NEW YORK — A difference-maker on and off the field of play, Texas A&M legend Jacob Green is one of 13 players and two standout coaches that will be formally inducted into the 2019 class of the College Football Hall of Fame of the National Football Foundation on Tuesday.
The 2019 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be honored during the 62nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10, 2019, at the New York Hilton Midtown. The function will be aired live on espn3.com and is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. (CT).
One of the greatest defensive players in the former Southwest Conference, Green terrorized quarterbacks while setting multiple sack records at Texas A&M. He becomes the 11th Aggie player elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Green was named a first-team All-American in 1979 after recording 20 sacks, which still stands as a Texas A&M single-season record. He finished his career as the Aggies' all-time leader with 38 career sacks, which currently ranks second in the school record books and remain the most by a Texas A&M defensive lineman. A two-year team captain, Green owns the Texas A&M record with 12 career forced fumbles, and his 22 tackles against Baylor in 1979 were an Aggie single-game record (currently tied for third). He finished his career with 283 total tackles.
The two-time All-Southwest Conference selection guided the Aggies to a pair of bowl games, including a victory over No. 19 Iowa State in the 1978 Hall of Fame Classic that helped A&M take over the No. 19 spot in the final AP rankings. During the 1979 season, Green led the Aggies to upsets over No. 6 Penn State and No. 6 Texas. A member of Texas A&M's All-Decade Team for the 1970s, he is enshrined in the Texas A&M Athletic, Southwest Conference, State of Texas Sports and Texas African-American halls of fame.
The Seattle Seahawks selected Green with the 10th overall pick in the 1980 NFL Draft, and he spent 12 years with the Seahawks before a short stint with the San Francisco 49ers. A member of the Seahawks Ring of Honor, he went to two Pro Bowls and finished his career third on the NFL's all-time sacks list with 97.5.
Active in the community, Green has helped raise millions of dollars for cancer research and remains involved with Jaycee's Children's Center in his hometown of Houston, which is named for his father who passed away from cancer. He was also the recipient of the Seattle Distinguished Community Service Award in 2000. Ever loyal to his alma mater, Green currently serves as Vice President of Major Gifts and Endowments for the 12th Man Foundation at Texas A&M.
The inductees were selected from the national ballot of 76 All-America players and six coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and the 100 players and 32 coaches from the divisional ranks.
Aggies in the NFF College Football Hall of Fame:
Player, Position, Lettered (Year Inducted):
- John Kimbrough, Fullback, 1939-40 (1954)
- Joe Routt, Guard, 1935-37 (1962)
- Joel Hunt, Halfback, 1925-27 (1967)
- Joe Utay, Halfback, 1905-07 (1974)
- John David Crow, Halfback, 1955-57 (1976)
- Charlie Krueger, Tackle, 1955-57 (1983)
- Jack Pardee, Fullback, 1954-56 (1986)
- Dave Elmendorf, Defensive Back, 1968-70 (1996)
- Ray Childress, Defensive Line, 1981-84 (2010)
- Dat Nguyen, Linebacker, 1995-98 (2017)
- Jacob Green, Defensive Line, 1977-79 (2019)
Coaches, Years at A&M (Year Inducted):
- Dana X. Bible, 1917, 1919-28 (1952)
- Madison Bell, 1929-33 (1955)
- Homer Norton, 1934-46 (1971)
- Paul "Bear" Bryant, 1954-57 (1986)
- Gene Stallings, 1965-71 (2010)
- R.C. Slocum, 1989-2002 (2012)
Other NFF honors:
- NFF Chris Schenkel Award – Dave South, 1985-2016 (2018)
- NFF National Scholar-Athlete – Dave Elmendorf, 1968-70 (1970)
- NFF National Scholar-Athlete – Kevin Monk, 1974-77 (1977)
- NFF National Scholar-Athlete – Kip Corrington, 1984-87 (1987)
- NFF National Scholar-Athlete – Lance Pavlas, 1987-90 (1990)
- NFF National Scholar-Athlete – Ryan Tannehill, 2008-11 (2011)
