Randle-El, Dunbar Named to College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

Former Indiana quarterback Antwaan Randle-El and running back Vaughn Dunbar were named to the College Football Hall of Fame Ballot on Monday after first-team All-American careers as Hoosiers.

USA Today

The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame released the names on the 2023 ballot for potential induction into the College Football Hall of Fame on Monday.

Out of 80 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) two former Indiana Hoosier football players made the ballot. Quarterback Antwaan Randle-El, a four-year starter from 1998 to 2001, and running back Vaughn Dunbar, who played for the Hoosiers in 1990 and 1991, will be considered for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

The full 2023 Hall of Fame class will be announced in early 2023, but a specific date has not been determined. However, the class will be officially inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 5, 2023.

Randle-El earned first-team All-American honors during his senior season as Indiana's quarterback in 2001. That year, he passed for 1,664 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions to go along with 964 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. This made Randle-El the first player in FBS history to pass for 6,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards in career. And by the time his collegiate career was over, he rushed for more yards than any quarterback in FBS history.

In total, Randle-El finished his Indiana career with a 49.8 completion percentage, 7,469 passing yards, 42 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. He also rushed 857 times for 3,895 yards – good for 4.5 yards per carry – with 44 touchdowns. 

His best season as a passer came as a sophomore in 1999 when he set personal records for completion percentage (53.8), passing yards (2,227) and touchdowns (17). The following season in 2000, Randle-El was at his peak as a rusher. He set personal highs in rushing yards (1,270) and yards per carry (5.8), as well as tying his sophomore-year mark with 13 rushing touchdowns.

While the Cam Cameron-coached Hoosiers had a potential College Football Hall of Famer under center, the team was never able to reach a bowl game with Randle-El, going 16-28 across four seasons. Indiana ended Randle-El's senior season with wins in four of the last five games, but a 1-5 start to the season was too much to overcome. 

Randle-El's record-setting career at Indiana led him to be drafted in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's possible Randle-El was ahead of his time as a dual-threat quarterback in the early 2000s as he was moved to primarily play wide receiver during his nine-year career with Pittsburgh and Washington. Randle-El completed 22-of-27 pass attempts as a pro, and finished his NFL career with 370 receptions for 4,467 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Joining Randle-El on the College Football Hall of Fame Ballot is Vaughn Dunbar, who played running back for Indiana during the 1990 and 1991 seasons after beginning his collegiate career in community college. Dunbar was a unanimous selection to the 1991 first-team All-American after leading the nation with 1,805 rushing yards. He finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting in 1991, and also led the Big Ten with 150.4 yards per game.

Across two collegiate seasons, Dunbar rushed 614 times for 3,029 yards – 4.9 yards per carry – and 25 touchdowns. He was also a productive pass catcher, hauling in 45 receptions for 385 yards, an 8.6 yards-per-catch average. 

The Bill Mallory-coached Hoosiers reached two bowl games with Dunbar in the backfield. Indiana lost 27-23 to Auburn in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 29, 1990 in Atlanta, Ga. In this game, Dunbar rushed for 81 yards on 21 carries, and shared MVP honors with Auburn's Stan White and Darrel Crawford.

Dunbar and the Hoosiers again reached a bowl game in 1991, this time defeating Baylor 24-0 in the Copper Bowl on New Year's Eve. Dunbar gave Indiana a 17-0 lead going into halftime with a five-yard touchdown run. This led to Dunbar and Indiana linebacker Mark Hagen sharing MVP honors in Indiana's most recent bowl game victory.

"It's an enormous honor to just be on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot considering more than 5.54 million people have played college football and only 1,056 players have been inducted," NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell said in a press release. "The Hall's requirement of being a First-Team All-American creates a much smaller pool of about 1,500 individuals who are even eligible. Being in today's elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to have ever played the game, and we look forward to announcing the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class early next year."

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