Former 49er Barton makes College Football Hall of Fame
Longtime San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Harris Barton is among the 13 former players and coaches who make up the latest College Football Hall of Fame class announced Monday.
Bar ton, a four- yea r starter on North Carolina’s offensive line, helped the Tar Heels to two bowl appearances in 1983 and 1986. The ACC’s Outstanding Offensive Lineman in 1986, Barton was selected to play in the Japan Bowl and was a two-time Academic All-ACC selection.
Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer of USC and former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops were among the other newly elected hall of famers. This class will be inducted in December.
Also elected were versatile running backs Darren Sproles of Kansas State and C. J Spiller of Clemson; offensive tackle Aaron Taylor of Notre Dame; defensive stars David Fulcher of Arizona State, Dan Morgan of Miami; Kenneth Sims of Texas; Andre Tippett of Iowa and Al Wilson of Tennessee. Former Eastern Illinois quarterback and current CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo was also selected for induction along with former Florida A& M coach Rudy Hubbard.
Taylor starred at De La Salle High before joining the Irish.
Barton was selected by the 49ers with the 22nd overall pick of the 1987 draft and enjoyed a 12year career with the 49ers, starting 134 of 138 games, including 89 consecutive starts and three Super Bowl victories in 1989, 1990 and 1995. The runner- up in Rookie of the Year voting in 1987, he was a two-time All-Pro selection in 1992 and 1993 and a Pro Bowler in 1993. Barton retired after the 1998 season.
Palmer won the Heisman in 2002 for the Trojans and then went on to be the first overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Stoops coached Oklahoma from 1999-2016, leading the Sooners to their last national championship in 2000. Oklahoma went to two more BCS title games with Stoops and won 10 Big 12 championships.
He is the sixth Oklahoma coach to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, including Bud Wilkinson and Barry Switzer.
Stoops and Tippett were teammates on Iowa’s Big Ten championship team in 1981.
CAL ADDS FLORIDA STATE SAFETY, LOSES RECEIVER >> Cal lost starting wide receiver Makai Polk to Mississippi State, added a defensive back from Florida State and retained another defender during a busy weekend of roster shuffling.
Polk, a former El Cerrito High star who was the Bears’ second-leading receiver this past season with 17 catches in their four games, transferred to Mississippi State after an SEC rule prohibited San Jose State’s Tre Walker from joining the Bulldogs.
“I just wanted a different opportunity for myself,” Polk told 247Sports. “It’s nothing like playing in the SEC and the kind of notoriety you get. I wanted a new place to show off my work and my talent.”
Of course, Cal is expecting a big boost at receiver from its top recruit, J. Michael Sturdivant of Flower Mound, Texas, who chose the Bears over LSU and Oklahoma, among others.
Walker’s intention of finishing his final collegiate season at Mississippi State was denied because of the SEC’s guidelines requiring transferring players to have two years of eligibility. Walker, who was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference receiver for the Spartans, has just one year of eligibility remaining — the extra one offered by the NCAA to all players because of the pandemic. He’ll continue to search for his next opportunity.
The Bears got much better news over the weekend with Florida State sophomore safety Raymond Woodie III transferring to Berkeley, and starting safety Elijah Hicks announced he’ll take advantage of the NCAA’s exemption and return to Cal.