Eight Independence Bowl Alumni Featured on 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

Oklahoma QB Josh Heupel in 1999 Independence Bowl.

The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Football Hall of Fame announced Tuesday the 2021 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

The ballot includes 78 players and seven coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) – including five players who appeared in the Independence Bowl and two coaches who coached in Shreveport-Bossier City’s annual postseason classic. That list features Michigan State offensive tackle Flozell Adams, LSU running back Kevin Faulk, Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel, Oklahoma defensive back Roy Williams, Clemson defensive back Donnell Woolford, Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel, and Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops. It also featured 99 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks – including Louisiana Tech head coach Maxie Lambright, who coached in the 1977 and 1978 Independence Bowls.

The full ballot can be found at https://bit.ly/2021CFBHOFBallot.

INDEPENDENCE BOWL ALUMNI ON 2021 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME BALLOT

All bios are courtesy of the National Football Foundation.

Flozell Adams, Michigan State-Offensive Tackle- 1997 First Team All-American and Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year…Three-time All-Big Ten performer who helped Spartans to three consecutive bowl appearances…Helped running backs rush for more than 100 yards in 21 games throughout career and allowed only two QB sacks in 1997 season.

Kevin Faulk, LSU-Running Back- 1996 First Team All-American who finished career ranked fourth in NCAA history in all-purpose yards (6,833)…Three-time First Team All-SEC selection and 1995 SEC Freshman of the Year…Set 11 school records during career and became first LSU back to average 100 yards per game during entire career. Held Independence Bowl record for single-game all-purpose yards from 1995-2018.

Josh Heupel, Oklahoma-Quarterback- 2000 consensus First Team All-American and Walter Camp Player of the Year…2000 Heisman Trophy runner-up who led the Sooners to a national title at the 2001 Orange Bowl…2000 Big 12 Player of the Year who left OU with virtually every school passing record despite only playing two seasons. Held Independence Bowl record for single-game passing yards from 1999-2018.

Roy Williams, Oklahoma-Defensive Back- 2001 unanimous First Team All-American who took home the 2001 Nagurski and Thorpe awards…Led Sooners to the first 13-win season in program history and a national championship (2000)…2001 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year ranks in the conference’s top 10 all-time in pass deflections (44).

Donnell Woolford, Clemson-Defensive Back- Two-time First Team All-American, earning consensus honors as a senior in 1988…Two-time First Team All-ACC selection who led the Tigers to three league titles…Holds Clemson records for career PBU (44) and punt returns for a TD in a career (2).

Gary Pinkel-Toledo (1991-2000), Missouri (2001-15)- Winningest coach in history at both Missouri and Toledo…Led Rockets to 1995 MAC title and boasts nine conference division titles between both schools…Took teams to 11 bowl games, with 7-4 overall record in the postseason…Earned FieldTurf National Coach of the Year and Big 12 Coach of the Year honors after leading Mizzou to its first No. 1 national ranking since 1960 during the 2007 season.

Bob Stoops-Oklahoma (1999-2016)- Boasts the most wins in school history, leading OU to four championship game appearances and winning the 2000 national title…Only coach in the BCS era to win a national championship and every BCS bowl game…Led the Sooners to 10 Big 12 titles and a school-record 18 consecutive bowl games…2000 AP National Coach of the Year and six-time Big 12 Coach of the Year.

Maxie Lambright-Louisiana Tech (1967-78)- Led Tech to three consecutive Division II national titles from 1972-74…Boasted seven conference titles and named 1970s Southland Conference Coach of the Decade…Led program to Division I in 1975, earning two Independence Bowl berths, and coached 11 First Team All-Americans throughout career.

ABOUT THE RADIANCE TECHNOLOGIES INDEPENDENCE BOWL:

The Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl – college football’s 11th-oldest bowl game – played its 44th-edition on December 26, 2019.  Louisiana Tech recorded the first shutout in the game’s history with a 14-0 victory over Miami. The Independence Bowl Foundation announced a five-year agreement with Huntsville, Ala.-based Radiance Technologies to be the game’s title sponsor on April 21, 2020 and announced new primary agreements in January 2020 that will bring a rotation of Army West Point and BYU to Shreveport to face off against a rotation of the Pac-12 Conference, American Athletic Conference and Conference USA.

The Independence Bowl Foundation is prevalent in the Shreveport-Bossier City area throughout the year, hosting events to help enhance the economic impact and growth of our community. The Mission of the Independence Bowl is to attract and provide quality, nationally recognized football competition oriented to the Ark-La-Tex region. For more information, visit RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com or follow the bowl on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @IndyBowl.