University of Minnesota Athletics

College Football Hall of Fame

A total of 24 former Golden Gopher players are enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. They range from Edward L. Rogers, who scored the game-tying touchdown in the famous Little Brown Jug game against Michigan in 1903, to Bobby Bell, who brought the Outland Trophy to the University of Minnesota in 1962. Minnesota’s next inductee -- Greg Eslinger -- will officially be inducted at a ceremony in Las Vegas in December.

In addition, six former Minnesota head coaches have been inducted into the Hall, while former athletic director Ike Armstong was inducted as a coach in 1957 and former player Fred Hovde was given the the Gold Medal in 1967. The Gold Medal is the highest individual award bestowed by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame and recognizes an outstanding American who has contributed significantly to the sport of college football and our country.

The first members of the College Football Hall of Fame were selected in 1951. Today, there are more than 1,000 players and coaches in the Hall. The Hall of Fame is a part of the National Football Foundation, which was conceived in 1947 by the late Grantland Rice. In addition to sponsoring the Hall of Fame, the Foundation has awarded more than $3 million in graduate school scholarships to college football players. The Hall of Fame moved to Atlanta in August of 2014 after previously been located in South Bend, Ind., and Kings Mills, Ohio
 
Heffelfinger

PUDGE
HEFFELFINGER

HB (1886-87), Coach (1895)
Inducted as Player in 1951
Dobie

GILMORE
DOBIE

End, QB (1889-01)
Inducted as Coach in 1951
Williams

HENRY
WILLIAMS

Coach (1900-21)
Inducted as Coach in 1951
Nagurski

BRONKO
NAGURSKI

FB, Tackle (1927-29)
Inducted as Player in 1951
Crisler

“FRITZ”
CRISLER

Coach (1930-31)
Inducted as Coach in 1954
Joesting

HERB
JOESTING

Fullback (1925-27)
Inducted as Player in 1954
Widseth

ED
WIDSETH

Tackle (1934-36)
Inducted as Player in 1954
Fesler

WES
FESLER

Coach (1951-53)
Inducted as Player in 1954
Nagurski

CLARENCE
SPEARS

Coach (1925-29)
Inducted as Player in 1955
Bierman

BERNIE
BIERMAN

Coach (1932-41, ‘45-50)
Inducted as Coach in 1955
Wilding

DICK
WILDING

Tackle (1940-42)
Inducted as Player in 1957
Armstrong

IKE
ARMSTRONG

Athletic Director (1950-63)
Inducted as Coach in 1957
Lund

FRANCIS “PUG”
LUND

Halfback (1932-34)
Inducted as Player in 1958
Munn

CLARENCE
“BIGGIE” MUNN

Halfback (1929-31)
Inducted as Player in 1959
Minds

JACK
MINDS

Coach (1898)
Inducted as Player in 1962
McGovern

JOHN
McGOVERN

Quarterback (1908-10)
Inducted as Player in 1966
Hovde

FREDERICK
HOVDE

Back (1927-28)
Gold Medal in 1967
Rogers

ED
ROGERS

End, Kicker (1901-03)
Inducted as Player in 1968
Shaughnessy

CLARK
SHAUGHNESSY

Tackle, FB (1912-13)
Inducted as Coach in 1968
Wilkinson

CHARLES “BUD”
WILKINSON

Guard (1934-36)
Inducted as Coach in 1969
Marshall

BOBBY
MARSHALL

End (1904-06)
Inducted as Player in 1971
Smith

BRUCE
SMITH

Halfback (1939-41)
Inducted as Player in 1972
Giel

PAUL
GIEL

Halfback (1951-53)
Inducted as Player in 1975
Nomellini

LEO
NOMELLINI

Tackle, Guard (1947-49)
Inducted as Player in 1977
Tonnemaker

CLAYTON
TONNEMAKER

Center (1946-49)
Inducted as Player in 1980
Bell

BOBBY
BELL

Tackle (1960-62)
Inducted as Player in 1991
Franck

GEORGE
FRANCK

Halfback (1938-40)
Inducted as Player in 2002
Brown

TOM
BROWN

Guard (1958-60)
Inducted as Player in 2003
Eller

CARL
ELLER

Guard (1961-63)
Inducted as Player in 2006
Holtz

LOU
HOLTZ

Coach (1984-85)
Inducted as Coach in 2008
Stephens

SANDY
STEPHENS

Quarterback (1959-61)
Inducted as Player in 2011
Stein

BOB
STEIN

Defensive End (1966-68)
Inducted as Player in 2020
Eslinger

GREG
ESLINGER

Center (2002-05)
To be Inducted
as Player in 2025