at age 72, and for Meyer, 60, who last coached three years ago with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
For a player to be eligible, he must have received All-America honors from an NCAA-recognized selector and have at least 10 seasons following his collegiate career.
Vick led the Hokies to their only national championship game as a redshirt freshman in 1999. He finished third in Heisman Trophy voting that season and later became a No. 1 draft pick of the Falcons. ‘Atlanta. He later served 21 months in prison for his involvement in a dog fighting ring.
Vick, 44, a native of Newport News, Virginia, was recently hired as head coach at Norfolk State.
Strahan, 53, host of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” was in his first year on the Hall of Fame division ballot for lower-division NCAA players. He was the Division I-AA (now FCS) Defensive Player of the Year in 1992 at Texas Southern.
Ball, who played at Wisconsin from 2009-12, was the most recent player selected. Others include Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell (2005-08), Texas safety Michael Huff (2002-05) and Tennessee defensive tackle John Henderson (1999-2001).
(Nick Saban Photo: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
