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IRVING, Texas (Oct. 5, 2023) – The University of Missouri and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2023 College Football Hall of Fame electee Jeremy Maclin with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The Salute will take place this Saturday, Oct. 7, during the Tigers’ home football game against LSU, which will kick off at 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
“Cited by many as the most electrifying player to ever don a Mizzou uniform, Jeremy Maclin dazzled fans in Columbia, impacting the game on offense and special teams during one of the school’s most successful runs and becoming the only Tiger to ever be a two-time First Team All-American,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are thrilled to honor him at Memorial Stadium as a member of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class.”
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in the Hall of Fame experience.
During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.
The only freshman in Missouri history to be named a First Team All-American, Maclin claimed consensus honors in 2007 as an all-purpose/return specialist. In 2008, he earned First Team status again, making him the only player in Missouri history to be a two-time First Team All-American. Maclin holds the NCAA record for all-purpose yards as a freshman (198.3 ypg in 2007), and he led the FBS in all-purpose ypg (202.4) in 2008, competing as a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award that season.
Playing for College Football Hall of Fame Coach Gary Pinkel, Maclin and the Tigers amassed a 22-6 record during his run in Columbia. The team notched consecutive bowl victories, claiming a 37-8 win in the Cotton Bowl over Arkansas after the 2007 season. The following year, the Tigers beat Northwestern, 30-23, in the 2008 Alamo Bowl, and Maclin earned Offensive MVP honors after catching an overtime game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback and NFF National Scholar-Athlete Chase Daniel. Mizzou finished with a No. 4 national ranking in 2007 and a No. 16 national ranking in 2008.
A two-time First Team All-Big 12 performer, Maclin earned conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2007. He set Big 12 records for all-purpose yards as a freshman (2,776 in 2007) and as a sophomore (2,833 in 2008), and the Tigers claimed back-to-back Big 12 North titles.
In just two years at Mizzou and after missing the 2006 season due to an injury, Maclin broke school records for all-purpose yards in a career (5,609), single season (2,833 in 2008) and single game (260 vs. K-State in 2007). He boasts the top two single-season all-purpose-yard performances in school history, and he holds nine of the top 20 single-game all-purpose-yard performances in Mizzou annals. His average combined kick return yards in a career (19.7) and single-season combined kick return yards (1,346 in 2007) stand as school records, and he ranks second all-time in 100-yard receiving games (10) and single-season receiving (102 receptions for 1,260 yards in 2008). He ranks fifth all-time at Missouri in career receiving yards (2,315) despite only playing two seasons.
He finished his career with 182 receptions for 2,315 yards and 22 touchdowns, adding 91 career rushes for 668 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He tallied 48 career punt returns for 577 yards and three touchdowns and 85 kickoff returns for 2,049 yards and two touchdowns.
Drafted in the first round (19th overall) by Philadelphia in 2009, he played for the Eagles until 2014, Kansas City from 2015-16 and Baltimore in 2017. He was a 2014 Pro Bowl selection. Maclin was inducted into the Mizzou Athletics Intercollegiate Hall of Fame in 2014, and he was named an SEC Legend in 2019.
After retiring, he became a high school football coach at his alma mater, Kirkwood High School in the St. Louis area. He founded the J-Mac Gives Back charitable foundation, which provides donations and opportunities to underprivileged children, and he has hosted numerous football camps, backpack giveaways and surprise Mother’s Day events.
The Chesterfield, Missouri, native now becomes the 8th Missouri player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Paul Christman (1938-1940), Darold Jenkins (1939-1941), Johnny Roland (1962, 1964-65), Bob Steuber (1940-43), Ed Travis (1916-17, 1919-20), Roger Wehrli (1966-68), Kellen Winslow (1975-78).
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class includes Eric Berry (Tennessee), Michael Bishop (Kansas State), Reggie Bush (Southern California), Dwight Freeney (Syracuse), Robert Gallery (Iowa), LaMichael James (Oregon), Derrick Johnson (Texas), Bill Kollar (Montana State), Luke Kuechly (Boston College), Jeremy Maclin (Missouri), Terance Mathis (New Mexico), Bryant McKinnie (Miami [FL]), Corey Moore (Virginia Tech), Michael Stonebreaker (Notre Dame), Tim Tebow (Florida), Troy Vincent (Wisconsin), Brian Westbrook (Villanova), DeAngelo Williams (Memphis), and coaches Monte Cater (Lakeland [WI], Shepherd [WV]), Paul Johnson (Georgia Southern, Navy, Georgia Tech), Roy Kramer (Central Michigan) and Mark Richt (Georgia, Miami [FL]).
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5 at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Click here for more information on the Awards Dinner, including options to purchase tickets online, special travel rates to the event from Delta Air Lines and hotel rates at the ARIA.
The accomplishments of the 2023 Class will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens, the official and exclusive supplier of NFF rings.
Including the 2023 Hall of Fame Class, only 1,074 players and 230 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.7 million who have played or coached the game during the past 154 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of the individuals who have played the game have earned this distinction.
Fidelity Investments has served as the national presenting sponsor of the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes since 2010. The salutes are one component of a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and a joint commitment to higher education. Fidelity is also the presenting sponsor of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, and it helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes in 2011, which recognize the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives around the country.
ABOUT FIDELITY INVESTMENTS
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship, and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters in 47 states, NFF programs include the criteria, selection and induction of members of the College Football Hall of Fame; the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta; Future For Football; The William V. Campbell Trophy®; the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments; the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Awards presented by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation & Hatchell Cup presented by the Original Bob’s Steak & Chop House; and a series of programs and initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Hanold Associates Executive Search, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club, ,the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.
