Four former Ohio State Buckeyes among candidates for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Eddie George, who won the Heisman Trophy as part of a dominant 1995 season at Columbus, is among the 52 players announced today by the Hall as candidates for induction. In addition to the Heisman, he also took home the Maxwell Award, the Doak Walker Award and the Walter Camp Award Award in ‘95, when he was a Unanimous All-American and the Big Ten Most Valuable Player and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year with Ohio State.

He was drafted in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft, 14th overall, by the Houston Oilers, playing with the Oilers/Tennessee Titans until 2003, and retiring after one season with the Dallas Cowboys. The Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2006, he was a four-time Pro Bowler with one first-team All-Pro selection (2000) who helped the Titans reach their only Super Bowl appearance, the XXXIV edition at the end of the 1999 campaign.

George still stands 29th on the all-time NFL rushing list with 10,441 yards, one of 32 players who have crossed the 10,000-yard mark. He’s also the only player in NFL history with 300+ carries for eight consecutive seasons.

Nick Mangold played center for Ohio State, and was part of the National Championship Team in 2002. A first-team All-American in 2005, he was drafted in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft 29th overall by the New York Jets, with whom he stayed his whole 11-year career.

A seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, Mangold made two AFC Championship appearances with the Jets. He recently made headlines by asking Jets and Buckeyes communities via social media for a kidney donor, while disclosing an ongoing serious health issue.

Along with George and Mangold, the former Buckeyes assistants who are up for consideration by the shrine are Bill Arnsparger and Alex Gibbs. The former coached defensive line from 1951 to 1953 under the legendary Woody Hayes, who he had followed to Columbus from Miami (Ohio). In the NFL, Arnsparger led the Miami Dolphins defense for the Super Bowl winning teams of editions VII and VIII under head coach Don Shula. He also made two more Super Bowl appearances: XVII with the Dolphins again, and XXIX with the Chargers, both times as defensive coordinator.

Gibbs was offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes from 1975 to 1978, also working under Hayes. A two time Super Bowl winner with the Broncos in editions XXXII and XXXIII, Gibbs had also appeared in the Super Bowl for Denver during editions XXI and XXII in the ‘80s. He helped revolutionize NFL rushing attacks with his zone-blocking scheme, propelling the likes of running backs like Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, Reuben Droughns and Arian Foster to stardom.

The eleven current Hall of Famers that already call the Canton shrine home are Cris Carter, Sid Gillman, Randy Gradishar, Lou Groza, Dante Lavelli, Dick LeBeau, Orlando Pace, Jim Parker, Ed Sabol, Paul Warfield and Bill Willis.

Only Notre Dame and USC have more members enshrined in the Hall of Fame, with 14 each, than Ohio State. Miami (Fla.) and Michigan also boast 11 immortals in the HOF.