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Michigan State, Detroit Lions Players Among College Football HOF Nominees

By Colton Wesley

Apr 8, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Former Detroit Tiger Kirk Gibson throws out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game against the New York Yankees at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Former Detroit Tiger Kirk Gibson throws out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game against the New York Yankees at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Several Michigan State Spartans and Detroit Lions were nominated for the 2017 class of the College Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

Former Detroit Tigers outfielder and Michigan State wide receiver Kirk Gibson, former Michigan State kicker Morten Andersen and former Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson, as well as several other local athletes, were all named among the 75 potential FBS inductees.

Gibson is more well-known for his baseball career, but he starred in football at Michigan State, where he was a first-team All-American in 1978 and ended his career as Michigan State’s career leader in receiving yards, receptions, and receiving touchdowns.

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His average of 21 yards per reception is still a school record. He only played one season of college baseball at MSU, but impressed the Tigers enough to take him in the first round of the 1979 MLB Draft. During his 17-year professional baseball career, 12 years of which were spent with the Tigers, Gibson batted .268, hit 255 home runs, and won two World Series titles, one with the Tigers in 1984 and one with the Dodgers in 1988.

Andersen was one of the greatest kickers in the history of football and currently holds the NFL career records for most points scored (2,554), most field goals made (565) and most games played (382). He played at Michigan State from 1978-1981, where he led the Spartans in scoring three times, was named an All-American in 1981 and kicked a record 63-yard field goal against Ohio State that same year.

As a professional, Andersen made 79.7% of his field goals and 98.8% of his extra points. He went to the Pro Bowl seven times, was named to both the NFL’s All-1980s and 1990s Decade Teams, and was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011. Despite all of this, Andersen still remains outside of Canton, where he has been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame three times but has never been inducted.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 14: Jason Hanson #4 of the Detroit Lions celebrates after kicking a 45-yard field goal in overtime against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on October 14, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Lions won 26-23. (Photo by
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 14: Jason Hanson #4 of the Detroit Lions celebrates after kicking a 45-yard field goal in overtime against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on October 14, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Lions won 26-23. (Photo by /

Hanson walked on to Washington State’s football team in 1988 and went on to be named All-Pac-10 each of his four seasons. As a freshman, he made two 50+ yard field goals in Washington State’s upset win over #1 UCLA and was named to the Sporting News’ 1988 All-American Freshman team.

He was a consensus All-American in 1989, in 1990 he was named first-team all-conference as both a punter and kicker and in 1991 he made a 62-yard field goal en route to being named All-American once again. Hanson was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft, and set NFL records by playing in Detroit for his entire 21-season career, 327 games.

He holds most Detroit career kicking records, including most points scored (2,152) and most field goals made (495), and was inducted into the Lions Ring of Honor in 2013.

The 2017 ballot is full of talented athletes and coaches, including Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk, Tony Gonzalez, Ray Lewis, Peyton Manning, Ron Rivera, Brian Urlacher, and Steve Spurrier.

Other notable Michigan athletes nominated yesterday include former Detroit Lions offensive tackle Lomas Brown (Florida), former Michigan offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott, former Michigan defensive tackle Mark Messner, former Michigan State running back Lorenzo White, and former Michigan State coach Darryl Rogers. Among the small college candidates are former Northern Michigan defensive back Jerry Woods, and coaches Morley Fraser (Albion), Dick Lowry (Wayne State, Hillsdale) and Pete Schmidt (Albion).

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The entire list of candidates for the 2017 class is available here.

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