Richard McGeorge '71 will become the first Elon football player elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in July as part of its 2012 Divisional Class.
Governed by the National Football Foundation, the Divisional College Football Hall of Fame considers players and coaches from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), Divisions II, III and the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) for induction. McGeorge will be one of seven inducted into the Divisional Hall of Fame during the annual Enshrinement Festival July 20-21 in South Bend, Ind.
“This year’s class of Divisional College Football Hall of Fame inductees represents the best of our sport from the divisional ranks,” said National Football Foundation Chairman Archie Manning, a 1989 Hall of Fame inductee from the University of Mississippi.
“They have all achieved the highest levels of success, and they should be applauded for their induction into college football’s ultimate shrine. We look forward to celebrating their accomplishments this summer.”
The personification of the term “student-athlete,” McGeorge was named a two-time first-team All-American and an Academic All-American during his collegiate career.
McGeorge, a tight end, rewrote Elon’s receiving records book, ending his career as the school’s career record-holder with 224 receptions for 3,486 yards and 31 touchdowns. The conference MVP also set single-season marks with 65 grabs for 1,081 yards, and single-game records with 15 catches, 285 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Chosen with the 16th overall pick of the 1970 NFL Draft, McGeorge enjoyed a nine-year career with the Green Bay Packers, earning the team’s Offensive Player of the Year honors in 1973. He served as the state chairperson for the muscular dystrophy society of Wisconsin from 1975-78 and is a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard.
McGeorge was inducted into the Elon Sports Hall of Fame in 1979 and the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1980.
He has had coaching stops with the Miami Dolphins, Duke, North Carolina Central and Shaw.
For more information, visit ElonPhoenix.com.