The National Football Foundation announced today the 170 players and 35 coaches from the FBS (Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision) and lower division collegiate football for the 2017 College Football Hall of Fame. Included in the 75 player nominees from Division 1 Football is former Badger defensive back Troy Vincent.
Vincent played for the Wisconsin Badgers as a defensive back from 1988 to 1991 under head coaches Don Morton and Barry Alvarez. He had a celebrated collegiate career at Wisconsin both on defense and on special teams returning punts. Vincent defended 24 passes from 1988 to 1991 on defense and ran for 773 yards on punt returns (a school record at the time). In 1991, Vincent was a First Team All-American, team captain, Co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and finalist for the Jim Thorpe award.
Vincent was the 7th pick by the Miami Dolphins in the 1992 NFL Draft. He played for the Dolphins from 1992 to 1995 and was then signed to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1996. As a Philadelphia Eagle, Vincent became a 5-time Pro Bowler from 1999 to 2003 and winner of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2002. He was then signed to the Buffalo Bills from 2004 to 2006 and the Washington Redskins for the 2006-2007 season. In his fifteen years playing in the NFL, Vincent made 749 tackles, 47 interceptions and 5.5 sacks.
During and following his career in the NFL, Vincent worked for the organization in a management position. He was the president of the NFLPA (NFL Players Association) from 2004 to 2008. In 2010, Vincent became the NFL executive vice president of football operations, a position he continues to hold today.
Other nominees include future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, Heisman Trophy winner and highly successful collegiate head coach Steve Spurrier, All-American and NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez and All-American and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk.
Another Wisconsin nominee is the late University of Wisconsin-Whitewater head coach from 1956 to 1984 Forrest Perkins. Perkins was the NAIA (National Associate of Intercollegiate Athletics) Coach of the Year in 1966. Perkins holds the school record for most wins in both school and conference history.
The 2017 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be announced on Friday January 6, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. Tampa hosts this year’s CFP (College Football Playoff) National Championship on Monday January 9, 2017. The winners will be selected by members of the National Football Foundation (NFF) and current College Football Hall of Fame members. For a complete list of the 2017 College Football Hall of Fame nominees, click here.
Photo of Troy Vincent by Scott Miller of Flickr