The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Football Hall of Fame have revealed the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class.
The Big 12 features two honorees including Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree (2007-08) and Oklahoma’s Roy Williams (1999-2001), while Oklahoma State’s Terry Miller (1974-77) was selected from his time playing in the Big Eight. Former Missouri coach Gary Pinkel (2001-15) was selected as one of the three coaches in the class, which includes his time coaching in the Big 12 (2001-11).
The first two-time winner of the Biletnikoff Award, Michael Crabtree was one of the most electric wide receivers in college football history. The Dallas native becomes the sixth Red Raider player in the College Football Hall of Fame.
The only two-time unanimous First Team All-American (2007, 2008) in Texas Tech history, Crabtree finished fifth in the 2008 Heisman Trophy voting. The 2007 Freshman All-American burst onto the scene by setting still-standing freshman single-season FBS records for receiving yards (1,962), receptions (134), receiving yards per game (150.9), touchdown receptions (22), receptions per game (10.3) and 100-yard receiving games (11). Crabtree still ranks in the top 15 all-time in nine FBS receiving categories, with his 1,962 receiving yards in 2007 currently third in FBS single-season history. A two-time recipient of the Paul Warfield Award, Crabtree was named CBSSports.com’s National Freshman of the Year and the AT&T All-America Player of the Year in 2007.
A two-time First Team All-Big 12 selection, Crabtree was named the Big 12 Co-Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2007. Despite playing just two seasons, he remains Texas Tech’s all-time leader with 41 career receiving touchdowns and 15 career 100-yard receiving games while ranking second with 3,127 career receiving yards. His 1,962 receiving yards and 134 receptions in 2007 are both Big 12 and Red Raider records, and he owns the top two single-season receiving touchdown marks in school history (22 in 2007, 19 in 2008). The 2007 Texas Tech team MVP owns nearly every freshman receiving record in the Big 12 and Red Raider record books. In 2008, Crabtree led Texas Tech to a share of the Big 12 South Division title, an 11-2 record and the No. 12 final ranking. His highlight moment came against Texas that season, in which he hauled in the game-winning 28-yard touchdown with one second remaining to shock No. 1 Texas. Crabtree led the Red Raiders to two bowl games, including a win in the 2008 Gator Bowl. The 2020 Texas Tech Hall of Fame inductee was named to the school’s Football Ring of Honor in 2021.
The 10th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, Crabtree played 11 seasons with the 49ers (2009-14), Oakland Raiders (2015-17), Baltimore Ravens (2018) and Arizona Cardinals (2019).
Off the field, he established the Crab5 Foundation, which hosts numerous events each year for underprivileged youth. Crabtree also fully endowed a scholarship at Texas Tech in 2019.
The first player in history to claim the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Jim Thorpe Award in the same year, Roy Williams struck fear in his opponents as he led Oklahoma to the 2000 national title and a 31-7 record during his three seasons in Norman. The Union City, California, native becomes the 23rd Sooner player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
A unanimous First Team All-American in 2001, Williams started 31 games for the Sooners, recording 287 tackles, 34 tackles for loss, nine interceptions and 44 pass deflections during his career. In 2001, he captained the Sooners to an 11-2 record and a 10-3 win in the Cotton Bowl against Arkansas. Williams posted six tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks in the game, claiming Defensive MVP honors. His performance during the 2001 season earned him Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors as well as the Nagurski and Thorpe awards, and he finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting, the highest vote total in 2001 for a non-quarterback. In 2000, he led the Big 12 champion Sooners to their first 13-win season and first undefeated season since 1987, capped by a 13-2 win over Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl to claim the BCS National Championship.
In 1999, which marked the first season at OU for Coach Bob Stoops (inducted into the Hall in 2021), Williams helped Oklahoma notch a 7-5 record and a spot in the Independence Bowl, which snapped the school’s four-year absence from postseason play. A two-time First Team All-Big 12 selection, he carved a unique place in Oklahoma football annals with an iconic play during the 2001 Red River Showdown. Leaping over defenders, Williams knocked the ball from Texas QB Chris Simms and into the hands of OU’s Teddy Lehman, who scored a touchdown. The play sealed a 14-3 win for OU while earning Williams the “Superman” moniker as he appeared to fly through the air.
Selected as the eighth overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft by Dallas, Williams played for the Cowboys from 2002-08 and the Cincinnati Bengals from 2009-10, earning five consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 2003-07 while being named a First Team All-Pro in 2003.
Williams currently serves as the president of Global Security Corporation in Edmond, Oklahoma, which provides protection for VIPs, security at corporate events and other security consulting services. Active in the community, he established the Roy Williams Safety Net Foundation to support low-income single mothers. The Roy Williams Strength and Speed Complex at OU is named in his honor, and he is a member of the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.
One of only three players in Big Eight history to rush for more than 4,000 yards during his career, Terry Miller’s 4,754 yards were the fourth-most in NCAA history when his career ended. The Colorado Springs, Colorado, native becomes the fifth Oklahoma State player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
A two-time First Team All-American, Miller earned unanimous honors in 1977, and he twice finished as a top-five Heisman Trophy finalist (second in 1977 and fourth in 1976). The only rusher in Oklahoma State history with three 1,000-yard seasons, he ranked fifth in the nation in rushing yards in 1976 (1,714) and third in 1977 (1,680). Miller also led the nation with 23 rushing touchdowns in 1976. The two-time Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year (1976, 1977) led the Cowboys to the 1976 conference title and postseason wins in the 1974 Fiesta Bowl and 1976 Tangerine Bowl, which led to a final No. 14 ranking for the Pokes.
Miller led the Big Eight in rushing his final two seasons, boasting 1,887 yards in 1976 (note: Oklahoma State credits him with a different total than the NCAA) and 1,680 yards in 1977 – marks that rank third and sixth all-time, respectively, at Oklahoma State. He owns the Cowboy record with 26 career games with 100 yards rushing. Sitting behind fellow College Football Hall of Fame running backs Barry Sanders and/or Thurman Thomas in nearly every other school career rushing category, Miller ranks second in rushing yards (4,754), rushing touchdowns (871) and rushing yards per game (113.2) while placing third in career all-purpose yards (5,305).
The fifth overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, Miller played for the Bills from 1978-80 before one season with the Seattle Seahawks in 1981.
Miller has been a regular volunteer for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Payne County Youth Services, among many other organizations. He is now retired and living in Stillwater.
The 18 First Team All-America players and three standout coaches in the 2022 Class were selected from the
national ballot of 78 players and seven coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision, the 99 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks and the NFF Veterans Committee candidates.
The 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6 (location TBD).
A full list of the 2022 Class and further information can be found
here.