The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Leaks named to College Football Hall of Fame
05.18.2005 | Football
Former Longhorns running back Roosevelt Leaks (1972-74) was selected to the 2005 College Football Hall of Fame Division I-A Class, Jon F. Hanson, Chairman of The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced Wednesday. Leaks was chosen from from the national ballot of 75 candidates and a pool of hundreds of eligible nominees and will become the 13th Longhorn player to be inducted along with coaches Darrell Royal and Dana X. Bible.
"We are very pleased to have the opportunity to induct another exceptional class of college football hall of famers," Hanson said. "Each year our hard-working Honors Court, chaired by Gene Corrigan, continues to do an outstanding job in ensuring the game's legends are duly recognized."
A tremendous running back and fearless pioneer, Leaks became the first black athlete to earn All-America and All-Conference honors for the Longhorns, forever changing the complexion of football at Texas and the Southwest Conference.
Prior to suffering a serious knee injury that hampered his senior season, Leaks earned consensus First-Team All-America honors in 1973 and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, the first and highest place of the three UT underclassmen to finish in the Top 10. A two-time First-Team All-Conference selection, he was named Southwest Conference MVP in 1973, while setting the conference record for rushing yards (1,415). A team captain and MVP, Leaks guided the Longhorns to two conference titles.
Drafted in the fifth round of the 1975 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts, Leaks enjoyed a nine-year professional career with the Colts and Buffalo Bills. A community-minded individual, Leaks hosts an annual charity golf tournament for children in East Austin. In 2003, he became the first recipient of the Living Legends Award presented by the Ministry of Challenge.
The 2005 College Football Hall of Fame Division I-A Class will be inducted at the 48th Annual Awards Dinner on December 6, 2005, at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. They will be officially enshrined at the Hall in South Bend during ceremonies in August of 2006.
The 2005 class includes the names of 10 other All-America players and two legendary coaches. The players joining Leaks include Cornelius Bennett (LB, Alabama, 1983-86); Tom Curtis (DB, Michigan, 1967-69); Anthony Davis (RB, USC, 1972-74); Keith Dorney (OT, Penn State, 1975-78); Jim Houston (E, Ohio State, 1957-59); John Huarte (QB, Notre Dame, 1962-64); Mark May (OT, Pittsburgh, 1977-80); Joe Washington (RB, Oklahoma, 1972-75); Paul Wiggin (DT, Stanford, 1954-56) and David Williams (WR, Illinois, 1983-85). Coaches Pat Dye, who coached at East Carolina (1974-79), Wyoming (1980), and Auburn (1981-92), and Don Nehlen who was at Bowling Green (1968-76) and West Virginia (1980-2002), were also selected.
