(STATS) – The third time was the charm for Terrell Owens as the former FCS wide receiver was selected to the 2018 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
On the eve of Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, Owens, who played wide receiver at Chattanooga, was part of an eight-member class that included safety Brian Dawkins, linebacker Ray Lewis, wide receiver Randy Moss and linebacker Brian Urlacher as well as two senior selections, linebacker Robert Brazile and offensive guard Jerry Kramer, and a contributor selection, general manager Bobby Beathard. Moss was part of Marshall’s NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) championship team in 1996 before the Thundering Herd moved up to Division I-A (now FBS), while Brazile played at Jackson State prior to the Division I split in 1978.
Each member of the class received the necessary 80 percent support from a 48-person selection committee.
“We’re GOLDEN!” Owens tweeted after learning he would be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 4.
It took three years as a finalist for the 44-year-old Owens to earn enough votes, perhaps because he was outspoken during a controversy-filled career. He played 15 seasons with five organizations, starting with the San Francisco 49ers after they selected him in the third round of the 1996 draft. The six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro ranks second in NFL history with 15,934 receiving yards and third with 153 touchdown catches on 1,078 receptions.
At Chattanooga, he was a prolific athlete who participated in three sports. He became a starting receiver as a sophomore and caught 115 passes for 1,748 yards and 12 touchdowns over his final three seasons, playing in the run-heavy Southern Conference. He also played for a Mocs basketball team that advanced to the NCAA tournament and anchored the school’s 4×100 relay team at the NCAA track championships.
Among the finalists who was not selected to the class was cornerback Everson Walls, the Grambling State great who is the only cornerback to lead the NFL in interceptions three times. He had 57 interceptions in a 13-year career, including 44 with the Dallas Cowboys.
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