Ten Former Colts Among Nominees For College Football Hall Of Fame

Andrew Walker

COLTS.COM WRITER

INDIANAPOLIS — Before they were Colts on Sundays, they excelled on Saturdays.

That’s not a unique story for most players that find their way into the Indianapolis Colts’ organization, but some certainly dominated the college game more than others.

Only the best of the best are inducted each year into the College Football Hall of Fame. In fact, there have been more than five million college football players since Nov. 6, 1869, when Princeton took on Rutgers in the first-ever organized collegiate football game. Of those five million-plus players, 1,010 of them — less than two one-hundredths of a percent — have earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, according to the National Football Foundation (NFF).

So just to be nominated in itself is an honor, and on Monday, we learned 10 former Colts players were among those nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020.

Defensive back Ashley Ambrose, tight end Dallas Clark, running back Eric Dickerson, running back Keith Elias, wide receiver Marvin Harrison, running back Craig Heyward, tight end Pete Mitchell, center Ted Petersen, defensive back Tyrone Pool and linebacker Simeon Rice are among those being voted on by more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers; their votes are submitted to the NFF’s Honors Courts, which “will deliberate and select the class.”

The announcement of the Class of 2020 will be made in January in the days leading up to the College Football Playoff National Championship in New Orleans. The class will officially be inducted during the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8, 2020, at the New York Hilton Midtown.

Here’s a little on each Colts 2020 College Football Hall of Fame nominee, via the NFF:

» Dallas Clark, Tight End, Iowa: 2002 unanimous First Team All-American and winner of the Mackey Award as the nation's best tight end…Two-time All-Big Ten selection who helped Iowa to a share of the 2002 Big Ten title and its first-ever 11-win season (2002)…Holds record for longest pass reception in school history (95 yards). Selected by the Colts in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft; played in Indianapolis from 2003-11 and, in 115 games with 11 starts, compiled 427 receptions for 4,887 yards and 46 touchdowns.