— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Two of Marshall football’s best players of the 1990s are being considered for spots in the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.
Wide Receiver Randy Moss and running back Chris Parker are on the nomination list released by the National Football Foundation.
Moss and Parker are on the ballot as Divisional Players as they began their college football careers when Marshall was a Division I-AA program, now FCS.
This is Moss’ first year on the Hall ballot, while Parker has been on the ballot multiple times.
Moss was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018, joining lineman Frank Gatski as the only Marshall alumni in the Canton, Ohio shrine.
Moss played for Marshall in 1996 and 1997, earning All-American honors both seasons. Over those years, Moss caught 174 passes for 3,529 yards and 54 touchdowns.
Marshall won the I-AA Ntational Championship and finished 15-0 in Moss’ freshman season.
In 1997, Marshall won the Mid-American Conference title in its first season in the league. Moss won the 1997 Fred Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top receiver and he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
Parker is Marshall’s all-time leading rusher with 5,931 yards along with 68 touchdowns, also a Thundering Herd record. He was a part of 1992’s I-AA National Championship team and was a leader on the 1993 and 1995 teams that finished runner-up. He ran for 1,700-plus yards in the 1993, 1994 and 1995 seasons and accumulated at least 100 rushing yards in 31 games.
“What an incredible honor for Marshall to have multiple representatives on the most prestigious list in college football,” Marshall Director of Athletics Christian Spears said. “Having two players as nominees not only speaks to the success and respect of Marshall’s football program, but also to the impact those players had on college football. We applaud Randy and Chris for their accomplishments while representing the Thundering Herd and thank the National Football Foundation for recognizing them on the grandest scale, as well.”
Seventy-eight former players are on this year’s ballot. To be nominated, a player must have been a first-team All-America selection during his career among other honors.
Ballots for the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame were E-mailed to the 12,000 National Football Foundation members and Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and sent to the NFF’s Honors Court, chaired by College Football Hall of Famer Archie Griffin. The Honors Couty, which includes a diverse pool of athletics administrators, Hall of Famers and media members, will deliberate and select the class.
The 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be announced early in 2024.