The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
College Football Hall of Fame ballot features two Football greats
06.16.2020 | Football
Longhorn Legends Dan Neil and Kenneth Sims are among those that will be up for induction in 2021.
AUSTIN, Texas – Two Texas Football legends were included on the College Football Hall of Fame's 2021 ballot, the National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame announced Tuesday. Those Longhorn Legends are OG/C Dan Neil (1993-96) and DT Kenneth Sims (1978-81).
Neil, a Houston native, was a four-year starter for the Longhorns who played both guard and center. He started all 49 games of his collegiate career, a mark that ranked as the second-longest consecutive starts streak in school history at the time (No. 5 today). Neil was a first-team All-American as both a junior and senior, including consensus honors in 1996 when he was also a finalist for the Outland Trophy and semifinalist for the Lombardi Trophy. He served as a team captain and was the Team MVP as a senior in 1996. Neil helped Texas win the final Southwest Conference Championship in 1995 and the first-ever Big 12 Championship in 1996 before moving on to the professional ranks. He was a third-round selection of the Denver Broncos in the 1997 NFL Draft and played eight seasons with the franchise. Neil was a starter on both of the Broncos' back-to-back Super Bowl-winning teams in 1998 and 1999. He was enshrined in the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor in 2008.
Sims, a Groesbeck, Texas native, was a two-time consensus All-American and two-time All-Southwest Conference selection while at UT. He won the 1981 Lombardi Trophy, which was awarded annually to the nation's best lineman. In 1980 and 1981, his final two years at Texas, Sims was named the Team MVP, making him the first Longhorn since Chris Gilbert (1966-68) to earn that honor in consecutive seasons. Today, he is still one of only six Longhorns on record to earn Team MVP honors in consecutive seasons. Sims was also a team co-captain in 1981, a season in which he recorded a then-school-record 23 tackles for loss (No. 4 today) and led the Longhorns to a 10-1-1 record, capped by a victory over No. 3 Alabama in the Cotton Bowl. He finished his career with 50 tackles for loss, a school record at the time (No. 9 today), and 24 sacks, still the fourth-most in UT history. He also holds the school record for most career forced fumbles with 15. Sims was selected by the New England Patriots with the first overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft. He is one of only three Longhorns (Earl Campbell, 1977; Tommy Nobis, 1966) to be selected first overall. Sims went on to play eight seasons with the Patriots and was enshrined in the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor in 1997.
To be eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame ballot, a player must have been named a first-team All-American by at least one national selector recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams. Candidates must also have played their last year of intercollegiate football at least 10 full seasons prior, played within the last 50 years and cannot be currently playing professional football. Ballots will be emailed to NFF members and current Hall of Famers whose votes will be submitted to the NFF's Honors Courts, which deliberate and select the Class of 2021.
The announcement of the 2021 College Football hall of Fame Class Presented by ETT will be made in early 2021, with specific details to be announced in the future. The class will be officially inducted during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by ETT on Dec. 7, 2021, at the New York Hilton Midtown. The inductees will be permanently enshrined at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
