Jeremy Maclin, a Kirkwood High School graduate, was among 18 players in the latest College Football Hall of Fame class announced Monday. Maclin played two seasons for Mizzou. He set the NCAA freshman record for all-purpose yards in 2007. He was a major part of the Tigers’ top-ranked offense in 2007 when the team went 12-2 and won the Cotton Bowl.
He was an All-American in each of his two seasons before leaving for the NFL draft.
He was the 19th overall pick in the 2009 draft and he had two 1,000-yard receiving seasons over his career. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, making an impact for each team in the process.
Considered by many to be one of the greatest Mizzou players of all-time, Cited by many as the most electrifying player to ever don a Mizzou uniform, Maclin now becomes the eighth Mizzou player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame, joining QB Paul Christman, C Darold Jenkins, RB Bob Steuber, OT Ed Travis, DB/RB Johnny Roland, DB Roger Wehrli and TE Kellen Winslow.
USC running back Reggie Bush, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, who won the Heisman in 2007 and became a major figure on the NFL, were also elected, along with Dwight Freeney of Syracuse; Luke Kuechly of Boston College; LaMichael James of Oregon; and Michael Bishop of Kansas State.
The rest of the latest class of college Hall of Famers includes: Eric Berry of Tennessee; Robert Gallery of Iowa; Derrick Johnson of Texas; Bill Kollar of Montana State; Terrance Mathis of New Mexico; Bryant McKinnie of Miami; Corey Moore of Virginia Tech; Michael Stonebreaker of Notre Dame; Troy Vincent of Wisconsin; Brian Westbrook of Villanova; and DeAngelo Williams of Memphis.
Meanwhile, the four coaches to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in December will be Monte Carr of Shepherd; Roy Kramer, the Central Michigan coach who became Southeastern Conference commissioner; Mark Richt, who coached Georgia and Miami; and triple-option guru Paul Johnson, who had stints at Georgia Southern, Navy and Georgia Tech.