Rand, W.Va. native and Dupont High School graduate Randy Moss is the first announced inductee in the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame class.
Moss is an NFL analyst on ESPN and was given the news of his honor while hosting “Sunday NFL Countdown” this morning.
Marshall University Go Herd man! STAND UP!
Congrats 🐐@RandyMoss on being inducted into the @NFFNetwork College Football HOF
🎥: @espn pic.twitter.com/K8VRzeKA73
— Marshall Football (@HerdFB) January 7, 2024
In two seasons with Marshall, Moss caught 174 passes for 3,529 yards and 54 touchdowns before moving on to an elite professional career that also resulted in Moss being named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
In 1997, Moss’ 26 touchdown receptions set an FBS record and led to him being named as the Biletnikoff Award winner, given to the nation’s top wide receiver. Moss finished with 96 receptions for 1,820 yards in that season.
That came on the heels of the 1996 season – Marshall’s last as an FCS member – in which the team went 15-0 and won the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship. In that season, Moss caught 78 passes for 1,709 yards and a program-record 28 touchdowns.
“How great it is to finally see Randy being officially honored into the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame,” said Christian Spears, Marshall’s Director of Athletics. “There are probably just a special few who have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame prior to the College Football Hall of Fame, but Randy is so deserving having impacted the game at both levels dramatically. Marshall is honored to have submitted this nomination and we are thrilled for him and his family on this hard-earned recognition.”
“I am thrilled to extend my heartiest congratulations to Randy Moss on his well-deserved induction into the College Football Hall of Fame,” Marshall University President Brad D. Smith said. “Randy’s extraordinary talent and dedication on the field have not only elevated the game of football, but also brought immense pride and recognition to our university and the state of West Virginia. His legacy as one of the most remarkable athletes in college football history will forever inspire future generations of Thundering Herd players. This honor is a testament to Randy’s enduring impact on the sport and our community.”
“We couldn’t be more excited for Randy and his family on his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame,” Marshall head coach Charles Huff said. “The Hall of Fame is a sacred group of elite college football players and Randy’s career as a Marshall University football player was as elite as they come. He was a generational talent that changed the game. Congratulations Randy! We are proud to call you a Son of Marshall!”
Moss becomes Marshall’s eighth inductee in the College Football Hall of Fame and the first since the late Michael Payton was inducted in 2015. He joins Payton, Troy Brown, Jim Donnan, Mike Barber, Jackie Hunt Frank Loria and Harry “Cy” Young as Herd representatives.
Moss and the rest of the 2024 Hall of Fame class — which will be announced Monday — will officially in enshrined in a ceremony in Las Vegas in December.