National Football Foundation Announces 2008 On-Campus Salute Schedule

On-field presentations...an NFF tradition for more than six decades

DALLAS, August 19, 2008 - Archie Manning, chairman of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, Inc. (NFF), recently announced the On-Campus Salute schedule for the NFF's 2008 Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) College Football Hall of Fame Class.

PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL YEARS ON-CAMPUS SALUTE DATE
TROY AIKMAN QB UCLA 1987-88 TBA
BILLY CANNON HB LSU 1957-59 Nov. 22 vs. Ole Miss
JIM DOMBROWSKI OT Virginia 1982-85 Aug. 30 vs. USC
PAT FITZGERALD LB Northwestern 1993-96 Oct. 18 vs. Purdue
WILBER MARSHALL LB Florida 1980-83 Sept. 6 vs. Miami (Fla.)
RUEBEN MAYES RB Washington State 1982-85 Sept. 27 vs. Oregon
RANDALL McDANIEL OG Arizona State 1984-87 Sept. 20 vs. Georgia
DON McPHERSON QB Syracuse 1984-87 Nov. 1 vs. Louisville
JAY NOVACEK TE Wyoming 1982-84 Sept. 13 vs. North Dakota State
DAVE PARKS SE Texas Tech 1961-63 Sept. 13 vs. SMU
RON SIMMONS NG Florida St.1977-80 Nov. 15 vs. Boston College
THURMAN THOMAS RB Oklahoma State 1984-87 Nov. 29 vs. Oklahoma (tent.)
ARNOLD TUCKER QB Army 1944-46 Sept. 20 vs. Akron (tent.)

COACHES

JOHN COOPER
Career Record: 192-84-6
Tulsa 1977- 84
Arizona St. 1985-87;
On Campus Salute: ASU-Sept. 20 vs. Georgia
Ohio State 1988-2000;
On Campus Salute: OSU-Oct. 25 vs. Penn State

LOU HOLTZ
Career Record: 249-132- 7
William & Mary 1969-71
N.C. State 1972-75
Arkansas 1977- 83
Minnesota 1984-85
Notre Dame 1986-96;
On Campus Salute: ND- Sept. 13 vs. Michigan
South Carolina 1999-2004

"The On-Campus Salute is not only a unique tradition that allows our Hall of Famers to be honored in front of their home crowds again," said Manning, a 1989 College Football Hall of Fame inductee. "It is also a great opportunity for fans to see some of the most storied players and coaches in the history of their school's football program."

Throughout the football season, each Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) Hall of Fame inductee returns to his school for the special on-field event, where a commemorative plaque is presented to the university for permanent display. Beginning with the Foundation's inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1951, the On-Campus Salute has served as the first of numerous highlights in the Hall of Fame experience, giving each inductee one more chance to take the field.

"I was humbled to tears as I shared my halftime salute with many of my teammates, family and friends," said Rex Kern, a 2007 College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Ohio State. "To hear the thunderous roar of the fans while standing on the fifty-yard line took me all the way back almost 40 years ago when our teams went 27-2. ... The excitement in the air just reminded me again as to why college football and [my] university are so special to me."

NFF representatives, including staff from the national office and board members like 1986 College Football Hall of Famer Archie Griffin, who took part in Kern's salute, present the plaque during the ceremony.

"Incorporating our many nationwide constituents, especially our board members, in the On-Campus Salutes allows us to continually build on our efforts to be border-to-border and coast-to-coast," said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "The salutes are an important platform for us to expose fans and the media to the NFF's mission and our many initiatives."

The 2008 Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted at the NFF's Annual Awards Dinner, held at New York City's historic Waldorf=Astoria Hotel on Tuesday, December 9. The National Hall of Fame Salute at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl follows on January 5, giving the class recognition on a national stage, and events culminate with the College Football Hall of Fame's Enshrinement Festival in South Bend, Ind., July 17- 18.

This year's On-Campus Salute schedule is filled with exciting match-ups, including intrastate rivalries between Florida and Miami on Sept. 6 and Oklahoma State and Oklahoma on Nov. 29; Arizona State hosts preseason No.1 Georgia on Sept. 20; a potential Big Ten title showdown between Ohio State and Penn State on Oct. 25; and the 50th anniversary of Billy Cannon's historic Halloween-night run as LSU takes on Ole Miss on Nov. 22.