McFadden, Hampton among College Football Hall of Fame nominees
FAYETTEVILLE — Five players with ties to the state of Arkansas are on the ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019, it was announced Monday.
Three former Arkansas Razorbacks are on the ballot: running back Darren McFadden from Littie Rock; defensive lineman Dan Hampton from
Jacksonville; and offensive lineman Brandon Burlsworth from Harrison.
Former Oklahoma State defensive lineman Leslie O’Neal, from Little Rock, and former Arkansas State University running back Calvin Harrell, from Memphis, also are on the ballot.
McFadden played three seasons from 2005-07 and became the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville’s career leader in rushing yards (4,590) and touchdowns (41). He won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back in 2006 and 2007 and was the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting in both seasons.
Hampton — who starred for the Chicago Bears and is a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee — was an All-American as a senior in 1978 and as a junior played on the Razorbacks’ 11-1 team that beat Oklahoma 31-6 in the Orange Bowl. He had 239 career tackles.
Burlsworth began his Arkansas career as a walk-on and became an All-American as a fifth-year senior in 1998 when he helped Arkansas finish 9-3 and win a share of the SEC West title. The Burlsworth Trophy — named in his honor — has been presented annually since 2010 to the top college player who began his career as a walk-on.
Baker Mayfield, the former Oklahoma quarterback who won the 2017 Heisman Trophy and was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, won the Burlsworth Trophy in 2015 and 2016.
Burlsworth was killed in a car accident in April of 1999. His story has been documented in a book and the 2016 film, “Greater.”
O’Neal was a two-time All-American at Oklahoma State in 1984-85 and had 34 career sacks.
Harrell, who died in 1994 after suffering a heart attack, was a two-time NCAA Division I-AA All-American at ASU and helped the 1970 team finish 11-0 and win the national championship.
The College Football Hall of Fame’s 2019 induction class will be announced on Jan. 7.