CFB Hall of Fame: Five Hurricanes Nominated
To be inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame is one of the greatest honors that a player or coach can receive. It’s a testament to true greatness at the collegiate level and any program would count themselves as lucky to have a former player on the list of potential inductees.
Miami fans have to be proud, then, to hear that there are three former players and two former coaches on the 2023 ballot that once called “The U” home.
The players include quarterback Ken Dorsey (1999-2002), offensive lineman Bryant McKinnie (1999-2001), and linebacker Ray Lewis (1993-1995). The two coaches are Larry Coker (Assistant Coach 1995-2000, Head Coach 2001-2006), who led the Hurricanes to back-to-back BCS National Championship games, winning the title in 2001, and Mark Richt (2016-2018) who was the 2017 Walker Camp National Coach of the Year while coaching the Hurricanes. The three players are some of the best to ever represent the Orange and Green.
Dorsey was a prolific passer for the Canes, leading Miami to a 38-2 record as a starter. A clutch performer, Dorsey is one of the most consistent quarterbacks in recent college football history. He was a two-time Heisman finalist before being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2003 NFL Draft and spending six years as a pro. Dorsey is now the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills.
McKinnie was also a member of that 2001 National Championship team. He is remembered as one of the most dominant linemen in Hurricanes history. He won the prestigious Outland Trophy in 2001, given to the nation’s best tackle or guard.
McKinnie was drafted seventh overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2002 NFL Draft. He has the rare distinction of being a champion at both the collegiate and professional levels, having secured a Super Bowl ring with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013. The bulldozing blocker spent 11 years in the NFL and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2009.
Ray Lewis is one of college football’s all-time great middle linebackers. The legendary player spent three college football seasons terrorizing opposing offenses and was the heart of the Hurricanes defense during his career.
He was a two-time All-American and first round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 1996. Lewis has one of the most decorated careers in NFL history with two Super Bowls, a Super Bowl MVP, two Defensive Player of the Year Awards, seven First Team All-Pro selections, and 13 Pro Bowls. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest middle linebackers in NFL history.
It’s likely that most or all of these former Hurricanes will make the cut, but fans will have to wait until early 2023 to find out. The voting for the 2023 class of inductees will close on June 30. The inductees will be confirmed and announced early next year before they are inducted officially at a ceremony on Dec 5, 2023.
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