Boise QB, Idaho coach will join College Football Hall of Fame

Capital High graduate Jake Plummer and former Idaho football coach Dennis Erickson will join the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2019 class of inductees, the National Football Foundation announced Monday.

Plummer starred as a quarterback at Arizona State from 1993 to 1996. He was a first-team All-American in 1996, when he finished third in Heisman Trophy voting and led the Sun Devils to an 11-1 record. The Sun Devils won the Pac-10, finished the regular season undefeated and played a thrilling Rose Bowl against Ohio State. He still ranks third in school history with 8,827 passing yards.

“I’m honored/humbled/surprised to be inducted into the 2019 @cfbhall alongside all the other amazing #ballers,” Plummer tweeted. “I’m proud to represent all my @ASUFootball teammates/brothers &coaches that were instrumental in all of my success both on&off the field! #GoDevils.”

Plummer is joined in this class by Erickson, who coached at Idaho (1982-85, 2006), Wyoming (1986), Washington State (1987-88), Miami (1989-94), Oregon State (1999-2002) and Arizona State (2007-11). Erickson won two national titles at Miami and was a Pac-10/Pac-12 coach of the year at three different schools. He was the first Vandals coach to post a winning record in four consecutive seasons.

“If it wasn’t for the University of Idaho, I probably never would have accomplished some of the things I’ve accomplished,” Erickson said last year when he was inducted into the Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame, according to a university press release. “(Former athletic director) Bill Belknap and (former president) Dr. Richard Gibb gave me my first head coaching job. We still call North Idaho home because of the great people and great institution.”

The induction is Dec. 10 in New York.

Erickson joins quarterback John Friesz (2006) as Vandals in the Hall of Fame.

The only Boise State player or coach in the Hall of Fame is defensive lineman Randy Trautman, who helped the Broncos win the Division I-AA national title in 1980 and was added in 1999. That likely will change in the coming years. Recent Broncos who meet the selection criteria include offensive tackle Ryan Clady, quarterback Kellen Moore and offensive tackle Nate Potter because each was a first-team All-American on one of the five NCAA-recognized teams. Former Boise State coach Chris Petersen also will be a strong candidate when he retires. Players must be out of college for 10 seasons to be eligible, so Clady is eligible now and Moore and Potter will be eligible for the 2021 class.

2019 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS

PLAYERS

TERRELL BUCKLEY – DB, Florida State (1989-91)

RICKEY DIXON – DB, Oklahoma (1984-87)

LONDON FLETCHER – LB, John Carroll [OH] (1995-97)

JACOB GREEN – DL, Texas A&M (1977-79)

TORRY HOLT – WR, North Carolina State (1995-98)

RAGHIB ISMAIL – KR/WR, Notre Dame (1988-90)

DARREN McFADDEN – RB, Arkansas (2005-07)

JAKE PLUMMER – QB, Arizona State (1993-96)

TROY POLAMALU – DB, Southern California (1999-2002)

JOE THOMAS – OL, Wisconsin (2003-06)

LORENZO WHITE – RB, Michigan State (1984-87)

PATRICK WILLIS – LB, Mississippi (2003-06)

VINCE YOUNG – QB, Texas (2003-05)

COACHES

DENNIS ERICKSON – 179-96-1 (65.0%); Idaho (1982-85, 2006), Wyoming (1986), Washington State (1987-88), Miami [FL] (1989-94), Oregon State (1999-2002), Arizona State (2007-11)

JOE TAYLOR – 233-96-4 (70.6%); Howard (1983), Virginia Union (1984-91), Hampton (1992-2007), Florida A&M (2008-12)

This story was originally published January 7, 2019 at 8:48 AM.