ACC Nation

A couple of players, and one coach, with ties to schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference were selected to the College Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2008.

The National Football Foundation announced today that former Virginia offensive tackle Jim Dombrowksi and former Florida State nose tackle Ron Simmons, along with coaching great Lou Holtz, who was at NC State from 1972-74, were among 15 former players and coaches selected to the 2008 class.

Dombrowski, the fourth former UVa. player selected to the College football Hall of Fame, anchored Virginia’s offensive line for four straight seasons (1982-85) and finished his college football career as UVa’s first-ever unanimous All-American. In addition, the tackle became only the fifth Cavalier player to have his number (73) retired.

The two-time winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy (recognizing the ACC’s best blocker) helped lead UVa to three straight winning seasons and a 27-24 victory over Purdue in the 1984 Peach Bowl. Following Virginia’s 6-5 season in 1985, Dombrowski was named to All-America teams by The Associated Press, College & Pro Football Newsweekly, Football News, Football Writers Association of America, Kodak, The Sporting News, United Press International, Walter Camp Foundation, and by Mizlou television network and Independent Insurance Agents.

He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round (sixth pick) of the 1986 NFL Draft. He spent 11 seasons with the Saints (1986-96) and played in a club-record 147 consecutive games. He was inducted into the Saints’ Hall of Fame in 2003.

Simmons, a two-time first team consensus All-American nose guard who played for the Seminoles from 1977-80, is the fourth Seminole to go into the Hall. Simmons played for FSU before the Seminoles were a member of the ACC. When his number was retired in 1988, Simmons became the first FSU defender to be so honored.

The middle guard anchored the center of the defense that took FSU to a pair of Orange Bowl appearances in 1979 and 1980, resulting in FSU’s highest national ranking at the time, No. 5 in the final AP poll. He also led FSU to a Tangerine Bowl and to four consecutive victories over Florida. Simmons, a three-time All-South pick (1978-80), set school records for quarterback sacks in a career (25) and season (12) in 1979, a mark that held top ranking at FSU for 23 years and now ranks among the top five. He ranks second on Florida State’s all-time tackles list (483) and career tackles for loss (44).

Simmons played professionally for a short time for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL and then the Tampa Bay Bandits in the United States Football League before becoming a professional wrestler. In 1986, he was inducted into the Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame.

Holtz is the only coach in NC State football history to take the Wolfpack to a post-season bowl game every year of his tenure. In four seasons, he compiled 33-12-3 record, leading the Wolfpack to victories in the Peach (1972) and Liberty (1973) bowls. Overall, Holtz was 249-132-7 in his career, winning the 1989 college football national championship at Notre Dame.

The other 11 players selected for the College Football Hall of Fame are QB Troy Aikman (UCLA, 1987-88), RB Billy Cannon (LSU, 1957-59), LB Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern, 1994-96), LB Wilber Marshall (Florida, 1980-83), RB Rueben Mayes (Washington State, 1982-85), OG Randall McDaniel (Arizona State, 1984-87), QB Don McPherson (Syracuse, 1984-87), TE Jay Novacek (Wyoming, 1982-84), SE Dave Parks (Texas Tech, 1961-63), RB Thurman Thomas (Oklahoma State, 1984-87) and QB Arnold Tucker (Army, 1944-46).

In addition to Holtz — who also coached at William & Mary (1969-71), Arkansas (1977-83), Minnesota (1984-85), Notre Dame (1986-96) and South Carolina (1999-2004) — the other coach selected was John Cooper (Tulsa 1977-84, Arizona State 1985-87 and Ohio State 1988-2000).