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May 28, 2010
ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard was announced Thursday as a member of the 2010 College Football Hall of Fame Football Bowl Subdivision Class at the National Football Foundation luncheon in New York City. Howard, a standout at Michigan from 1988-91, is a Heisman Trophy winner and Super Bowl XXXI MVP.
“This is tops, it doesn’t get any better than this in college football,” Howard said after the ceremony. “To be recognized for your body of work and to start the journey as a young man switching positions from running back to wide receiver, but to end that journey here at the College Football Hall of Fame, to be a member of this class is just tremendous, I’m very humbled by it.
“I have to thank everyone who was a part of my time at Michigan as an athlete, who helped me achieve the goals that I set for myself to just become a better person and great athlete. Football’s the ultimate team sport, so I think this was an accumulation of a lot of effort on the part of a lot of people who helped me become that player.”
The 2010 College Football Hall of Fame Football Bowl Subdivision Class will be inducted at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 7 in New York City.
Howard was the first receiver in Big Ten history to lead the conference in scoring as he set or tied five NCAA records and 12 single-season Michigan records. In 1991, the All-American won the Heisman by the second largest margin of victory in the trophy’s history (85 percent of the vote). He also was awarded the Walter Camp Trophy and the Maxwell Award that year, finishing with 950 receiving yards and 19 touchdown passes. His 138 points (23 touchdowns overall) that season made him the first wide receiver to lead the Big Ten in scoring. By the end of his college career, Howard had scored 37 touchdowns.
Howard’s own favorite moments from such an accomplished college career?
“Probably the Ohio State game my senior year, taking that punt back against the Buckeyes and striking the Heisman pose, it was a tremendous feeling for me,” he said. “I was frustrated before that play because they wouldn’t let me get any deep balls, so I took a gamble. I caught the ball inside the 10-yard line and I raced down the field and scored a touchdown, so it paid off. It was a special moment.
“We played up in South Bend my junior year, I had two touchdowns, the atmosphere was electric because it was a night game. We lost that game but it was one of my favorite collegiate games.”
When asked by ESPN anchor Erik Kuselias who would hypothetically induct Howard into the Hall of Fame if the college football hall had such a ceremony, Howard said he wouldn’t want to choose at the risk of hurting anyone’s feelings.
“I think everyone would understand if I say my dad,” Howard said. “He’s been with me every step of the way on this journey.”
Howard joined ESPN in 2005, a few years after his 11 seasons in the NFL. He has been an analyst on the popular College GameDay with host Chris Fowler and analysts Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso since 2005.
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Media Contact: Jenny Zimmerman at 407-566-2213 or [email protected]
