Photo by: National Football Foundation/Josh Hawkins
Luke Kuechly Enshrined in College Football Hall of Fame
December 06, 2023 | Football
Former BC linebacker formally inducted at the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS -- Former Boston College linebacker and all-time great Luke Kuechly was formally enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday night. Kuechly and the 22-member 2023 Hall of Fame class were inducted at the 65th National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner at The ARIA Resort & Casino.
Kuechly became the 11th Eagle to be inducted to the Hall of Fame, the eighth player and first since Mike Ruth in 2017. Kuechly, the NCAA's all-time leading tackler until last year, was a three-time All-American and winner of the Lott Impact Trophy, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award and Nagurski Award in 2011. In just three seasons, he posted 532 career tackles.
More than 1,600 people in attendance and countless more watching on ESPN+ saw the induction of the star-studded 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class, which took center stage as its members received college football's ultimate honor. The NFF also honored 16 of the game's top student-athletes, who collected postgraduate scholarships as members of the 2023 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments®.
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The festivities began with Oregon quarterback Bo Nix claiming the 34th William V. Campbell Trophy® as college football's top scholar-athlete and receiving a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship. The evening culminated with the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame induction and heartfelt remarks from Texas LB Derrick Johnson, Florida QB Tim Tebow and Coach Paul Johnson on behalf of the 2023 Class.
The 65th edition marked the third-consecutive year the NFF Annual Awards Dinner was held in Las Vegas, and the NFF announced that the event will return in 2024 and 2025. Standout broadcaster Charles Davis, who currently works for the NFL on CBS and the NFL Network, entertained the crowd as the emcee for the annual celebration, which lived up to its historic role of bringing the college football community together at the end of the regular season to pay tribute to the game and its greatest legends.
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The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class was introduced by NFF Board Member Archie Griffin, a Hall of Fame running back and two-time Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State, while NFF Chairman and Hall of Fame inductee Archie Manning (Mississippi) conducted the Official Hall of Fame Ring Ceremony.
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The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class included Eric Berry (Tennessee), Michael Bishop (Kansas State), Reggie Bush (Southern California), Dwight Freeney (Syracuse), Robert Gallery (Iowa), LaMichael James (Oregon), Derrick Johnson (Texas), Bill Kollar (Montana State), Luke Kuechly (Boston College), Jeremy Maclin (Missouri), Terance Mathis (New Mexico), Bryant McKinnie (Miami [FL]), Corey Moore (Virginia Tech), Michael Stonebreaker (Notre Dame), Tim Tebow (Florida), Troy Vincent (Wisconsin), Brian Westbrook (Villanova), DeAngelo Williams (Memphis), and coaches Monte Cater (Lakeland [WI], Shepherd [WV]), Paul Johnson (Georgia Southern, Navy, Georgia Tech), Roy Kramer (Central Michigan) and Mark Richt (Georgia, Miami [FL]).
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Kuechly became the 11th Eagle to be inducted to the Hall of Fame, the eighth player and first since Mike Ruth in 2017. Kuechly, the NCAA's all-time leading tackler until last year, was a three-time All-American and winner of the Lott Impact Trophy, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award and Nagurski Award in 2011. In just three seasons, he posted 532 career tackles.
More than 1,600 people in attendance and countless more watching on ESPN+ saw the induction of the star-studded 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class, which took center stage as its members received college football's ultimate honor. The NFF also honored 16 of the game's top student-athletes, who collected postgraduate scholarships as members of the 2023 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments®.
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The festivities began with Oregon quarterback Bo Nix claiming the 34th William V. Campbell Trophy® as college football's top scholar-athlete and receiving a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship. The evening culminated with the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame induction and heartfelt remarks from Texas LB Derrick Johnson, Florida QB Tim Tebow and Coach Paul Johnson on behalf of the 2023 Class.
The 65th edition marked the third-consecutive year the NFF Annual Awards Dinner was held in Las Vegas, and the NFF announced that the event will return in 2024 and 2025. Standout broadcaster Charles Davis, who currently works for the NFL on CBS and the NFL Network, entertained the crowd as the emcee for the annual celebration, which lived up to its historic role of bringing the college football community together at the end of the regular season to pay tribute to the game and its greatest legends.
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The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class was introduced by NFF Board Member Archie Griffin, a Hall of Fame running back and two-time Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State, while NFF Chairman and Hall of Fame inductee Archie Manning (Mississippi) conducted the Official Hall of Fame Ring Ceremony.
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The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class included Eric Berry (Tennessee), Michael Bishop (Kansas State), Reggie Bush (Southern California), Dwight Freeney (Syracuse), Robert Gallery (Iowa), LaMichael James (Oregon), Derrick Johnson (Texas), Bill Kollar (Montana State), Luke Kuechly (Boston College), Jeremy Maclin (Missouri), Terance Mathis (New Mexico), Bryant McKinnie (Miami [FL]), Corey Moore (Virginia Tech), Michael Stonebreaker (Notre Dame), Tim Tebow (Florida), Troy Vincent (Wisconsin), Brian Westbrook (Villanova), DeAngelo Williams (Memphis), and coaches Monte Cater (Lakeland [WI], Shepherd [WV]), Paul Johnson (Georgia Southern, Navy, Georgia Tech), Roy Kramer (Central Michigan) and Mark Richt (Georgia, Miami [FL]).
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