The National Football Foundation announced 176 players and 42 coaches who will be on the ballot for the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame.
Included on the ballot are four connections to the Denver Broncos, including former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. After winning two national titles and the Heisman Trophy with the Gators, Tebow went on to spend two seasons with the Broncos to begin his NFL career.
Broncos defensive/special projects coach Bill Kollar also made the ballot in recognition of his standout college career as a defensive end at Montana State. Kollar earned first-team All-American honors in 1973 and then won Senior Bowl MVP recognition in 1974. After college, Kollar spent eight years as a defensive lineman in the NFL before transitioning to coaching in 1984.
Former Broncos executive Matt Russell is also on the ballot. Russell was a star defender at Colorado, winning the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s best linebacker. He went on to spend three years in the NFL before a brief stint as a college coach and then a switch to scouting. He worked in Denver from 2009-2020 and now serves as a senior personnel executive with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Former Illinois linebacker Simeon Rice is also on the ballot, but his tenure with the Broncos was brief. Rice totaled 44.5 sacks with the Illini before going on to play for the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning a Super Bowl with the Bucs. He signed with Denver in 2007 but only played in six games and was cut halfway through the season.
The College Football Hall of Fame class will be announced in early 2023 followed by an induction ceremony in December next year.
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