COLLEGE FOOTBALL

ED REED SELECTED TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

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Hurricane legend becomes eighth former UM player named to CFB HOF

ATLANTA – University of Miami legend Ed Reed was among those former college football players and coaches selected as members of the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018, the organization announced Monday.

The inductees were selected from the national ballot of 75 All-America players and six elite coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and the 98 players and 31 coaches from the divisional ranks.

Reed becomes the eighth Miami player and 11th Hurricane overall to be enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Bennie Blades (2006), Don Bosseler (1990), Andy Gustafson (1985), Jack Harding (1980), Ted Hendricks (1987), Jimmy Johnson (2012), Russell Maryland (2011), Vinny Testaverde (2013), Gino Torretta (2009) and Arnold Tucker (2008).

“Congratulations to Ed on a very well-deserved honor,” Director of Athletics Blake James said. “As a national champion in 2001 and one of the all-time Hurricane Football greats, we are honored to have Ed represent The U in the College Football Hall of Fame.”

One of the best defensive players in Miami history, Reed twice earned first-team All-America honors while guiding the Hurricanes to a national championship in 2001.

A unanimous first-team All-American in 2001 and a consensus honoree in 2000, Reed led the Hurricanes to four consecutive bowl victories, ending his career with a perfect 12-0 record and a national championship after defeating Nebraska in the 2002 Rose Bowl. The St. Rose, La., native also led Miami to a win over in-state rival Florida in the 2001 Sugar Bowl. The 2001 BIG EAST Defensive Co-Player of the Year led the Hurricanes to consecutive conference titles as a junior and senior. A finalist for the 2001 Jim Thorpe Award, Reed was a three-time All-BIG EAST selection, earning first-team honors his last two seasons after receiving second-team laurels as a sophomore.

Reed’s 21 career interceptions and 389 career interception return yards both stand as Miami and BIG EAST records. The standout defensive back led the Hurricanes and the conference in interceptions in 2000 and 2001, posting four consecutive games with a pick in both seasons. Reed also holds Miami’s career record with four interceptions returned for touchdowns, and his 206 interception return yards in 2001 are a single-season conference record. Overall, he led the Hurricanes to an impressive 41-8 record in his four years at The U.

Reed was inducted into the University of Miami Ring of Honor in 2017.

Selected in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, Reed played 11 seasons with the franchise before ending his career with the Houston Texans and New York Jets in 2013. The nine-time Pro Bowl selection led the Ravens to a championship in Super Bowl XLVII. Reed is a member of the Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor and the NFL All-Decade Team of the 2000s.

Off the field, he established the Ed Reed Foundation to help youth in underserved communities. He hosts charity golf tournaments and football camps while annually providing full Thanksgiving meals to approximately 600 families. Reed is a member of both the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame and the Hurricanes’ Ring of Honor.

“We are extremely proud to announce the 2018 College Football Hall of Fame Class,” said Archie Manning, NFF Chairman and a 1989 College Football Hall of Famer from Mississippi. “Each of these men has established himself among the absolute best to have ever played or coached the game, and we look forward to immortalizing their incredible accomplishments.”

The announcement of the 2018 Class was made today live on ESPN’s SportsCenter in Atlanta, the site of the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship, which will be played tonight at Mercedes-Benz Stadium between Alabama and Georgia.

“We would like to thank CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock and his staff for the continued opportunity to announce the Hall of Fame Class in conjunction with the championship game,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are also grateful for the guidance, knowledge and vision of honors court chairmen Archie Griffin (FBS) and Jack Lengyel (divisional) for the essential role that they each play in guiding the committees in the selection of the inductees.”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME QUICK FACTS

· Including the 2018 Hall of Fame class, only 997 players and 217 coaches, have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.26 million who have played or coached the game during the past 149 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of the individuals who have played the game have been deemed worthy of this distinction.

· Founded in 1947, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame inducted its first class of inductees in 1951. The first class included 32 players and 22 coaches, including Illinois’ Red Grange, Notre Dame’s Knute Rockne, Amos Alonzo Stagg and Carlisle (Pa.)’s Jim Thorpe.

· 308 schools are represented with at least one College Football Hall of Famer.

· Induction for this class of Hall of Famers will take place Dec. 4, 2018, during the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown.