Three Former Cal Players on College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

Three former Cal players were among the 78 FBS players on the 2022 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, it was announced Wednesday.

Before we reveal the names, can you guess the three former Golden Bears players on the ballot? Can you guess the names of the 10 other players from the Pac-8/Pac-10/Pac-12 who are on the ballot?

Here are some hints: To be on the ballot a player must have played his final college season at least 10 years ago, and he must have played that final season within the past 50 years. The player must have received first-team All-America recognition by a selector that is recognized by the NCAA.

An important note: No Pac-8/Pac-10/Pac-12 school has more players on the ballot than Cal. USC is the only school with as many, as three former Trojan players are also on the ballot. Interestingly, no former player from Washington or Oregon is on the ballot.

A surprising note: Former Cal star Aaron Rodgers is not one of the players on the ballot. In his final college season (2004), Alex Smith and Matt Leinart were the only quarterbacks named to first-team All-America squads recognized by the NCAA, so Rodgers did not qualify.

Here are the three former Cal players on the ballot with a brief description of their accomplishments provided by The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame, which made the announcement:

Tony Gonzalez, California, Tight End

1996 First Team All-American and First Team All-Pac-10 selection…Holds Cal record for receptions in a bowl game (9 in 1996 Aloha Bowl)…Posted 89 receptions for 1,302 yards and eight touchdowns during career.

Marshawn Lynch, California, Running Back

2006 First Team All-American who led Cal to a share of the 2006 Pac-10 title…2006 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year led the league in rushing (1,356), all-purpose yards (1,785) and TDs (15) that season…Two-time bowl game MVP (2005 Las Vegas, 2006 Holiday) and Cal’s all-time leader in 100-yard rushing games (17).

Ron Rivera, California, Linebacker

1983 consensus First Team All-American…Lombardi Award finalist in 1983 and named East-West Shrine Game Most Valuable Player…Selected as Pac-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 1983…Led team in tackles from 1981-83.

Here are the other 10 players on the ballot who played in the Pac-8, Pac-10, Pac-12 during their college careers:

Jeff Bregel, USC, Offensive Guard

Two-time consensus First Team All-American and a 1986 NFF National Scholar-Athlete…Two-time First Team All-Pac-10 selection, leading USC to the 1984 conference title and a Rose Bowl victory…Earned the 1985 Morris Trophy as the league’s most outstanding offensive lineman.

Reggie Bush, USC, Running Back

Two-time First Team All-American, earning consensus honors in 2004 and unanimous accolades in 2005...Named the 2005 Walter Camp Player of the Year and won the 2005 Doak Walker Award…Two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year who led the Trojans to back-to-back national championships.

Mark Carrier, USC, Safety

Two-time First Team All-American (1988-89), earning unanimous honors in 1989…1989 Jim Thorpe Award winner as the nation’s top defensive back…Two-time First Team All-Conference selection…Led the Pac-10 in interceptions in 1989 with seven.

Toby Gerhart, Stanford, Running Back

Unanimous First Team All-American, winner of the Doak Walker award and Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2009…Led the nation in points (178), TDs (29) and rushing yards (1,871) during prolific season campaign…2009 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year who is Stanford’s all-time leader in career rushing TDs (44).

Al Harris, Arizona State, Defensive End

Named unanimous First Team All-American and Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy finalist in 1978…Three-time All-Conference selection, helping the Sun Devils to two league titles…1978 Team MVP who set the ASU career record in tackles for a loss (57).

Mike Hass, Oregon State, Wide Receiver

2005 First Team All-American and recipient of the 2005 Biletnikoff Award…Two-time First Team All-Pac-10 selection and first receiver in league history with three 1,000-yard receiving seasons…Led the nation with 139.9 receiving ypg (2005) and holds virtually every Oregon State receiving record.

John Lee, UCLA, Placekicker

Two-time First Team All-American, earning consensus honors in 1985…Boasted the NCAA’s highest career field goal percentage among players with at least 55 attempts (.859)…Two-time First Team All-Pac-10 selection who helped UCLA to three league titles and finished his career as the Bruins’ all-time scoring leader (390).

Andrew Luck, Stanford, Quarterback

2011 First Team All-American, winning the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year honors…Two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up and two-time Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year… Stanford’s all-time career leader in TD passes (82) and passing efficiency (162.8), owning two of the top four passing seasons in school history.

Ken Norton Jr., UCLA, Linebacker

1987 First Team All-American, leading Bruins to four consecutive bowl wins… Member of the 1985 conference championship team… Led team in tackles in 1986 (106) and in 1987 (125) and ranks sixth in school history with 339 career tackles.

Luis Zendejas, Arizona State, Placekicker

1983 consensus First Team All-American who finished his career as the NCAA’s all-time leader in scoring (380)…Four-time All-Pac-10 selection, leading the league in scoring in 1983… Boasts the highest PAT percentage (99.3%) in ASU annals and led the team in scoring his first three seasons.

The ballot was emailed Wednesday to the more than 12,000 National Football Foundation members and current Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF’s Honors Courts, which will deliberate and select the class.

The announcement of the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2022. The 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6, 2022.

Here are the criteria for Hall of Fame consideration:

---First and foremost, a player must have received First-Team All-America recognition by a selector that is recognized by the NCAA and utilized to comprise its consensus All-America teams.

---A player becomes eligible for consideration by the Foundation’s Honors Courts 10 full seasons after his final year of intercollegiate football played.

---While each nominee’s football achievements in college are of prime consideration, his post-football record as a citizen is also weighed. He must have proven himself worthy as a citizen, carrying the ideals of football forward into his relations with his community. Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether the candidate earned a college degree.

---Players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50 years.* For example, to be eligible for the 2022 ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1972 or thereafter. In addition, players who are playing professionally and coaches who are coaching on the professional level are not eligible until after they retire.

---A coach becomes eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he is at least 70 years of age. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.

---Nominations may only be submitted by the current athletics director, head coach or sports information director (SID) of a potential candidate's collegiate institution. Nominations may also be submitted by the president/executive director of a dues-paying chapter of the National Football Foundation.

Cover photo of Ron Rivera by Scott Taetsch, USA TODAY Sports

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