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Aug 9, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons former kicker Morten Andersen reacts after throwing out the ceremonial pitch before the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-Imagn Images Jason Getz-Imagn Images

Three Spartan Legends on 2026 CFB Hall of Fame Ballot

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated Jun 6, 2025 2:00 PM ET

Three Michigan State Spartans football legends were recently tabbed to the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot. The National Football Foundation released a ballot of 79 individuals that excelled for their schools, and the Spartans have three legends representing.

Morten Anderesen, Flozell Adams and former head coach Darryl Rogers are the three selected to represent Michigan State, and the careers that they had make them more than deserving of a Hall of Fame bid.

Andersen is one of the best kickers to ever do it at both the collegiate and professional levels. He played at Michigan State from 1978 to 1981, earning first-team All-Big Ten and All-American honors in '81 while also setting the current school record for the longest field goal at 63 yards against Ohio State.

The Spartan great was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011 and is in the New Orleans, Atlanta and Indiana Sports Hall of Fames. His NFL career may have been even better than college, playing 25 seasons across six organizations and being named a seven-time Pro Bowler.

Andersen also holds the NFL record for most games played (382) and most consecutive games scoring (360). He has been named to both the 1980s and 1990s All-Decade teams, is a two-time Golden Two Award winner ('86, '95), and the 2008 Walter Camp Man of the Year.

He has gone down as one of the best to do it at Michigan State, and that title may hold for eternity. He is by far the best kicker to come through the program and is a staple for Spartan football.

The second ballot selection went to offensive tackle Flozell Adams, a four-year Spartan, playing for head coach Nick Saban from 1994 to 1997. He was nicknamed "The Hotel" due to how large he was at 6-7, 335 pounds and was a three-year starter for Saban.

This will be Adams' second straight year on the ballot.

Adams earned All-Big Ten honorable mention in '95, improving to one of the best tackles in the country. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in his junior season ('96) and would follow that up with being named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year in his senior year ('97).

The Bellwood, Illinois native went on to be drafted 38th overall (second round) in the 1998 draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He would play 11 years for Dallas, taking home five Pro Bowl selections and being named a second-team All-Pro in 2007. He finished his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers for one season (2010).

The third and final Spartan member of the 2026 ballot is Rogers, a legendary football coach at multiple levels of college and professional football. A 30-year coaching career started as a defensive backs coach with Fresno State for three seasons before being a head coach for the next 27.

Rogers landed with the Spartans in '76, being his fourth college program that he was the head coach of. He helped lead Michigan State to a Big Ten championship in '78 and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in '77.

After Michigan State, Rogers went on to coach Arizona State for five seasons before taking his talents to the NFL. He coached the Detroit Lions for four seasons before spending the two seasons of his coaching career in minor league football with the Oklahoma City Twisters and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Rogers passed away in 2018 at the age of 84 and is considered one of the best coaching legends in program history. He held an overall record of 24-18-2 at Michigan State and will hopefully be honored for his contributions as an inductee of the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame.