College Football Hall of Fame Celebration
Help us celebrate three Rocket Football legends! 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Inductees Chuck Ealey and Gary Pinkel will be joined by 1998 CFB Hall of Fame inductee Mel Long Sr. on Friday, Sept. 9 and Saturday, Sept. 10.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CELEBRATION
Join us Friday, Sept. 9 as we celebrate three Rocket Football legends! 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Inductees Chuck Ealey and Gary Pinkel will be joined by 1998 CFB Hall of Fame inductee Mel Long Sr.
Celebration Details:
- Event Date: Friday, Sept. 9, 2022
- Location: The Pinnacle, 1772 Indian Wood Circle, Maumee, Ohio
- Time:
- Cocktail hour begins at 5:30 p.m.
- Western BBQ themed tailgate at 6:30 p.m.
- Special program featuring all three inductees at 7:00 p.m.
- Fans can submit questions prior to the celebration that will be answered by Ealey, Pinkel, and Long in a panel led by former voice of the Rockets Mark Beier.
- Wear your Rocket attire
- Buffet style, menu is Western BBQ themed
- Cash bar
- 500 tickets available
Ticket Pricing:
- Table of 10 - Celebration Dinner: $250
- Celebration Dinner & Game Ticket: $40
- Celebration Dinner only: $25
How To Order Tickets:
- Visit: Utrockets.com/CFBCelebrationtix
- Call/Text: 419.530.GOLD (4653)
- Stop By: The Rocket Ticket Office at Savage Arena
TOLEDO FOOTBALL vs. UMASS GAME & CFB HALL OF FAME RECOGNITION
Continue the celebration at the Glass Bowl and catch the Rocket Football team in action on Saturday, September 10 vs. UMass.
- The 2022 CFB Hall of Fame Inductees Chuck Ealey and Gary Pinkel and 1998 CFB Hall of Fame inductee Mel Long Sr. will be honored at the game.
- A limited number of the commemorative football cards of the CFB Hall of Fame Inductees will be given out to fans attending the game.
- Tickets for the game are on sale now starting at $19 per ticket. Order your tickets today by visiting utrockets.com/FBTix.
- More details will be released closer to game day.
PORTRAITS & PLAYER CARDS OF TOLEDO'S CFB HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Former Rocket Aaron Bivins Paints Portraits of Toledo’s College Football Hall of Fame Inductees
When the University of Toledo Athletic Department decided to commission an artist to paint portraits of its three members of the College Football Hall of Fame, they sought the services of another Rocket Hall of Famer.
Aaron Bivins, the Toledo football team's all-time leading tackler and 2006 inductee into the school's Varsity T Hall of Fame, was chosen to paint water-color portraits of Rocket greats Chuck Ealey, Mel Long, Sr. and Gary Pinkel.
Bivins is a well-known artist in the Toledo area. Many years before he made his living with a paint brush, he created artistry of a different kind on the football field. Bivins played defensive line for the Rockets from 1974-77, earning Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1976. He twice was awarded Toledo's Nicholson Award as the team's most valuable player, and earned second-team All-MAC accolades in 1976 and 1977. He still holds the Toledo record for career tackles with 508.
The portraits will be officially presented to Ealey, Long and Pinkel at the reception on Sept. 9 and again at the football game on Sept. 10. Those attending the reception, as well as a limited number of fans attending the football game, will receive commemorative football cards that replicate the paintings.
HOTEL/TRAVEL INFORMATION
Book your group rate for the College Football Hall of Fame room block!
Courtyard Toledo Maumee/Arrowhead
- 415 West Dussel Drive Maumee, OH 43537
Room Block Dates:
- Start Date: Friday, September 9
- End Date: Sunday, September 11
- Last Day to Book: Friday, August 19, 2022
Special Group Rate:
- King Room: $149 per night
- Queen Room: $169 per night
Book online by clicking HERE.
2022 CFB HALL OF FAME CLASS
2022 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS
PLAYERS:
- LaVar Arrington – LB, Penn State (1997-99)
- Champ Bailey – DB, Georgia (1996-98)
- Michael Crabtree – WR, Texas Tech (2007-08)
- Sylvester Croom – C, Alabama (1972-74)
- Mike Doss – S, Ohio State (1999-2002)
- Chuck Ealey – QB, Toledo (1969-71)
- Kevin Faulk – AP/RB, LSU (1995-98)
- Moe Gardner – DT, Illinois (1987-90)
- Boomer Grigsby – LB, Illinois State (2001-04)
- Mike Hass – WR, Oregon State (2002-05)
- Marvin Jones – LB, Florida State (1990-92)
- Andrew Luck – QB, Stanford (2009-11)
- Mark Messner – DT, Michigan (1985-88)
- Terry Miller – RB, Oklahoma State (1974-77)
- Rashaan Salaam – RB, Colorado (1992-94)
- Dennis Thomas – C, Alcorn State (1971-73)
- Zach Wiegert – OT, Nebraska (1991-94)
- Roy Williams – DB, Oklahoma (1999-2001)
COACHES:
- John Luckhardt – 225-70-2 (76.1%); Washington & Jefferson [PA] (1982-98), California [PA] (2002-11)
- Billy Jack Murphy – 91-44-1 (67.3%); Memphis (1958-71)
- Gary Pinkel – 191-110-3 (63.3%); Toledo (1991-2000), Missouri (2001-15)
64th NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION AWARDS DINNER
2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class which includes 18 First Team All-America players and three coaches will be inducted during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6 at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The famed-black-tie event, which serves as the ultimate celebration of college football at the end of the regular season, will take place in Las Vegas for a second consecutive year. For more information about the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner click HERE .
ADDITIONAL MEDIA
UTRockets.com:
- Two Rockets Named to College Football Hall of Fame, 1/10/2022: https://utrockets.com/news/2022/1/10/two-rockets-named-to-college-football-hall-of-fame.aspx
- Former Rocket Aaron Bivins Paints Portraits of Toledo’s College Football Hall of Fame Inductees, 6/13/2022: https://utrockets.com/news/2022/6/13/former-rocket-aaron-bivins-paints-portraits-of-toledos-college-football-hall-of-fame-inductees.aspx
College Football Hall Of Fame:
- NFF Announces Star-Studded 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class, 1/10/22: https://footballfoundation.org/news/2022/1/10/nff-announces-star-studded-2022-college-football-hall-of-fame-class.aspx
- NFF Annual Awards Dinner and 75th Anniversary Celebration Heads to Las Vegas, 4/19/2022: https://footballfoundation.org/news/2022/4/19/football-nff-annual-awards-dinner-and-75th-anniversary-celebration-heads-to-las-vegas.aspx
- CFB Hall of Fame Inductee - Mel Long: https://footballfoundation.org/honors/hall-of-fame/mel-long/1992
- CFB Hall of Fame Inductee - Chuck Ealey: https://footballfoundation.org/honors/hall-of-fame?hof=2485
- CFB Hall of Fame Inductee - Gary Pinkel: https://footballfoundation.org/honors/hall-of-fame?hof=2500
- College Football Hall Of Fame Website: https://footballfoundation.org/feature/NFF2022
Other Media:
- Portrait of Excellence:UT's Leading Tackler Paints CFB Hall of Famers, 6/8/22: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEtCYqAGqwU
Chuck Ealey
Quarterback, 1969-71EALEY
The signal caller for the best run in Toledo football history, Chuck Ealey never lost a game in his three seasons as the Rockets' starting quarterback.
Named a 1971 First Team All-American, Ealey went a remarkable 35-0 as Toledo's starting quarterback. The three-time MAC Back of the Year became the first player in conference history to receive votes for the Heisman Trophy, tallying 168 points for an eighth-place finish in 1971. A three-time First Team All-MAC selection, Ealey led the Rockets to three consecutive conference titles. While guiding the team to three-straight Tangerine Bowl victories, he earned MVP honors following standout performances in the 1969 and 1971 editions.
A 1971 team captain, Ealey finished his career as Toledo's all-time leader with 5,275 passing yards and 45 touchdown passes, both marks that still rank in the top 10. In both 1970 and 1971, he received the team's Jim Nicholson Award as the team's most valuable player. Voted No. 1 on Toledo's All-Century Football Team in 2017, the Portsmouth, Ohio, native is one of just four players to have his number retired by the Rockets. He was inducted into the University of Toledo Varsity T Hall of Fame in 1978.
After going undrafted by the NFL, Ealey signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. Taking over as the starting quarterback in 1972, he would go on to win the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award and lead the Tiger-Cats to a victory in the Grey Cup, where he earned MVP honors. In total, Ealey played seven seasons in the CFL with the Tiger-Cats (1972-74), Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1974-75) and Toronto Argonauts (1975-78).
Following his professional football career, he served as a financial advisor in the Toronto area. He currently serves as a consultant and public speaker, helping people of all ages discover and embrace their undefeated spirit so they can better themselves and their community. He founded the Chuck Ealey Foundation, which annually awards academic scholarships to college and high school recipients of The Chuck Ealey Undefeated Spirit Award. The Chuck Ealey Foundation also provides opportunities to high school students to help build their mentoring skills while guiding underprivileged youth to discover and embrace their sense of self-worth and "undefeated spirit."
