IRVING, Texas (Dec. 19, 2022) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will host the 16th National Hall of Fame Salute on Saturday, Dec. 31. This year’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will serve as a College Football Playoff (CFP) Semifinal between No. 1 Georgia and No. 4 Ohio State, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The National Hall of Fame Salute, which will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and just steps from the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in the heart of Atlanta, will utilize the Bowl to showcase members of the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class. This marks the sixth time the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl has hosted the event and the first time the Salute has taken place since 2019 due to the pandemic.
“The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl has established itself as one of the premier events in all of college football, and we are proud to partner with them in shining a light on the 2022 Hall of Fame Class,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Taking place just steps from the Hall, the game provides a powerful venue for showcasing what it means to be a Hall of Famer. It will allow the inductees to visit the Hall while creating a momentous conclusion to their Hall of Fame experience before we announce the next class prior to the College Football Playoff National Championship.”
Prior to the game, a multi-day celebration for the inductees will take place in Atlanta, including several unique events at the College Football Hall of Fame where the inductees will see their legendary accomplishments permanently immortalized for the first time.
“Atlanta is the epicenter of college football,” Peach Bowl, Inc. Chairman Bob Schuler said. “There is no better place to formally welcome these legends of the game to their new permanent home in the College Football Hall of Fame.”
“As the organization that led the move of the Hall of Fame to Atlanta and being the founding partner of the Hall, we are honored to recognize these inductees at our Semifinal game and honor their contributions to college football,” added Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO & president.
The 16th National Hall of Fame Salute at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will highlight the outstanding careers of 18 All-America players and three legendary coaches who established themselves among the greatest to ever set foot on the college gridiron. The group (listed below) was announced in January 2022. They have been honored at their respective schools throughout the season during the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments®, and they will be formally inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 6.
“Our Hall of Fame experience is like no other as the members of each class are honored multiple times throughout the year,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “And we are very excited to be able to bring the class together one last time at the National Hall of Fame Salute in such close proximity to the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. We want to extend a big thanks to Peach Bowl, Inc. Chairman Bob Schuler and CEO & President Gary Stokan for making this happen. They have been passionate supporters of the Hall for many years, and celebrating the newest Hall of Fame class on the field at the game will be a thrill for both the fans and the inductees.”
Two members of the 2022 class have had the thrill of playing in the Peach Bowl. Champ Bailey earned MVP honors in the 1998 edition, leading Georgia to a come-from-behind 35-33 victory over Virginia. LSU’s Kevin Faulk scored the Tigers’ only touchdown in a 10-7 win against Clemson in 1996.
2022 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS
PLAYERS:
· LaVar Arrington – LB, Penn State (1997-99)
· Champ Bailey – DB, Georgia (1996-98)
· Michael Crabtree – WR, Texas Tech (2007-08)
· Sylvester Croom – C, Alabama (1972-74)
· Mike Doss – S, Ohio State (1999-2002)
· Chuck Ealey – QB, Toledo (1969-71)
· Kevin Faulk – AP/RB, LSU (1995-98)
· Moe Gardner – DT, Illinois (1987-90)
· Boomer Grigsby – LB, Illinois State (2001-04)
· Mike Hass – WR, Oregon State (2002-05)
· Marvin Jones – LB, Florida State (1990-92)
· Andrew Luck – QB, Stanford (2009-11)
· Mark Messner – DT, Michigan (1985-88)
· Terry Miller – RB, Oklahoma State (1974-77)
· Rashaan Salaam – RB, Colorado (1992-94)
· Dennis Thomas – C, Alcorn State (1971-73)
· Zach Wiegert – OT, Nebraska (1991-94)
· Roy Williams – DB, Oklahoma (1999-2001)
COACHES:
· John Luckhardt – 225-70-2 (76.1%); Washington & Jefferson [PA] (1982-98), California [PA] (2002-11)
· Billy Jack Murphy – 91-44-1 (67.3%); Memphis (1958-71)
· Gary Pinkel – 191-110-3 (63.3%); Toledo (1991-2000), Missouri (2001-15)
About Peach Bowl, Inc.
Peach Bowl, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization that operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, the Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, and manages The Dodd Trophy national coach of the year award. It is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and is recognized as college football’s most charitable bowl organization, having donated $60.9 million to organizations in need since 2002.
Our Events:
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is one of the New Year’s Six bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff including a CFP Semifinal every third year and top-ranked teams from around the country in the other two years of each cycle. Over its 54 years, the game has drawn 3.1 million fans in attendance, a total television audience of 209.6 million viewers on ESPN, delivered $221 million in team payouts, and has created $786.3 million in direct economic impact for Atlanta and Georgia.
Our Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is the nation’s longest-running kickoff game and has reshaped the opening weekend in college football. Over 17 games since 2008, the game has regularly hosted the nation’s top teams and has drawn 1.1 million fans, 87.4 million television viewers, distributed $101.3 million in team payouts and created an additional $498.5 million in economic impact.
The Peach Bowl Challenge is the nation’s premier charity golf tournament featuring top current and former college football coaches. Hosted at the beautiful Reynolds Lake Oconee resort outside Atlanta each spring, the event has generated $9 million for the various foundations and charities supported by its coaches.
The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC is college football’s most coveted national coaching award. Named for legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, The Dodd Trophy annually honors the FBS football coach whose program represents three pillars of success: scholarship, leadership and integrity.
About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
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 in 47 states, NFF programs include the selection and induction of members of the College Football Hall of Fame; the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta; Future For Football; The William V. Campbell Trophy®; the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments; the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award; and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.
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