Inside the exclusive club of Heisman Hall of Famers
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10 players in football history have won the Heisman Trophy and been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Driving the news: Tim Brown, the longtime Raiders wideout and Notre Dame star, is executive producing a documentary called "The Ten," which will highlight the achievements of this exclusive club.
- QB: Roger Staubach
- RB: O.J. Simpson, Doak Walker, Paul Hornung, Earl Campbell, Tony Dorsett, Marcus Allen, Barry Sanders
- WR: Tim Brown
- DB: Charles Woodson
The film, which is being produced by Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment in partnership with NFL Films and Elite Holdings, is set to premiere next year.
- Of note: Doak Walker and Paul Hornung passed away in 1998 and 2020, respectively. The other eight members are alive.
🎙 Interview ... I spoke with Brown about the "H2H" club.
On what to expect from the documentary:
"We're hoping to get the remaining guys in a room to talk about their stories. Even though we have Heisman and Hall of Fame events, it's hard to get everyone together in one place, so this will be a unique opportunity."
On the experience of winning the Heisman:
"The ceremony was only like 30 minutes back then, so there wasn't this big fanfare like they do now. Everything happened so quickly ... then you have to make this big speech. It was a whirlwind."
"And for me, it was an overwhelming feeling. Two years before I won, I was just a guy in college football. I didn't play every down, I wasn't the starter going into my junior year — so to win the Heisman was almost miraculous."
On the experience of being elected into the Hall:
"When they knocked on my door, I was in the bathroom. I thought they'd call first, so I told my son to get it, not thinking it was important. Then I hear him say, 'Dad...' I peak around the corner and there's big Dave Baker."
"Of course, he goes into his soliloquy: 'Over 30,000 men have played the game...' But by then, you don't hear anything because you're crying so hard. I did hear him say, 'Welcome to the Hall of Fame,' and that's all I needed to hear."
On how one feat helped him achieve the other:
"If I hadn't won the Heisman, I don't think I would have had the NFL career that I had. When I was having some tough years, coming home and seeing that trophy reminded me of who I could be on the football field."
"I never thought I'd play 17 years in the league, and I really didn't think about the Hall of Fame until I got my 1,000th catch. But along the way, the Heisman pushed me. It kept me going."
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